Are you all a-dither with excitement? Okay, unless you’re an Apple fanboy, or a tech geek, or you work at ad agency/design shop like ours, you’re probably not biting your nails in suspense (as we are) over the announcement due out of Cupertino next Wednesday, when the long-awaited confirmation of Apple’s much-rumored tablet is expected. Frankly, given the abundance of Apple-related posts on this blog in the past (again, a function of our industry’s traditional reliance on Mac hardware), it’s a minor miracle and evidence of considerable restraint that we’ve waited this long to weigh in on the tablet issue. Because the net has been swirling for months about just what Mr. Steve Jobs has up his sleeve. You see, reports of an Apple tablet have circulated literally for years, but in the last six months or so the rumor mill has ratcheted up to a fever pitch, as unconfirmed source after unconfirmed source have said that this time it’s real, and it’s coming soon. And with Apple’s recent invite to a special unveiling next week (shown above), everyone in the know believes the time has come.

Other beliefs run the range. Some folks are skeptical about the market’s reception—after all, tablets have been released by other manufacturers before, with little impact. But there are those who think Apple is about to revolutionize the consumption of screen-friendly media—everything from movies to ebooks to magazine and newspaper subscriptions—the way the iPod and iTunes have forever changed the way we get our music. And just as apps for the iPhone and mobile advertising have become part of every forward-looking marketer’s arsenal of tricks, there’s every chance that the new iPad or iSlate or whatever this thing ends up being called will be the next hot ad medium. Are you ready?