A reliable source has informed macosXrumors that Apple may be preparing to release new Powerbooks as well as new eMacs next Tuesday. The renewal of both Powerbook and eMac lines have been expected for some time now, while first signs of EOL were noticed earlier this week. Confirmation on the technical details of the new Powerbooks and revelations on the new eMacs' specifications have also been provided by the source.

A processor speed-bump to 1.5Ghz (12") and 1.66Ghz (15" and 17"), improved graphics and other minor enhancements are expected for the new Powerbooks (as mentioned on our earlier postings [1]), while the new eMac should be based on the PowerPC G5 processor running at 1.6Ghz and may also have improved graphics, according to the source.

More confirmation comes from a reseller in Canada who says there is a "strong indicator" of EOL for Powerbooks and eMacs, as estimated time to arrival is 4 to 5 days across the Powerbook and eMac lines, which usually means there is a line renewal. Moreover, one big tech retail chain in France, which is not Fnac (mentioned in recent news [2]), has only 1 Powerbook in stock and availability on new orders are 7 to 10 days.

Although we feel pretty confident about the new Powerbooks and eMacs technical specifications, we are a bit more cautious for the release date, as even reliable sources have lately been inaccurate on that kind of information. Anyway, we are quite sure that the update will happen either this coming Tuesday, or the week after.

UPDATE: ThinkSecret [3] confirms that new Powerbooks are coming next Tuesday or the week after.