“Once again, it’s time to peer into Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs’ cup and try to read the tea leaves,” Jessica Mintz reports for The Associated Press.

“Apple, as usual, has said almost nothing about the new products it plans to unveil at an invitation-only affair Wednesday in San Francisco. Playing their part, bloggers and Apple fans have filled the vacuum with ‘leaks,’ rumors and wish-list items that, while often far-fetched, can’t completely be ignored,” Mintz reports. “Sometimes, just sometimes, a bit of truth shines through.”

“In recent years, the Cupertino, California-based company has used its September event to unveil new iPods, which have grown smaller, sleeker and more powerful with each new generation,” Mintz reports. “This year’s event is along the same lines, if Apple’s e-mail to reporters is any indication.”

“The invitation looks like an iTunes gift card and features one of Apple’s iconic, iPod-toting silhouettes and the words, ‘It’s only rock and roll, but we like it,’ a reference to a 1970s Rolling Stones song,” Mintz reports. “That still left room for creative speculation.”

Some of the speculation includes:
• Steve Jobs’ return to the stage
• Apple could discontinue the iPod classic
• An iPod classic with an even bigger hard drive than the 120GB it currently sports
• Built-in digital cameras on iPod touch and iPod nano
• iTunes 9 release with or without Blu-ray support
• New digital bundles: “albums” with videos, liner notes and art
• ‘iTablet’ or ‘MacBook touch’
• The Beatles on iTunes Store

Mintz reports, “But the use of the Rolling Stones line in the invitation has quieted most proponents of this [last] scenario. It might just be standard Apple misdirection, but a person familiar with the situation told the AP there’s no Beatles-Apple deal… [As for the tablet], analysts including Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster and Shaw Wu of Kaufman Bros. both see a 2010 release as more likely.”

“CEO Jobs hasn’t presided over one of these pep-rally-style product launches since Apple gave its laptop line a light makeover last October. His lieutenants, Tim Cook and Phil Schiller, Apple’s COO and top marketing executive, have been holding their own,” Mintz reports. “But now that Jobs is back from his nearly six-month medical leave, fans are still holding their breath for an appearance from the maestro.”

More in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Note: Today is Labor Day in the U.S., Labour Day in Bermuda and Canada, the NASDAQ market is closed, and we will have limited posting today. See you tomorrow when the excitement really ramps up ahead of Apple’s special event which is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9 at Yerba Buena Center For The Arts in San Francisco starting at 10am PDT. Happy Labor Day to everyone celebrating the holiday and, to everyone else, have a happy day, too!