Go ahead and sprinkle out a few big grains of salt before reading any further. This rumor sounds a bit wild, but I think there's at least a germ of truth at the center of it. Boy Genius just received news from an "Apple tipster" with a history of accuracy. He sent them a picture of a "product mockup" that he thought was likely to "coincide with the launch of a revised Apple TV."

We half expected to hear new Apple TV news at their Rock and Roll conference; an update to the line has been due for a while. This product appears to be a very long touchscreen remote for your Apple TV system. It looks like a bit more than just a remote though. On the menu we can see options for photos, Safari, music, podcasts, and network options.

If not "just" an Apple TV remote, what is this? Could it be an accompanying device designed to be sort of a 'living room computer'? A media box controller/internet tablet designed to keep people amused when they're watching TV and help them to control their entertainment set-up? At this point, it could be damn near anything, including a total fake. Only time or Steve Jobs will let us know for sure.