For those of you still hard at work crafting a Unified Expo Theory of Expected Keynote Revelations, we've got a new wrinkle for you to work into the mix. It's well-known that one extremely reliable indicator that a particular Apple product line is about to be updated is the introduction of one or more promotions intended to clear the channel of that gear; you have, no doubt, already incorporated the current iMac promos (both of which end conveniently on July 8th) into your Stevenote expectations. (At this point, the only people still skeptical of a new iMac next month also think the earth is flat and Steve Jobs is originally from this planet.)

There's been a fair amount of buzz recently-- some of it originating from us-- that Apple is also gearing up to unveil new, zippier Power Macs in a few weeks, possibly starting at 733 MHz on the low end and scaling up to or past 1 GHz for the top-of-the-line model. However, this is where things get hairy: if you've been paying attention, you've probably noticed that there isn't a single Apple promo currently running on Power Mac systems. On top of that fact, according to MacReviewZone's handy list of Power Mac deals, all of the major Internet-based Mac dealers appear to have plenty of Power Macs in stock; MacMall alone reportedly has 330 of the 733 MHz models on the shelf and ready to ship. That sure doesn't sound like a channel prepared for a flood of new systems to us.

At the same time, though, the Power Mac line is definitely due for an upgrade; it's been over six months since the last speed boost, and the natives are getting restless for some more speed-- especially with Intel set to release a 1.8 GHz Pentium 4 next week, as reported by CNET. So your tricky task is to decide; are the reports of imminent faster Power Macs just yet another net-borne hoax, or has Apple simply gotten tired of savvy Mac fans noticing the "Promo = New Systems" pattern and somehow found a way to avoid that surprise-spoiling hint? (And if it's the latter, then why are the iMacs being promoted so aggressively they may as well have the phrase "LIVING ON BORROWED TIME" etched into their cases?)

Now let's confuse things still further, shall we? Faithful viewer Thippy SanPedro just noticed something terribly interesting going on over at the Apple Store; if you click on the "Special Deals" button (which normally takes you to a page jam-packed with scads of refurbished and discontinued products available at reduced prices), you'll find this mysterious message: "As of Thursday, June 28th, Refurbished Apple Products are currently out of Stock." We'll leave it up to you to decide just how that little fact fits into the pre-Expo speculation. Only the seriously unbalanced would consider the possibility that Apple cleared out its Special Deals section in preparation for a post-Expo buyback of all unsold discontinued models just so the company could introduce new Macs without tipping off the fan base-- but heck, what's a little craziness between friends?