The photos, which appear to show a heat sink covering dual G5 processors as well as a new memory configuration, were included in a manual that was sent out last month. News of the slip-up as well as photos from the manual were published this week on enthusiast site AppleInsider.
Adding to speculation that the launch of a new machine may be sooner rather than later, wait times for the latest Power Macs have recently climbed to seven to 10 business days on the online Apple store. The estimated shipping dates are frequently extended when a product revision is imminent.
An Apple representative said the company does not comment on unannounced products.
There is also speculation that Apple could be getting ready to revamp its flat-panel iMac line in the coming weeks. The company last updated the Power Mac and iMac lines in November, when it added a 20-inch iMac model and introduced a dual 1.8GHz option for the Power Mac line.
In its last quarterly earnings conference call in April, the company blamed chip supplier IBM for not being quick enough in supplying G5 chips, which hurt Apple's ability to ship its Xserve G5 server. Big Blue executives recently said the company's production woes were easing.
When Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the first Power Mac G5s last June, he said that they would be available at speeds up to 3GHz within 12 months' time. IBM executives on last month's conference call refused to say whether the chipmaker would be in a position to allow Apple to meet that goal.
