Our cunning plan worked! With all the hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing going on about the possibility of a speedier iMac's imminent release, we knew that the only thing that could dispel the swirling miasma of confusion was good old Murphy's Law. The plan was this: we'd publicly announce to our 3000+ viewers that we simply didn't know if new iMacs were coming and that "we wouldn't bet on it." Given the way things happen in our lives, that would be a sure cue for the Fates to step in and make us look silly. Sure enough, as soon as we addressed the rumors of a faster iMac with a hearty "We Don't Know," suddenly the entire 'net was ablaze with confirmation of the new 333 MHz iMacs, winging their translucent way to store shelves within a matter of days.

In fact, a number of AtAT viewers who also happen to be Apple resellers wrote to confirm "straight from the horse's mouth" that they had the official part numbers and prices and could order the new 333 MHz machines immediately. Unfortunately, none of them included pricing when they contacted us, but while TheiMac lists the new "M744xLL/A" units at $1299.99, we think it's much more likely that Apple Insider's $1199.97 price is correct; we highly doubt that Apple would actually raise the iMac's list price back up to its original level after dropping it in January. Note that as far as we can tell, the only thing different about the new iMacs is the 333 MHz processor-- disk space, graphics, RAM, and colors are all apparently identical to the original fruit-flavored release; no Cherry, no Banana, no RAGE 128, no DVD. Some resellers apparently already have the new models in stock, and though they're not allowed to advertise them until the official announcement on April 19th, they are allowed to sell them, once they sell all of their 266 MHz iMacs.

The ramifications of this "speed bump" are that if you're in the market for an iMac, you may want to wait a week or two and make sure you get a 333 MHz model. But if you're looking for a good deal on a 266, note that there's no official price drop on those. (Resellers can drop the price if they want, but they eat the loss, not Apple.) Prices for classic Bondi Blue iMacs may also tumble; they can already be found for under $900, though, so we're not sure how much lower they could possibly go. So, it appears that that's the story... by tempting fate with the chance to dish out some public humiliation, all has come clear. Mission accomplished; no need to thank us. And, as Pee-Wee would say, "I meant to do that."