Brace yourself for a 12-inch Apple maxiPAD – probably... maybe... ish

We'll find out on October 16

Apple will summon its pet hacks to the Cupertino mothership this month for yet another orchestrated product unveiling.

We're told the iGiant has sent out invites for a "special event" at the company's headquarters in California on October 16. It has not provided further details on the event, though the tagline "it's been way too long" adorns the RSVP. The Register's invite is assumed to be lost in the post.

It's assumed the day will involve the unveiling of a new iPad. The company usually pushes out new fondleslabs in time for the holiday shopping season. Sales of the slabs have been flagging, which is something that a new model would quickly solve.

Rumor has it Apple may extend the range of the iPad with a larger 12.9-inch maxiPad to bridge the gap between iPads and MacBooks: it would basically be a "hybrid" platform integrating elements of iOS and OS X. There's also whisperings of new Mac computers.

Other rumors have the House that Jobs Built preparing to glam up the iPad by introducing a not-at-all-gaudy gold-cased slab.

Apple has some work to do in the tablet space. The company is among prominent players who have seen their market share fall under increased competition from rival vendors.

El Reg put in a request with Apple to attend the event, given that we always strive to show the biz in the best possible light, as demonstrated here, here, here, here, and here.

Meanwhile, investor Carl Icahn today promised to give us all something to chat about while awaiting new iThings... ®

Tmrw we’ll be sending an open letter to @tim_cook. Believe it will be interesting.

— Carl Icahn (@Carl_C_Icahn) October 8, 2014