No big event is complete without some kind of Apple rumor or event to go along with it and that is exactly what has happened today.

Earlier today, HP announced a trio of new products, one of which is a gorgeous looking webOS tablet device called the HP TouchPad. It certainly is going to give the original iPad some competition and it will definitely compete against the likes of the LG G-Slate and the Motorola Xoom.

So what about that Apple rumor?

Well, on the heels of news that the iPad 2 has hit production lines comes a little rumor slash hint coming from none other than John Gruber over at Daring Fireball. Had this bit come from anyone else, it would have been met with laughter, coming from Gruber though and you get a sense that this could very well be more than a rumor.

News, perhaps.

Here are his musings:

Summer feels like a long time away. If my theory is right, they’re not only going to be months behind the iPad 2, but if they slip until late summer, they might bump up against the release of the iPad 3. And not only did they announce this with a distant ship date, they did it with no word on pricing.

Gruber’s theories have a habit of coming true and if this one is indeed the real deal, Apple apparently has not one but two new iPads coming out this year.

It looks like that early April release date for the iPad might be dead-on after all, San Francisco.

By Adam Mills