I'm sure when it's announced it'll be treated like it's as significant as the third tablet in the 15 Commandments from the Mount of Sinai.

I am adjusting my designer tinfoil hat as I type this with shaky hands...if someone was communicating with extraterrestrials, what would the symptoms look like? All of a sudden, devices which were much more technically-advanced than all others would appear on the market (iPods, iPhones), and would crush the terrestrial competition. Now the iTablet or whatever may continue this pattern. Sending out mind-control rays from the devices could sure help with this (sorry folks, these new iPod nanos only work with Apple-designed brain-wave antennae, ahem, I mean "earbuds").

Wake up, people! Jobs could either BE an alien or he could be working for them!

"Nano-Nano"

While we are rumor-mongering, can we possibly link the apparent lack of progress at Pixel Qi (the daylight-readable, reflective/transmissive, full-color LCD folks) with this Apple tablet? Wouldn't surprise me in the least to see this device appear as the "first" (besides OLPC, of course) major consumer device to use this display technology to "scoop" (in typical Apple fashion) the e-reader industry, as well as the netbook and possibly laptop industry, all in one fell swoop. A powerful tablet PC/ereader that can be used outdoors, on the beach with up to 40 hrs battery life...yeah, I bet that would sell a few units (as well as the wireless distribution of millions of "iBooks" via "iTunes).

This would explain the "scarcity" of Pixel Qi screens at present if Apple has some kind of a 'me first' agreement with them. And Steve always likes to be first (sorry if this turns out to be true and I ruined your surprise, Stevie, or if you didn't think of this, shame on you!)

towards Aberdeenshire, where the Caledonian pine forest blends into moorland. Screamin' Banshees and nighttime "caterwauling" miaows/meows and wails. The Cait Sith; a large black beast whom Highlanders believe is the reincarnation of a witch that only appears when Cairngorms or worse things are about to slink down the alley looking for a fight an 'owling to the moonlight on a hot summer night.

Ya gotta be kiddin, right? The Inquirer, that bastion of Yellow-Tech Journalism making cute over The Rumour Mill?

and coming from apple, it'll cost two grand. And in a way I hope it's not powered by god-awful atom.
Maybe $1499.

At least wait for the damn thing to be released.