Pre-Expo lull, my Aunt Fanny; suddenly things have just gotten a lot more interesting. Remember that whole G4 Cube fiasco? Basically, Mac OS Rumors posted some arguably outrageous information about how the next big revision to the Power Mac G4 enclosure would be, essentially, cubic. The original report and one follow-up update were only available for a day or two before they were taken down and replaced with a note claiming that Apple had demanded the removal of the articles. Shortly thereafter, a gent calling himself "Alan Smithee" posted a copy of the original MOSR report to Apple's HomePage servers, attempting to prove that MOSR lied about Apple's alleged demands; the logic here was that if Apple didn't want the report to be seen on MOSR, it most certainly wouldn't tolerate the same report being publicly available on its own servers. And then MOSR's credibility was perhaps damaged further by an article at The Mac Junkie, in which the author claimed to have made up some details about the supposed Cube, emailed them to MOSR, and then witnessed his fabrications form the basis of Saturday's Cube update.

Well! If you were quite certain that MOSR's report was nothing but bull hockey, we've got a little plot twist that'll give you whiplash: faithful viewer Kent Hull told us that AppleInsider just posted two reports which corroborate at least some of what MOSR had claimed. The first article claims that Apple has taken extreme measures to strengthen security around its "warehouse and production facilities." Evidently we may be in for an iMac-intro-like surprise when Steve struts his stuff in five days; just as the Bondi Blue Bullet took the world completely unawares, Apple is rumored to be putting the finishing touches on "a completely new Apple computer." Test run units are supposedly boxed and palleted, with tarps concealing the goods and "hired hands" protecting the motherlode from prying eyes. Mmmm... with security that tight, you just know there's something good in the oven.

But it's the second report that may really knock you for a loop; get it while you can, because we imagine Apple's lawyers won't let it stay up for long. Here's the deal: AppleInsider claims that this "completely new Apple computer" is in fact a monitorless consumer desktop-- and it's cube-shaped. The sketches at the site indicate a simple stackable design with four handles, a slot-loading CD/DVD-ROM drive, and FireWire and USB ports. There are no speakers or sound jacks, though the article mentions the possibility of a Harmon Kardon-designed set of USB speakers that Apple would provide. This CubeMac (the URL implies that the code name for this thing is "Trinity," though that fact isn't explicitly stated anywhere) sounds basically like a monitorless iMac, catering to consumers who want a screen larger than the iMac's fifteen inches, but don't need the high-end features and expandibility of a Power Mac G4.

So could this be what MOSR thought was a next-generation Power Mac G4? Maybe. "Alan Smithee" thinks it's probable enough that he's voluntarily pulled his copy of MOSR's original report and replaced it with an apology of sorts. But why get bogged down in a debate over whether or not MOSR makes stuff up? The important thing to keep in mind is this: now multiple sources indicate that Apple's got something cube-like up its sleeve, and with the Expo just days away, we've got a real surprise coming. Provided, of course, all this cube info is just Apple yanking our collective chain... But then, that would pretty much be a surprise, too, so in any event, we're looking forward to Wednesday.