Say, you know how we've all been hearing rumors about a new wireless Apple keyboard and mouse for about four or five geological eras now? Well, at least the most recent round of reports had some solid foundation in verifiable fact: price drops on existing Apple typey and clicky things; Apple Store order summaries specifically listing a "Keyboard Wired" and a "Wired Mouse" as parts in Power Mac orders; and some Panther developer builds including a Bluetooth tab in the Keyboard and Mouse preferences. Put 'em all together, and forecasts call for partly sunny skies and a 70% chance of wireless input devices before the year is out.

AppleInsider's got the latest juice on this well-worn subject, and reportedly Apple is looking to shine up the new wireless gear "in time for the release of Panther." As anyone who hasn't suffered a debilitating head injury would expect, the new Pro Mouse and Pro Keyboard are said to match Apple's professional Macs with the now-requisite aluminum finish. To start, these suckers allegedly aren't going to be standard Power Mac components; to get them, you'll either need to buy them together with a Wireless Bluetooth module or specify them as a build-to-order option the next time you buy a Mac.

And why the release alongside Panther? Why, because Panther reportedly has spiffy Bluetooth input support baked right in, complete with "onscreen notification of wireless keyboard and mouse connectivity and disconnectivity." Terrific. That means that someday we'll have another fun game to distract us, namely, "Let's see how much aluminum foil we need to wrap the mouse in before the 'Mouse Disconnected' image pops up." (This is a variant of the old "Let's see which body part placed between the PowerBook and the AirPort Base Station can make the signal meter drop by the most notches.")

Aside from their snazzy aluminum finish and their built-in potential for hours of signal-blocking fun, you may be asking just what the big deal is about having wireless input devices. Ah-- spoken like a person who's never used one! The primary benefit of using wireless keyboards and mice is that it's far easier to hurl them in rage at walls, out windows, or at passersby, because you needn't unplug them first-- which, as you're no doubt aware, tends to break one's stride a little. So wait just a little longer, folks, and Apple will sell you some aerodynamic and built-to-hurl chunks of metal lovingly crafted as the ultimate in convenience missiles for those with anger management problems. (Why do you think they use aircraft aluminum?)