Apple is expected to unveil its iPad 2 on Wednesday in San Francisco. But today's only Monday. And Wednesday's so far away. So the tech world's going a little crazy.

Earlier this morning, Jonathan Geller at the tech blog BGR posted an image from a "tipster" that appeared to show the back of Apple’s next-generation iPad. If you've seen an iPad, you may be aware that the back of one primarily consists of a silver surface with the Apple logo and the word "iPad" emblazoned on top. But that didn't prevent Geller from gleaning valuable insight about the new device from the picture. The "rear-facing camera, redesigned speaker, and flat back with tapered edges are all visible," he observed. Prodigious linking and murmuring ensued on tech sites.

Geller soon informed his readers, however, that it appeared the tipster was in fact an Apple fan who fabricated the image. MacRumors, which also received the picture, explained that the source claimed he or she had "hacked Apple.com servers," but that the absence of a visible power button, among other things, unmasked the image as a fake.

9 to 5 Mac, meanwhile, is super-psyched about receiving an e-mail with photos of a white iPad 2 part (the bezel, if you're interested) from China. "Yes folks," the site says, "it looks like the new iPad could come in white ... If you look closely at the back of the part, below, you will see the camera hole, which happens to fit perfectly with the iPad 2 screen protectors from our friends in Asia."

We can only imagine what rumors and revelations will surface tomorrow.

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Uri Friedman