Chalk up another day sans new Power Macs-- also known as another day of cannibalized pro desktop sales. At least, we assume there's a lot of that going on, as customers weigh the benefits of a $1799 iMac-- 800 MHz G4, SuperDrive, integrated 15-inch LCD display-- against the slower, SuperDriveless, displayless $1699 733 MHz Power Mac and make the obvious choice. (Not that we're complaining, mind you; the longer Apple waits to revise the Power Mac line, the longer our dual-800 MHz system gets to enjoy that special feeling of being the top of the heap. Woo-hoo!!)

So, in lieu of getting to discuss the latest and greatest PowerPC chips to emerge from the hallowed halls of Motorola, we're forced to settle for analyzing the only other product that company pumps out that happens to be relevant to our little show, here-- namely, buckets and buckets of corporate angst. When last we checked in on this front a month ago, Motorola had added yet another 9,400 layoffs to its cost-cutting measures, raising the grand total to a staggering 48,400 pink slips doled out since August of 2000. If fact, we busted out the calculator, and we estimate that if all those slips were formed into a giant papier-mâché ball, it would be exactly "one honkin' enormous pink ball" in size. Fun facts from the world of science!

The latest in Motorola's recovery saga, however, leaves the giddy world of layoffs briefly and instead focuses on the equally thrilling realm of plant closings. Faithful viewer ThatGuy sent us a Reuters article which notes that, as part of the restructuring announced last month, the company plans to shut down four more of its fourteen remaining semiconductor plants over the course of the next year or so-- one wafer fabrication plant and three assembly test plants. Toss those in with the four plants Motorola already closed last year, and we're looking at a near-50% reduction.

We can only speculate about what these closings might mean for PowerPC production and Apple's chip needs, but we're going to go out on a limb and announce our gut feeling that "it ain't good." Those of you still clinging to hopes of G5s by Seybold may want to amend those predictions accordingly, or at least make sure you're adequately prepared psychically for what just might turn out to be a mondo letdown...