You probably think that, when Steve Jobs takes the stage on Tuesday to address the world at this mysterious "event," you know exactly what he's going to show us all. First, there's the new iMac; Apple's been running itself ragged trying to shut down all the sites posting the alleged "Kihei" images, and the "event" was announced just days after the dam broke and Kihei pictures and specs were plastered all across the Mac webscape. So that's a pretty safe bet. Then there's Mac OS 9, which is rumored to be complete, or darn close; odds are that Steve will announce an official release date for that, too. So now you can smirk and act smug and self-satisfied, right?

But doesn't part of you just know that Steve wouldn't let such a big event go without at least one big surprise? Sure, Kihei was supposed to be a surprise, but now that even the guy selling papers on our corner seems to be able to recite the specs by heart, we can't help but think that Steve would have to add something to the mix to make us all say "whoa." Remember, this isn't a keynote at a trade show, like Macworld Expo or Seybold. This is a bona fide Apple-announced, Apple-sponsored media event designed to stir up press coverage. And while Kihei is big, we just can't see Steve accepting headlines like "As Expected, Apple Introduces New iMac." Maybe we're expecting too much, but we bet there's more to the story.

So what, if anything, will it be? Well, Apple Insider lists a bunch of semi-predictable possibilities, such as the long-rumored Apple-branded handheld computer to replace the Newton, or some kind of Apple-branded Internet service, or even the unveiling of Apple Store "boutiques," much like the Gateway Country stores that have worked quite well for the competition. But Apple Insider claims that, most likely of all, Apple may take the opportunity to announce a widespread "re-branding" campaign. Apparently "Think Different" may be retired; it played a great game and helped get Apple back on a winning streak, but now it's reported that the company is planning something new-- something more befitting a company that's back on top. Of course, there's no word on what the new message will be; after all, we need some suspense, right? If this turns out to be true, we'll miss "Think Different"; some day we'll look back upon the campaign that helped bring Apple back from the brink of disaster, and we'll chuckle fondly at all the grammar arguments Apple started. Maybe the new slogan will be something equally controversial, like "Spel Badlee."