Last week we explored the rumors surrounding a new product release from Apple code-named "brick. " The speculation surrounding the heavy-weight secret product now points in the direction of the Apple TV. The Apple TV that Steve Jobs once stated was a "hobby" of Apple's, has not seen a significant updates in a long while. Granted, there have been software updates and an increase in on-board disk space, but other than that, the product has just been plodding along. Perhaps that is all about to change.

So what exactly is "brick?" No one really knows, although we have a few guesses that we wrote about last week. Although we still think highly of the save-you-money aspect of things, we'd be failing in our duty if we failed to bring to you the latest rumors regarding the Apple TV. Keeping in mind the we at Mac|Life consider the Apple TV to be more a "slab" of electronic goodness than a "brick" you would toss through Windows.

In a recent Apple Gazette post, Michael states, "Because of reports from retailers that the Apple TV’s advertising material was to be destroyed, a rumor has managed to seep its way through the Interwebs that the Apple TV is being replaced." He goes on to write, "It was further fueled by the fact that there is a webcast being presented to retailers on September 30th."

Taking this into consideration, and thinking carefully, one would think that this means that something could happen to the Apple TV, but does it really mean the whole product is about to be revamped? Doubtful. It could simply be another software update or a change in promotional materials, as Michael points out, "The reason for the destruction of the advertising material could be as simple as the fact that the licensing for the TVs and movies has expired - or that Apple wants new advertising material to reflect current movie releases, and the new fall television shows."

All of this is a far cry from previous rumors about Apple TV gaining the ability to play true HD TV, a DVD drive, DVR capabilities, Blue Ray or other hardware accessories. While Apple is usually pretty gung ho about adopting new technology, they still have not implemented Blue Ray drives into their computer line up. So why would they in the Apple TV? Our guess is that Apple is pushing for the electronic delivery methods a la iTunes. No more CDs or DVDs for you dear reader.

So is this the rumored "brick? " We don't think so, but add it to the wall of rumors surrounding the alleged October 14 event and all the Apple fanboys and fangirls having something more to talk about. Considering all the information we've seen so far, we feel comfortable in saying this is probably not the big news. It might be side news and the "brick" could still be about saving us money. And considering the current financial crisis, which has worsened as I write this, we can use all the savings we can get.