Hasta La Gadget!

Bloggers can’t stop banging the rumor drum with an Apple press event scheduled for next week, presumably devoted to its anticipated tablet device. MacRumors’ Arnold Kim found evidence suggesting Apple filed for the trademark iPad, which could be another potential name for the rumored Apple tablet, in addition to iSlate and iGuide.

Based solely on the 2006 Mad TV sketch below the jump (warning: mildly NSFW), I wholeheartedly hope Apple does not brand its tablet “iPad.”

Personally I’m into the name “iSlate.” It sounds like what you would call the iPhone’s bigger sibling. Plus, there’s firm evidence that Apple filed for the iSlate trademark and owns the iSlate.com domain. (Apple does not own the iGuide.com or iPad.com domains.)

Some other Apple heads are predicting the resurrection of iBook, the name of Apple’s older notebooks prior to the MacBook rebranding, for the tablet. I’d bet against that, since Apple will likely push its tablet as a general-purpose device and stray away from it being construed a pricey e-book reader or “Kindle killer.” Plus, I have doubt Apple would wish to recycle an old product name for what we’re all hoping will be a revolutionary new product. It just wouldn’t seem right.

Whatever the name is, I’m willing to bet the “i” prefix is here to stay. Assuming the tablet is running some form of the iPhone OS, it would be inconsistent to slap the “Mac” prefix into the name.

Of course, anyone’s guess is as good as mine, and we’ll all find out Jan. 27. What do you think an Apple tablet should be called? Vote in the poll below, or add your own suggestions in the comments section.

See Also:

• Apple Invitation Confirms Special Product Event for Jan. 27 …
• Everything We Know About Apple’s Touchscreen Tablet
• Approaching January, Apple Tablet Rumors Run Wild
• Why 2010 Will Be the Year of the Tablet
• Predict Our Apple Tablet Coverage, Win an Apple Tablet

Photo illustration of an Apple “iTab”: Gluepet