Spawn of Rumor: Apple iSlate + Magic Mouse = Magic Slate?

Following up MacRumors discovery of the iSlate.com domain name yesterday, TechCrunch dug a little deeper and found more to support the iSlate guestimation, and now MacRumors is back again with another trademark -- Magic Slate.

Could Magic Slate be the Apple touchpad Daring Fireball thought would be released alongside the Magic Mouse last October? Or are they both just red-herring rumors, spreading blog frenzy along holiday cheer?

Either way, the idea of a multi-touch pad peripheral for Macs -- especially if it has a screen built-in, like the farthest-fetched rumors have suggested since back when the glass trackpad MacBooks were first introduced -- is compelling.

Of course, with the simple release of an app, Apple could make the iPhone or the iPod touch the ultimate Magic Slate (not to mention the iSlate/iTablet proper for large screen tracking).

Still, this is the story equivalent of unicorns mating with zebra. Str

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.