All kinds of rumors have been flying recently about what kind of high(er)-end G3 systems Apple has up its sleeve, ready to unveil at this week's Expo. 333-400 MHz processors in existing Gossamer-based G3 systems? Four-slot, high-speed-bus Gossamer II boxes due this November? Or even the elusive six-slot system, despite Apple's dogged and continued assurances that it has no plans to build such machines?

We won't know until tomorrow, but one thing's pretty much a solid bet; something new will be introduced tomorrow. Mac OS Rumors indicates that the 300 MHz G3 systems on Apple's price list have just been discontinued. That means that whatever Apple expects to take its place will most likely be announced as "available immediately." We at AtAT expect that it's something as pedestrian as a standard G3 speed-bumped to 333 MHz, but the joy is in not knowing for sure.

Interestingly enough, Rumors also claims that the 233 MHz minitower has been stamped with the ever-ominous "End of Life" epitaph (yeesh, why not "Retiring Quietly," or "Fading Away?"), implying strongly that something will be introduced to fill that space as well. We find that news particularly intriguing following the rumors that Apple was planning to stop selling 233 MHz G3 Power Macs altogether, leaving that chip entirely to the iMac and the lower-end PowerBook G3's. Such a move would make a certain amount of sense; after all, the Power Mac G3 233 isn't a very attractive buy when the iMac matches it for performance, includes a nifty software bundle, and ties in a nice monitor for a solid entry-level integrated system. Personally, though, we at AtAT would rather see the 233 MHz Power Macs remain on the price list, but at a much lower price point; there are still plenty of folks who only need the slowest G3, but could really use the PCI slots. When we hear what Apple's actual plans are, we'll let you know.

Remember how Apple plans to ship some 600,000 iMacs by Christmas? That's got Don Crabb wondering just where all those funky blue gumdrops are going to come from. Sure, Apple's Laguna West facility is hiring extra staff and claims to be able to produce 400,000 by year's end, and the Cork and Singapore plants should be able to crank out the remaining 200,000 primarily for the overseas markets, but can they do it and still produce enough standard Power Macs too?

That little puzzler reportedly has Apple re-evaluating its stance on Mac cloning. According to Don, Apple's cozying back up to Motorola and Umax about the possibility of them building and selling licensed iMac clones. However, our own inimitable sources claim otherwise: Don's right about the presence of "cloning" in Apple's iMac rollout, but he's not thinking literally enough...

See, what Don doesn't realize is that all the talk of the iMac's manufacturing process is a smokescreen. The iMac is, in reality, a living organism, genetically engineered from alien organic material. (I mean, just look at the thing, for crying out Pete's sake.) The iMac prototypes were the result of countless hours spent in Apple's top-secret genetic labs, and the 100 or so "preproduction models" to be shown at the Expo are modified clones. You see where this is going, don't you? Production iMacs won't be manufactured; they'll be bred. In fact, rumor has it that if you leave two "breeder" iMacs in a dark room overnight with the X-Files theme song repeating on the stereo, you'll find a third, sterile "production" iMac joining them in the morning. (Okay, so you think this is far-fetched, but is it really that much less believable than the prospect of Motorola-branded iMacs?)

Ahhh, the Disney Connection. Rumors have been flying for months now about some kind of deal between Apple and Disney, but the nature of that alleged deal is anyone's guess. Most people agree that it's not a buyout, but beyond that things are pretty hazy. The most likely scenario that we've heard involves Disney putting iMacs in every guest room of its holiday resorts, giving its guests the ability to play some games, access email, and surf the net (with bookmarks conveniently set for the park's Online Information Kiosk, as well as the Disney Blast kids' entertainment site).

Seems plausible enough. And it's lent further credence by the fact that the formerly-Windows-only Disney Blast site just gained official Mac compatibility, according to faithful viewer Mike Dominy. Its posted requirements (PowerPC-only, 24 MB of built-in RAM) just seem to scream "iMac!" Is it just coincidence that Disney added Mac compatibility to its site just a couple of days before MacWorld Expo gets underway? The MacWorld Expo which includes a keynote to be delivered by Steve Jobs, via satellite from California? Hmmm...

We assume that, if this whole "iMac in every room" thing is true, Disney will be using some kind of content-filtering proxy server to ensure that net usage in its decidedly G-rated universe stays on the side of decency and light. After all, you wouldn't want some eight-year-old inadvertently surfing to www.bambi.com, would you?