Something is wrong. Can you feel it? Something is very, very wrong. Clearly the universe has gone off its tracks. Up is down. Black is white. Weird things are happening: earthquakes. Volcanoes. The dead rising from the grave. Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together-- mass hysteria!

And here's why: there's a picture of a computer on Apple's home page.

No foolin'! And it's a big one. The usual iPods and Pepsi bottles are smaller and underneath, and it's almost enough to make one think that Apple is actually a computer company again. Clearly something's up, because we haven't seen an actual Mac take such a prominent position on Apple.com for, oh, must be nigh unto eighty years now. We remember Coolidge was president. So if Apple has decided to stick the Power Mac G5 up there in the sweet spot and not even have it rotate with iLife or the miniPod or whatever (we reloaded the page 126 times just to make sure-- yes, this is what we do all day), the company obviously wants to get a slew of G5s out the door tout de suite.

Now, we're sure the March 27th Brigade will take this as a sure sign that Apple's clearing inventory for the new speed-bumped models due out any day now. But don't forget, folks, while it's true that this can be interpreted as still more evidence that Apple is trying to clear some shelf space in preparation for an imminent product revision, if you're the cautious type you'll temper your enthusiasm with the sobering knowledge that Apple might just be trying to boost its sales in its final weeks before the end of the fiscal quarter. Indeed, several analysts are predicting lackluster G5 sales figures when Apple goes public with the info, so it's only natural for the company to make a last-ditch effort to pump up those numbers.

And then there's yet another possibility: faithful viewer Rob Menke reminds us that it's "Apple Begins Switching To Itanium Day"-- at least, in the twisted mind of Mac-bashing pundit John Dvorak. Well, technically, it's not just a day, but more the start of a six-month period; a year ago Dvorak predicted that Apple would jump ship to x86 "within the next 12 to 18 months," and we've just now entered that time frame. Suppose Apple has the G5 monopolizing Apple.com's home page just to rub the guy's nose in it? We wouldn't put it past them. (Well, okay, we wouldn't put it past us. But we're all kindred spirits, after all.)

Enjoy it while it lasts, folks, because even if it is a big "Ppphhtththhbbtbtbtt!" to John Dvorak, we don't see it sitting there until September...