We're afraid we've got bad news for several Power Mac G5 customers: wouldja believe those dual-2.5 GHz systems have been delayed even longer? According to MacNN, some customers who had originally been quoted July 30th ship dates-- which had already been bumped once to August 20th-- have been bumped again, this time to August 30th, because "the demand for this item has been incredible." Evidently the supply of 2.5 GHz G5 chips from IBM has been, sadly, slightly less incredible. Whaddaya mean there's no curse?

But wait, 'cause there's more on the Power Mac delay front. On top of another ship date slide for the high-end liquid-cooled nitro-burnin' funny Macs, MacMinute reports that the super-crazy NVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL video card (required to drive Apple's super-crazier 30-inch Apple Cinema Display) has been delayed as well, holding up shipments of some lower-speed but exceptionally graphically-inclined Power Macs until September 13th. (Customers have been given the option to receive their Macs sooner, but with a lower-end card installed and the real goods shipped separately later. You know-- just like with that GeForce3 delay from three years back.)

So how are these poor, Mac-deprived customers supposed to survive a few extra G5-less weeks? Well, how about taking solace in the shared pain of likewise-hurting members of the Mac community-- and living vicariously through the joy of those whose suffering has finally ended? Faithful viewer kylector notes that there's a thread in the MacRumors Forums perpetuated by impatient 2.5 GHz customers that is now a startling 146 pages long, chronicling the frustration of those with a need for speed but nothing to do but wait for the FedEx guy. And when you've got that much time on your hands, why not ease the suffering by putting together a web site that obsessively tracks dozens of Power Mac orders and how long they've been delayed? Because someone sure did. (Go ahead-- add your order if you haven't already. You'll feel better.)

Now, there's a lot of pain in that MacRumors thread, true, but in the most recent pages comes the giddy thrill of blessed relief as several lucky participants begin to receive their orders. And, of course, most of them are posting the obligatory photo albums showing the fetishistic ritual of The Opening of the Boxes; some are even posting pictures of the delivery guy who ended their longtime suffering.

So don't despair, folks, because there is some light at the end of that dark, dark tunnel... and it's the glowing halo hovering above your Power Mac as it slowly makes its way to its rightful owner as choirs of angels sing from on high. C'mon, some of you have already been waiting for two and a half months; what's another week or three?

Why, no-- we don't know how to tie a noose. Why do you ask?...