In a desperate attempt to gather more scoop on the Apple Tablet speculation, the Gawker Media recently announced the 'Valleywag's Apple Tablet Scavenger Hunt' which promised rewards of up to $100,000 for any photos or videos of the unannounced Tablet product.
Interestingly! the most eyebrow-raising response to this scavenger hunt has been the one by Apple itself. The Apple lawyers at work seemed to have responded to this hunt as being illegal because it publicly shares information about an "yet-to-be released product".
Here is a part of the statement:
While Apple values and appreciates vibrant public commentary about its products, we believe you and your company have crossed the line by offering a bounty for the theft of Apple's trade secrets. Such an offer is illegal and Apple insists that you immediately discontinue the Scavenger Hunt. [...] The information you are willing to pay for, such as photos of a yet-to-be released product, constitutes Apple trade secrets.
Technically! this still doesn't prove if Apple is indirectly trying to confirm the existence of the tablet but the fact that Apple has personally responded to this, which in Apple's case is very unusual, definitely raises an eyebrow. The full transcript of the response by Apple to Gawker Media can be found here.