There's A Lot Of Chatter This Morning That Apple Will Introduce A New Keyboard Cover For iPads

Happy Monday!

Here's the rumor all the Apple bloggers are talking about today:

A former Apple employee named Jamie Ryan wrote on his personal blog that he thinks Apple will introduce a new keyboard cover for the new iPads it's expected to announce tomorrow. Ryan claims he's spoken to some of his former colleagues at Apple and they told him such an accessory has at least been prototyped.

And then the speculation kicks in.

Apple's invitation to the press for tomorrow's announcement said "We still have a lot to cover." That message, coupled with the post from Ryan, has caused a lot of chatter that Apple is using a play on words to hint that it will introduce a new keyboard cover for the next-generation iPads.

In theory, the cover would be similar to the one Microsoft has for its Surface tablets that run Windows 8. Those covers snap into the bottom of the tablet and include a trackpad for your mouse cursor.

Here's a look at the Surface keyboard cover:

Keep in mind this is just speculation. Apple tests a lot of stuff, from oversized iPhones to motion controls for the Apple TV. But just because Apple made a prototype of a keyboard cover for the iPad doesn't mean it's going to happen. Apple has also already publicly filed a bunch of patents for a keyboard cover, so the fact that it has prototyped one shouldn't come as a surprise.

If you want to find out the iPad news as it happens tomorrow, follow our live coverage of Apple's event at 1 p.m. Eastern.