What's this? Yet another scene about those tardy G5 speed bumps? Yeah, yeah, we're well aware that we're starting to sound like the "No New G5s Yet" Network ("All Whining, All the Time!"), but we really just have to bring up the subject one last time and then we promise we'll shut up about it for at least fifteen minutes. Well, maybe ten.

Five, at least. Honestly. You have our word.

Really, we wouldn't raise the subject at all, but it's just that we hate to think of all you nice people, smacked down time and time again on the G5 expectations front, getting your hopes up for speed-bumped Power Macs surfacing later this month. We know, we know-- the rumor mill at large figured that NAB was a pretty good venue for a G5 roll-out, but you have to remember that the rumor mill consensus is a moving target. It's Slippy, Like the Wind™. A month ago the consensus expected the intro by the end of March. Back in December everyone was looking to the Stevenote in January. Generally speaking, you can create your own rumor mill ship dates by 1) picking an arbitrary date approximately three weeks in the future, 2) waiting until two weeks pass, and 3) adding three weeks to the original target date. Lather, rinse, repeat as necessary. It'd probably be just about as accurate, and just think of the time you'd save!

So anyway, you remember those first little rumblings about the possibility of Power Macs maybe not being upgraded until June or July? Well, while AppleInsider originally stated that Apple's latest G5 promos ending two days before WWDC was not an indication of G5 slippage until that event, apparently it just changed its mind: now AI claims that Apple has hinted to "top resellers" that "the company would be 'refreshing' many of its professional products" when WWDC rolls around. And just to crush the dream a teensy bit further, reportedly Apple retail stores are now receiving "large" shipments of existing G5 systems, whereas the inventory's been spread mighty thin for the past few weeks. That could certainly be interpreted as an inventory clearance gone wrong. (When you clear supplies of the old product, it sort of helps to ship the new one.)

AI's spin on things is that when Apple couldn't get 2.5ish GHz systems out the door by the middle of March, it decided to skip the speed bump altogether and just punt for an upgrade in June. Here's hoping that turns out to be the 3.0 GHz system Steve promised at last year's convention, because otherwise there'll be a whole lot of frowny-faced geeks moping around Moscone after the Stevenote.

Now, we're certainly not saying that this constitutes hard proof or anything, but we just didn't want you folks setting yourselves up for disappointment just in case the none-'til-WWDC thing turns out to be true. Just keep that optimism in check and you'll be fine. And that's the last we're going to say on the subject.

For at least three minutes. Or two. Whatever.