At 6pm this evening, UK time, Apple will be announcing ... something.
The FT predicted on Sunday that it will be a second-generation iPad, but, according to the well-informed Engadget yesterday, "There's really no telling what could happen tomorrow at Apple's little event."
So, stand by and listen up. Whatever is said will be respectfully received.
That respect has been earned by a tech business that last year overtook Microsoft in market value to lead its sector, and in January rose further to become the world's second-most valuable company (after Exxon Mobil).
Market value depends on share price, and share price depends on reputation. Which is where the media comes in.
Apple is notoriously closed to media access, except when it has something to sell. The media takes what it is given, on Apple's terms. And the hard-line policy seems to work.
In the long rivalry between Microsoft and Apple, I think it would be fair to say the media hasn't been exactly even-handed. Bill Gates has rightfully earned plaudits for his philanthropic work. But in his Microsoft days the much smaller Apple got a disproportionate share of attention. Up in Seattle, away from the buzz of Silicon Valley, Microsoft was unbelievably profitable but, at least since Windows 95, just wasn't seen as cool, even though it had far more customers than Apple.
A recent Neilson survey found that Apple products were seen in more than a third of the number-one films at the US box office during the past ten years. As Brandchannel points out, that puts Apple ahead of McDonald's and Nike combined - which is "pretty impressive, considering that fewer than 15% of American computer-owning households have an Apple".
On British television, Apple products are often seen in dramas and factual programmes. How many presenters have been filmed 'doing some research' with a Macbook in a hotel room? I would guess that the presenter/producer class is more likely to own a Mac than most people, and that works to Apple's advantage.
When I was filming at Microsoft a few years before the word 'iPad' had meaning, the PR people were keen to show off new Microsoft-powered tablet PCs which they predicted would revolutionise the work of whole classes of workers, such as nurses. I don't know the numbers but the tablets didn't, I think, live up to expectations despite their many advantages.
But once Apple took on the idea everyone thought it was brilliant.
As a former Microsoftie, Robert Scoble, wittily put it in his blog last month:
"So, in this dream, er, nightmare I have, I walk into Steve Ballmer's Microsoft office back in 2006 and say:
'Hi Steve, I gotta talk to you about our tablet strategy.'
'Sure, Scoble, what you thinking about?'
'Well, it sucks. It just isn't working. Customers aren't delighted. The market isn't afire. Our employees are even bored with it.'
'So, what should we do?' he asks.
'We should ship a device that doesn't run Office. Indeed, doesn't run any Microsoft application. Doesn't do multitasking. Doesn't run Flash. Doesn't have a camera. Can't print. Can't use a Microsoft Mouse or Keyboard, either. Oh, and just to be really revolutionary, we can't put any of our normal packaging or stickers on the device or around it. Finally, we can't sell it at Best Buy, but we have to build a new series of stores to distribute it in.'
'What the f*** are you smoking, Scoble? Get the f*** out of here before I call security. That's the stupidest idea I've heard. Ever.'
Then I wake up and realise, no, I'm not Steve Jobs."
A Microsoft staffer I sent that to had the good grace to say Scoble's dream "did make me laugh".
I was going to add that Apple products aren't perfect and that my own Macbook broke yesterday (nothing serious, just that the internal speakers don't work, although the headphones still do). You don't often hear in the media about broken Apple products, do you?
But I have been disarmed: I was passing an Apple store in London yesterday and popped in to ask whether they had any suggestions. The first person I came to told me there is a process called Genius Bar (right) which lets you make an appointment at an Apple store with a 'genius' who, I was told, should be able to fix it on the spot.
OK, I was impressed.
And, yes, I am interested to hear what Apple has to say this evening, despite my best intentions to take a fair and balanced view.
