We're scant hours away from the latest big Apple "event," and as expected, even the mainstream online press is chock-full of articles with titles like "Apple Expected To Launch New iMacs Tuesday," "Apple may detail new iMac tomorrow," and "New Apple to Fall From Tree: Announcement of new iMac Expected Tuesday." There isn't a soul alive with an Internet connection and even a molecule of interest in Apple's next move who isn't expecting the imminent arrival of the next iMac when Steve steps up to the microphone. But the man loves to surprise us, and we're more convinced than ever that he's taken the Kihei leaks personally. It's likely he has something up his sleeve-- something big that's carefully calculated to drop jaws, blow minds, and send the press scrambling for the scoop.

As for what that surprise might be, hey, that's anyone's guess. Enter faithful viewer Dan Brown, who offers up one "outrageous prediction" as food for thought: "Jobs announces that he's accomplished all he wanted to with the new Apple and resigns. He appoints CFO Fred Anderson as the new full-time CEO." Wow. Now that would draw some serious attention. Sure, it might not be the kind of attention that Apple needs right now, but you have to admit, Dan's scenario is a doozy. And is it really that far-fetched? Especially in light of the Inc article pointed out by scads of faithful viewers, which posits that Steve's charisma was just what Apple needed two years ago, but that now the Board should "throw him out" before his ego brings everything tumbling down again. (Oooo, harsh.)

Let's get something straight: we're not saying Jobs should be ousted. Heck, we love having Steve around; he's got real star power, and he keeps the viewers tuning in. Similarly, Dan Brown was just offering up a cool soap opera moment to keep us occupied until Steve gets up there and does his thing. Few people in the Mac community actually agree with the suggestion put forth in the Inc article, at least if MacCentral's followup is any indication. Still, you've got to admit, for a man with such a flair for drama, a public resignation is about as dramatic as it gets. Here's hoping that today's surprise is, say, a new Apple handheld PDA instead...