If you've been paying attention to Mac OS Rumors lately, you may have worked yourself up into a lather about new Power Macs allegedly set to debut next week-- boasting speedier G4s, zippier FireWire, and possibly improvements such as the DDR RAM that's largely responsible for making a dual-gigahertz Xserve so much faster than a current model dual-gigahertz Power Mac. But if the most recent whispers wafting down the grapevine are true, you might want to slip those salivary glands back into Standby Mode and conserve your drool reserves, because Think Secret claims to be "100% sure" that new Power Macs aren't destined for inclusion in Steve's dog and pony show next week. (It's okay to cry. Just let it all out.)

This isn't top secret information smuggled out past the Silicon Curtain by those ever-popular "sources close to Apple," either; disturbingly enough, it's based on solid and publicly verifiable fact. (Don't worry, we don't use that particular four-letter "F"-word too often. We apologize if we offended you, though.) Have you noticed that Apple has stuck with tradition and once again dusted off its Crystal Clear Savings promo? In this latest iteration, Apple's trying to move G4s by offering $500 back by mail if you buy your new Power Mac together with a 17-inch, 22-inch, or 23-inch LCD display. And since the promotion just started two days ago and runs until August 12th, it hardly seems likely that Steve is planning on taking the wraps off any new Power Macs next week. Sad but true.

The good news, however, is that this is an unusually short promotion-- implying strongly that Apple does have new Power Macs almost ready for prime time, and that it just wants to flush the old stuff out of the channel for the next few weeks while it puts the finishing touches on the new units. Think Secret backs that up with some of that cloak-and-dagger insider info you all love so much, claiming that "sources confirm" that Apple plans to introduce faster Power Macs "in a special product announcement next month." Details are sketchy, but reportedly the August systems will boast "a new design and new motherboard, together with redesigned flat panel displays."

What they won't be packing are G5 processors, which Think Secret states aren't in the cards until next year. Longtime AtAT viewers won't find that to be particularly surprising, but we know that there are at least a few of you out there who vowed never to buy a new Mac until the G5 was available, so if you want to stick to that plan, we suggest averting your eyes when this alleged press event rolls around next month, just to avoid any unnecessary temptation. Maybe January?