Talk about last minute. Thanks to Engadget’s source, these images, while still smelling a bit fishy, seem to show what could be the real Apple tablet. Albeit, covered with some kind of hideous security device that could only pass for descent design in the PC world. Still, the amount of effort that went into editing this image to discard any identifying information is somewhat convincing.

At this point, yes, an Apple tablet is all but a given. If Apple doesn’t make the announcement on Wednesday the faithful (and the shareholders) are likely to torch the village. But one thing we still don’t know is what the tablet will be called. Well, a recent, fairly innocuous press release about an iPhone crossword app seems fairly certain the tablet will be called the iPad.

A McGraw-Hill CEO went on record during an interview with CNBC admitting they’ve been working with Apple for “quite a while” on the tablet that Apple is announcing tomorrow. So much for secrecy. Thankfully, I doubt Apple would refrain from announcing the tablet tomorrow just to make this guy look silly, but I’m sure he’ll get an informative lesson on how secrecy works at some point. Madness you say? This…is…Apple!

After nearly two years of rumor and speculation, it seems the clamor for an Apple tablet will finally be met with an official announcement. Will it finally arrive? Will we also see updates to the iPhone OS? The iPhone itself (additional carriers beyond AT&T, perhaps)? How about iWork and iLife? To find out, join us on Wednesday as we begin our live coverage at 9:00 a.m. PST.

Word around the web is that Steve Jobs has been heard saying he considers the rumored Apple tablet to be the most important thing he’s ever done. And considering that this is coming from the man who helped bring you the Mac, the MacBook and the iPod, then this is just one more reason why we’re all impatiently waiting for Wednesday’s announcements.

Apple is about to prove once and for all just how much they really don’t need Macworld, but what can you expect from Apple during their special event on Wednesday, January 27th? Here’s a roundup of the more substantial rumors we’ve covered over the past few weeks, including talk of the Apple tablet, iPhone OS 4.0, the 4th gen iPhone and the possibility of additional carriers.

Scott Steinberg, a technology expert and publisher of Digital Trends, always has interesting things to say about all things technology. So, we decided we’d ask him his thoughts on what’s going to happen closer to the end of this month with the Apple tablet. Between pricing strategies and features, Scott provided some very interesting insight into what Apple may be thinking at this point in time.

Bill Synder over at PCWorld has written an article bashing the usefulness of Apple’s rumored “iSlate” as a business device, even before the product has been seen, let alone announced. As my colleague Bill Stiteler tweeted, “… that’s some good old-fashioned Mac hate …” And since Mr. Snyder finds it acceptable to tear apart the usefulness of a device that’s still just a rumor, I feel comfortable in refuting his claims with some indefensible beliefs of my own.

Rumors are flying like never before now that Apple’s January 27th event is so close. Here’s the latest from The Mac Observer. The images they’ve posted appear to be of the glass on the front of Apple’s unannounced tablet. But are they real? The sizing and proportions are right, but what faker wouldn’t get that right? Still, this is the sort of thing that slips through the cracks (intentionally?) when Apple events come closer.

Rumors of an Apple tablet have been around in one form or another for well over a year now. Are you tired of the speculation? So is Valleywag. The difference between you and them is they’re willing to pay to prove the tablet’s existence once and for all. Pay quite a bit, actually, although their definition of “proof” may vary from yours. No shaky Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster or UFO footage, please, they want quality video…or the device itself.