Well, I think I’ve heard rumors covering pretty much every eventuality for the release of the first Intel Macs now. The first rumor said it would be the desktop consumer line - specifically, Mac minis - that would go Intel first.

Then it swapped around, suggesting that the aging Powerbook range would be pepped up first, in an effort to keep Powerbook customers happy, and to reward them for waiting so long with their G4-powered laptops.

Now it’s swapped back to consumer again, with Think Secret’s report that the iBook will be first in line.

Frankly, I don’t know what to believe (although I’m more inclined to believe Think Secret than most) and I shall wait until I hear the real announcement direct from Apple.

But whatever machine it is, I’m inclined to believe the rush of rumors saying that the Intel machines will be with us sooner than we expected.

Which in turn makes me wonder - have we already seen the last PowerPC Mac?

I’m thinking of the Power Mac Quad G5, reviewed very positively in this Computerworld article, which describes something sounding like the one featured in the famous “The World’s Fastest Computer” advertising campaign - the campaign that got pulled.

The reviewer writes:

I witnessed Final Cut Pro effects applied in real-time to eight video streams, and performance was barely affected.

Well, sure, but it’s a four-processor machine. It sure ought to be fast.

And I suspect it might well be the pinnacle of PowerPC Mac architecture. There’s quite likely to be newer versions, speed bumps and minor additional features, but if the Intel machines are as close as the rumours suggest, then the sleek silver sides of the Power Mac Quad G5 could well be the last we see of PowerPC.

Shall we plan a wake?