Apple to Accept New PowerBook Orders Next Week?

Apple may announce and start taking orders for a revamped line of PowerBook G4s as early as next week, one source tells AppleInsider. The tip comes amongst recent recent rumors that have pin-pointed Motorola for failing to deliver sufficient quantities of the PowerPC 7457 to support a successful product launch.

According to the source, Apple management feels that supplies of the faster chips are now ample and the new units could full-fill backorders and be shipping in quantity by mid to late September. Included in the new breed of PowerBooks is said to be a 1.25 GHz aluminum 15" model that sports a back-lit keyboard, ports on the side (as opposed to the rear), and an updated track pad and mouse button.

Sources could not confirm a date or time for the official announcement, but did mention September 9th or 10th as likely candidates. It should be noted that the deployment schedule for the aforementioned units has slipped several times over the past month, while channel inventory of several configurations has remained depleted. Meanwhile, the initial packaging and marketing material for the new portables was said to have been completed over a month ago.