We love the fourteen days prior to any Macworld Expo for two reasons: one, we're less than a fortnight away from yet another scrumptious Stevenote; and two, it gives us a reason to use the word "fortnight" without people looking at us funny. (Try slipping "sennight" into your everyday conversation and you'll see what we mean.) Actually, there's a third reason, as well: as the keynote draws ever closer, the rumors and speculation kick into high gear. Usually that means that additional details start to leak through Uncle Steve's Silicon Curtain and the rumors tighten up, take shape, and really start to approximate the rapidly approaching reality. And sometimes it just means things get weirder, and consequently, lots more exciting.

On the "weird and exciting" front, we have to say that our favorite Expo rumors these days are streaming fast and furious from Go2Mac. If the "Son of Pismo" 14-inch iBook scenario hasn't quite sated your appetite for "fringe" speculation, the site's latest update on Expo hardware may give you a bit more to chew on. Instead of further info on Son of Pismo, this time around Go2Mac has an interesting revelation about the new LCD-based iMac and details on the speed-bumped Power Macs-- two products that even conservative pundits are predicting for a July 18th unveiling.

On the iMac front, Go2Mac claims that one of the new product's code names is "Tessera," which, according to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, is "a small tablet (as of wood, bone, or ivory) used by the ancient Romans as a ticket, tally, voucher, or means of identification." A small tablet, you say? Well, most of the more rational prognosticators have long since abandoned the early reports of the "iMac with removable wireless tablet" as little more than a beautiful, beautiful dream-- but if you were casting about for reasons to keep that dream alive, this may be your ticket to happiness. Personally, we remain skeptical that Apple could produce something that cool and keep its price down to iMac levels, but we're always more than willing to be pleasantly surprised. More likely than not, though, the alleged "Tessera" code name simply alludes to the product's physical size and shape, and the whole "tablet" thing is a fun coincidence.

As for the Power Mac, well, here's a bit of juice to get your brain's rumor centers pumping: Go2Mac claims that in addition to faster processors, Apple's pro desktop line will also be adopting "a new color scheme that is a total departure from the [current] Graphite design." Whether that refers to a simple plastics change or a complete enclosure overhaul remains to be seen, but we've heard from a number of sources that the Power Mac won't be making a drastic leap to PowerBook- and iBook-like designs until the advent of the G5 next year. Recently the Naked Mole Rat indicated that the new G4s will sport a "redesigned front panel," but not a completely new enclosure. We're banking on Graphite sticking around for a while, yet; now that the Cube is toast, the Power Mac is Apple's only product that will connect directly to its line of LCD displays, the most recent of which (the 17-inch model) was only just introduced less than two months ago. So unless Apple's planning to change the plastics on those a bit, too, good ol' Graphite will likely remain until the next Expo. (At least, we hope so-- it's a classy shade.)