The Apple rumour mill – which usually spins at an alarming rate even on a slow day – has been at risk of popping a gasket over the past few months with speculation over Apple’s latest product release: a tablet-like device which is expected to do to the handheld tablet category what the iPod did for MP3s.  The iPad product was released today.

The new product was described in great detail by those who had no idea what it looked like, what it was called or what functionality or interface it might have. This attests to two things: the marketing power of consumer expectations, and the strength of Apple’s trade secret and intellectual-property protection program.  Several years ago Apple sued a journalist who posted information about one of Apple’s forthcoming software products (in O’Grady v. Superior Court, 139 Cal.App.4th 1423 (Cal.App. 2006)). Apple sought an order forcing the journalist to disclose his sources. In the most recent round of speculation, the company’s lawyers fired a letter at a Silicon Valley gossip site when the site offered a $100,000 bounty for any photos of the tablet. Ultimately Apple lost its legal battle with the journalist, but the practical message was clear: that it takes its confidential information very seriously.

Calgary – 07:00 MST