Well, we sat on some "very interesting information" all weekend, concerned that we'd be the ones spoiling the potential surprise, but now that the exact same info has surfaced at Accelerate Your Mac, Think Secret, and various other virtual locations (and will likely spread faster than the Melissa virus), we figure we can probably discuss it with impunity. Our weekend began with email from a trusted source-- one who is usually pretty chatty and outgoing, jazzing up his/her tips with some clever commentary and relaxed email niceties. This time, however, the data he/she imparted was in very raw form, without so much as a "howdy" or even an email signature. Given how unusual that was, it made us sit up and take notice. And when we saw that the message contained Power Macintosh G4 configurations and pricing, well, suddenly our friend's curtness became understandable. Heck, he/she was probably trying to send the data while dodging the bullets of Steve Jobs' elite hit squad.

So here goes: according to this unsubstantiated data, the Power Mac G4 will be based on the next-generation Sawtooth motherboard, and won't be a "Yikes!" project marrying the new G4 processor with the current Yosemite motherboard; we assume this from the presence of 4x AGP graphics in all models. Apple will ship four workstation configurations. The entry-level model includes a 400 MHz G4, an 8 GB Ultra DMA hard drive, 64 MB of RAM, and a CD-ROM drive for $1599. That's followed by two 450 MHz models, both with DVD-ROM; the first has the 8 GB hard drive and is $1999, and the second has an 18 GB drive instead and a total of 128 MB of RAM and costs $2399. And the fourth configuration boasts a 500 MHz G4 processor, DVD-ROM, 128 MB of RAM, and an 18 GB Ultra2 SCSI hard disk for $2999. But wait, there's more-- there's also a server configuration, which has two 500 MHz G4 chips, 256 MB of RAM, a 36 GB Ultra2 SCSI hard disk, gigabit Ethernet, and Mac OS X Server all for $4999. That's a big spicy meatball.

Once again, kiddies, in this Golden Age of Disinformation, take all this with a shaker of salt. To be honest, we'd be a little surprised if Steve actually announced G4s on Tuesday that match these specs and pricing. For one thing, we're holding out hope that Apple will standardize on DVD-ROM across all pro models (well, maybe excluding servers) starting with the Power Mac G4. For another, it's hard to discount the recent "Yikes!" rumors which place the Sawtooth motherboard at a 2000 delivery-- though we suppose these specs don't include any availability dates. Anyway, look at these rumored specs and pricing as just another piece of the puzzle that may or may not fit into the big picture. It's also worth noting that the folks at Mac Observer have their own specs from a separate source, and they contradict at least a few of the above listings. Hopefully we'll find out one way or another when Steve takes the stage on Tuesday-- and hopefully our friendly source didn't meet with an untimely demise.