There's only just over a week to go before Steve Jobs' big keynote and the expected unveiling of the iMac for those on the go-- the P1 consumer portable. And as the finish line draws ever closer, the sheer volume of "leaked" information about Apple's Next Big Thing™ is enough to choke most larger land mammals. It seems like just about everybody's got their own set of "definitive" P1 specifications that came straight from those in the know behind Apple's Silicon Curtain; unfortunately, as you've probably noticed, most of these descriptions contradict each other in small (and not-so-small) ways. To make things even more fun, there's the rumor that Apple's engaging in deliberate misinformation leaks to muddy the waters by casting doubt on any "real" info that might spill out. And it's worked-- given all the variations of P1 info out there, is there any one set that you feel you can believe completely?

That doesn't mean we don't think it's worthwhile to read up on all these different descriptions. It's the differences that make them exciting; nobody's really concerning themselves about what kind of processor the P1 will use, because everybody seems to list the same 300-333 MHz G3 in their specs. What's fun is looking at the fringe features-- the doubtful stuff-- and trying to determine whether it's real or some of the infamous disinformation being concocted in Apple's War on Leaks. Take MacObserver's P1 description: would Apple really make the P1, a computer designed to be toted by young schoolchildren, heavier than the current PowerBook G3? Especially given that the P1 is expected to have a smaller screen and fewer features; what's making it heavier, a special lead-filled handle? We've got to wonder. And there's that whole wireless networking thing popping up again, only this time it's wireless LANs for classroom use, not wireless Internet access. Real, or fake info that Apple thinks will propagate to distract attention from the real juice? You'll have to decide for yourself (at least until next week).

At this point, we'd like to announce that AtAT has its own official P1 spec list, which arrived via snail mail, with a Cupertino postmark. It's labeled as the "official final P1 feature list from a high-level Apple executive (who definitely isn't Steve Jobs trying to yank your chain)," and we'd have to be overly cynical and paranoid not to trust that, right? So we can confidently state that the P1 will officially be marketed under the name "iFake" (we're not crazy about that fact, nor do we understand it, but whatever), it's four inches thick at its widest point, it'll ship in one configuration using all five fruit flavors at once, and-- in a move that will surely shock the industry-- it (and all future Macs) will have dual floppy drives, in an attempt to outdo Future Power's improvement on the iMac. When the iFake first becomes available, the first ten thousand buyers will get their choice of promotional giveaways: either a bridge in the New York area, or some prime real estate in Florida. You heard it here first, folks. Now get ready to buy!