Five days and counting... and with only 120-odd hours before Steve Jobs struts his stuff onstage at Macworld Expo, Apple's patented Veil of Secrecy is apparently drawing too much power. Tantalizing details about Steve's planned surprises are starting to trickle through the cracks. As faithful viewer Dan Asselin pointed out, there's a CNET article floating around out there that's chock full of enough Expo rumor fodder to keep even the hungriest dirt-disher satisfied. There are bits and pieces about the PowerBook G4, new DVD/CD-R combo drives, and an update to Mac OS 9-- but the real juice is about the Megahertz Gap. Get this: Apple must be holding the families of key Motorola executives at gunpoint or something, because those ever-lovin' "sources familiar with Apple's plans" claim that Steve is going to spring four new Power Macs on us next week-- running at clock speeds of up to 733 MHz. (The lesser models will probably ship at speeds of 466, 533, and a diabolical 666 MHz-- nothing to sneeze at.)

733 MHz? From Motorola? Offer up a prayer of thanks to the deity of your choice, because it looks like the new millennium may be kicking off with an outright miracle. And here we were, hoping against hope for even a modest bump to 533 MHz, barely daring even to consider the merest possibility of a 600 MHz G4. Why, the announcement of an imminent 733 MHz G4 at a time when Apple's competitors are shipping 1.5 GHz systems is almost a reason not to raid Motorola headquarters and start chuckin' pies at the management-- and for that we're thankful, because we're not really up for any more travel for a while, especially while lugging a few dozen aerodynamic creamy pastries.

Better still, these new Power Macs also boast a 133 MHz system bus, which ought to boost performance still further on top of the processor speed gains. Things aren't all sunshine and puppies, however; if these "sources" are correct, these blistering new Power Macs are missing what we'd consider to be a fairly crucial component: a second processor. Yes, Apple shipped dual-processor systems last summer long before the symmetrically-multiprocessing Mac OS X was ready for public consumption, and now that the operating system is finally mere weeks from emerging to unlock the full potential of those extra processors, Apple is reportedly planning to ship entirely single-chip models again. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it? You can interpret that as evidence that either CNET's sources are smoking crack, or Apple's execs are. We'll know for sure once the new Macs grab the spotlight on Tuesday. (Hopefully.)

We can't back this up with actual proof, but we're pretty sure that when we all embarked on the long wait for Mac OS 9.1, ALF was on the cover of TV Guide. Not that it's been a particularly tough wait, mind you-- after all, Mac OS 9.0.4 works pretty darn well as it is, and most of us are far more concerned about the release date for Mac OS X, instead, so 9.1's sort of been swept under the rug, so to speak. Still, it's been a good long while since we first heard about Mac OS 9.1, and a slew of questions remain unanswered: When will we get it? How much will it cost? What does it do? And is it true that a duck's quack won't echo?

Well, wonder no more, true believers, because the PowerBook Zone has the answers to all of your questions. (Well, all except the one about the quacking, but Cecil Adams has that covered-- in short, "no.") If the Zone's "reliable sources" are indeed reliable (and they've had a very good track record in the past), then Uncle Steve will try to quell the crushing disappointment of Mac OS X's continued "unreleased" status by offering up Mac OS 9.1 as a handy distraction-- so prepare for the update to surface amid suitable fanfare this coming Tuesday. And here's a welcome departure from Apple's recent Microsoftian pricing practices; the company that had the nerve to charge public beta testers $30 for the privilege of expending time and effort while risking their data has apparently been slightly de-Scrooged by the recent holiday season, and will be offering Mac OS 9.1 as a free download.

Now, before you go doing your little "free loot" dance, we should probably mention that the phrase "free download" takes on a whole new meaning when the product being downloaded is-- get this-- 72 MB in size. Those of us on fast connections won't sweat the transfer time, but Mac users with dial-up connections will be looking at a very slow progress bar should they opt to go the download route. Instead, those folks may want to get the upgrade on CD-ROM; after all, that's free, too. (Hooray!) All you'll pay is a nominal shipping and handling fee of $19. (Boo, hiss.) There are a couple of other ways to get the update for free, though; for one, you could buy a whole new Mac once the new models are released next week. We bet they'll have Mac OS 9.1 pre-installed and ready to rock. Not up for blowing a couple of grand on a new CPU just to get a "free" operating system update? Then consider splurging for a new Pro Keyboard; since the update fixes the dead volume/eject keys problem on older Macs, Apple's bundling the Mac OS 9.1 updater with each unit. See? Your options are various and sundry!

We're sure you're all wondering just what kinds of goodies are in store for an "update" that's a whopping 72 MB in size (and requires 350 MB of free hard disk space to install). Tablet-supported handwriting recognition? System-level voice recognition? Some kind of space-age psychic control module? Well, uh, no. Basically you get the Pro Keyboard fix, better FireWire support, better iDisk support, a new version of OpenGL, a new process manager, and a new nanokernel. Oh, and there's a new "Window" menu item in the Finder. A better use for 350 MB of hard disk space has yet to be devised!

Meanwhile, details on the long-awaited and so-close-we-can-taste-it PowerBook G4 continue to waft through the ether. The laptop code-named "Mercury" is an oddsmaker's favorite as a likely candidate to share the stage with Steve on Super Tuesday, and while we've all been burned before by "sure thing" PowerBook predictions (Pismo, anyone?), the AtAT staff's feeling mighty confident about this one. Maybe it's the sheer volume of available information about the elusive laptop, or the increasing frequency with which "insider information" has begun to appear. Maybe it's just the sense of confidence and well-being which comes with a huge spaghetti dinner. Who knows? In any case, AtAT's fully expecting to see the PowerBook G4 next week, and we'll be crying a river if we're deprived of that simple and reasonable pleasure.

Until then, we continue to marvel at the vast wealth of information about Apple's mysterious new laptop available on the 'net-- though, of course, we can't assume that all of the information is true. In particular, Go2Mac's latest installment in its "Mercury Week" series leaves us with a skeptical glint in our eyes. Remember the old rumor that the PowerBook G4 would ship with a widescreen display, boasting a 16:9ish aspect ratio just like the mammoth Apple Cinema Display? Well, we thought that whimsical notion had since withered away-- AppleInsider, at least, had claimed last month that Mercury's screen is decidedly a standard 4:3 shape. But Go2Mac is sticking with the prediction that the display of Apple's mobile G4 will adopt the more dramatic widescreen form.

The implications of a "widebook" are interesting, to be sure; with a 15-inch 16:9 display in the chassis, Mercury might not be even as portable as the current Pismo, which is already a bit bulky for use while flying coach. Then again, Mercury might wind up being shorter from front to back, which would translate into less chance of the guy in front of you smacking his seat back into your screen when he decides to take a nap. In addition, a wider screen could also mean a wider keyboard, which might be nice. And what if Apple also reveals the "CubeBook" next week? That could be the teeny subnotebook that road warriors use at 30,000 feet, while Mercury might be more of a luggable desktop for pros who need to tote as much power as possible from stationary location to stationary location.

Okay, we admit that it's possible. But we're not putting any money on a widescreen Mercury, because frankly, it just doesn't sound right. Plus, it's not like Go2Mac has a spotless track record when it comes to PowerBook predictions... but if they get this one right, we'll welcome a 16:9 PowerBook G4 with open arms. (And, we assume, empty wallets.)