Apple tablet frenzy

After months of rumors and speculation about a slate-like device, Apple will have its say on Wednesday. We'll be bringing you live coverage from the high-profile press event, set to kick off in San Francisco at 10 a.m. PST.
In the meantime, here's a column about what we expect to see and what we hope we'll see. Check back in this post once the event starts for all the live, up-to-the minute updates.

The press checks in for the big Apple event Wednesday morning outside the venue.(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

The scene outside San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts before Wednesday morning's big Apple event.(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Inside the building, awaiting Steve Jobs (assuming he'll be doing the announcing). (Credit: James Martin/CNET)

9:53 a.m. PST: OK, we're all settled inside Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where the event should get going in just under 10 minutes. I'm with CNET reviewer Donald Bell, who will be providing some occasional commentary today. The place is packed already and Bob Dylan is on the speakers. The stage is a bit of a different setup than we've seen at these events before, with a comfortable-looking leather chair and table set up on the left.
10:01 a.m.: Lights are lowering, music is getting turned down. Here we go.
10:01 a.m.: Steve Jobs takes the stage to a standing ovation.
10:02 a.m.: He says he wants to kick off 2010 by introducing a truly magical and revolutionary product today. But first a few updates to other products.
iPods up first. Steve says the 250 millionth iPod was sold last week.
10:03 a.m.: Now he's talking about retail stores.
10:03 a.m.: And another store, the App Store, an "incredible phenomenon" he says. With 140K apps on the App Store, there have been 3 billion downloads over the past 18 months
10:04 a.m.: Finally, he shows an old photo of himself and Woz and says since they started the company in 1976, and now they have a company making $15.6 billion in revenue. "Apple is an over $50 billion company," now he says.

A seat and small table on stage--that's not typical for these events.(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Steve Jobs takes the stage(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

10:05 a.m.: He is going to explain where the revenue comes from: iPods, iPhones, and Macs. "What's interesting" he says is iPods, iPhones and Macs are mobile devices. Apple is a mobile device company. "That's what we do."
10:06 a.m.: Apple is the largest mobile devices company in the world now, by revenue, according to Jobs. He says this includes Sony, Samsung, and Nokia's mobile devices units.
10:06 a.m.: End of updates. Now to the main event.

Information from : http://news.cnet.com/