Power Macintosh G4, Yikes!, Sawtooth Updates

On Tuesday, we were the first to lay down the details of a project currently underway at Apple, called "Yikes!" Since then, a number of trusted sources have come forward to confirm the nickname and the project, and to add some additional details. Several sources noted the existence of documentation for these new units that has been floating around the documentation division at Apple for the last few days.

From the reports we've received, it appears that the Yikes! project is very real and extremely pressed for time. For those who were a little confused by our original report, Sawtooth is the name of the next-generation Power Macintosh logicboard, not the code-name for the G4 (though the board will ship with a G4 chip). "Yikes!" is the nickname of a project at Apple that will seek to ship a slightly altered Yosemite (current) Power Macintosh logicboard equipped with a G4 processor. This project is a response to apparent delays in Sawtooth's design that are preventing it from making its way to the market on time.

The most recent word, from multiple sources, is that Sawtooth has been delayed several more weeks. Prototypes of Sawtooth boards are now expected in late September or early October, as opposed to late August or early September. There are, apparently, serious stability issues with the AGP graphics, and so forth. Reliable estimates suggest that the Sawtooth Power Macintosh G4s should debut by the end of the first quarter of 2000. In the meantime, it appears that consumers will have the option of a Yikes box or a Power Macintosh G3.

A number of Yikes boxes have actually been spotted over the past few weeks. According to sources, retail units will ship with 400, 450, or even 500MHz G4 processors (depending on availability), 64MB or 128MB of SDRAM, an ATI RAGE 128 graphics card with 16MB of SDRAM graphics memory, and a hard disk breakdown similar to the current Power Macintosh G3 Series. In addition, rumor has it that these new units may be the first to feature standard DVD-ROM drives in all configurations.

Click here to view a full-sized image.

We also mentioned that Apple was rumored to be readying these cases in grey and white El Capitan (current Power Macintosh G3) casings, instead of blue and white ones. According to sources, these grey and white machines are not prototypes but rather production units that are made up of translucent white and the AirPort grey or "platinum" color in place of blueberry. The Power Macintosh G4 commercial viewed by sources is also said to sport these new enclosures, which do not feature a "G4" on the sides.

Furthermore, clever sources noted the existence of a mysterious, 6th Lollipop pattern file that has surfaced as part of the latest beta of Mac OS 9.0. For those unaware of the significance of this: since the release of the colored iMacs, Apple has shipped 5 different "Lollipop" preset theme settings with the Mac OS — one for each iMac color. Obviously the blueberry lollipop theme also applies to the current Power Macintosh G3s, which are blueberry as well. It comes as no surprise that this 6th theme pattern [shown above] sports the same set of grey or platinum that is featured in Apple's AirPort and is now rumored for the Power Macintosh G4 casing designs.

At this point we should also mention that there is an ongoing dispute within Apple regarding exactly what to do about the debut of the Power Macintosh G4. While some executives would like to please "The Street" and unveil these machines during Steve Jobs' Seybold Keynote address, others are shouting "no!" Apparently, certain executives want to make sure that the sales from these new units go toward Apple's first fiscal quarter for the year 2000, rather than this year's 4th quarter, which ends after September 25th.

Regardless, Seybold seems like a definite go as far as our sources are concerned. Apple currently has just under 12,000 Power Macintosh G3 units sitting in Ingram Micro's warehouses, and thousands more spread throughout the channel. This supply would allow Apple to announce the Power Macintosh G4 but not accept orders immediately, if they choose to go this path. Stay tuned to AppleInsider.com for any additional details on these new boxes.