We're not entirely sure why, but generally it seems that of all Apple's product lines, it's the PowerBook that spawns the most drooling, rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth rumormongering among the loyal fans. In part it's probably because often the people who can afford Apple's top-of-the-line PowerBook in the first place are the same sort of lucky bastards who can also afford to buy a new one every time Apple cranks out a spiffed-up model, so there's a "when can I buy my new toy" vibe. Then again, the flip side also applies: those who need a PowerBook but aren't independently wealthy and living off the blood of the oppressed working class really need to pinch every penny and make sure their purchase counts. The last thing you want to do is scrimp and save for three years, buy a PowerBook, and watch Apple release a faster model with more features and at a lower price only two weeks later, so there's a "smart shopper" aspect, too. And still another reason why the PowerBook draws so much attention from the Apple-watchers is that it's always "late"; can anyone remember the last time Apple actually shipped a PowerBook within a month of the first "widely-accepted release date" bandied about the Web? So there's an innate rumormonger's challenge in there, as well.

Whatever the reason, though, despite the fact that today's PowerBook is barely three months old (and one of the "freshest" products in Apple's stable), speculation about the next pro portable is running rampant. Mac OS Rumors calls this upcoming slab-o'-power "Pismo-B," and it's seemingly just an evolutionary step forward, as its alleged code-name implies. Due in September, Pismo-B will supposedly house faster G3 processors (running at 500, 600, and 650 MHz), faster and bigger hard drives, probably more RAM, and a "new translucent enclosure" with "some" structural design changes, including "higher-performance AirPort antennas." Don't get too excited about that new enclosure, though, but it's reportedly still not going to be a completely new design. All in all, Pismo-B is mostly a speed-bump release that refines the current Pismo design and adds a bit of translucency for style's sake.

Now, believe it or not, some people aren't satisfied just dishing dirt about the next PowerBook expected in three months; the serious rumor hounds are already talking about the PowerBook after Pismo-B, reportedly called "Mercury." This, friends, is the revolutionary model that has PowerBook addicts licking their chops and arranging second mortgages. According to Go2Mac, Mercury is the long-awaited PowerBook G4-- but its supercomputer core is just one of many happenin' new features on deck. Apparently Mercury will also sport a mondo new 15.1-inch (or even a 15.4-inch) LCD display, and its subframe will be constructed of a "new and innovative" material that'll make it "stronger and lighter" than any PowerBook before it. Look for this puppy at January's Macworld Expo, if Go2Mac is correct. (Personally, after last January's embarrassing Pismo no-show, we're impressed that Jason O'Grady's willing to make such a prediction. The man lives on the edge.)