Is there not enough rumor, gossip, and speculation about Apple's plans to be announced (maybe) at an event where even the date (1/26? 1/27?) is speculative? No, there is not enough. Herewith, a little more. The New York Times reports/speculates that the Thing (widely considered to be a tablet or slate) may have an expanded set of multitouch gestures to power a new version of iWork (the office suite containing Numbers-spreadsheet, Keynote-presentation, and Pages-word processing and page layout). Other speculation/reports/rumors suggest WiFi capabilities and thus Internet access.

Has anyone speculated on the ability to pair it with a Bluetooth keyboard? If that's possible, then users who need to create text-based content would have everything they need between native apps such as iWord and web-based productivity apps.

Gosh, that means people could replace their MacBooks with the new Thing (and those of us already equipped with Bluetooth keyboards could just pair them with the new Thing).

But why would Apple scavenge sales from the MacBook? Conceivably laptops like the MacBook might be on their last legs (er...laps). 

Does Apple believe that its competition for the new Thing is not the other tablets but the entire laptop market? Could they really believe that their integration and interface could beat all the laptops out there?

What could a laptop do that a Thing paired with a keyboard could not? I've opened comments on this posting--if you can think of anything a laptop could do that the Thing couldn't do, post them there.

Of course, maybe the Thing is just an Internet-powered frame for Granny's photos of the kids.