Happy Apple tablet day! Let’s get this party started with some leaked photos from late last night that appear to maybe, possibly be the real thing.

The kids at Engadget were the first to post a few “very interesting images” of what appears to be some kind of prototype Apple tablet bolted into a frame. Whatever it is, it surely does appear to be running some form of an iPhone OS, much as McGraw-Hill CEO Harold McGraw III said it would in a CNBC interview just yesterday.

Engadget sums it up nicely: “As far as fakes go, this is as convincing as it gets, so either this is the real deal or someone deserves a hearty congratulations.” Among the things that make this ring true: the iPhone-style menu bar with Wi-Fi icon and cell service indicator (which apparently isn’t working, since it says “No Service”).

Separately, Engadget has received an unverified tip with some specs on the device, which basically breaks down like most of the others: 10-inch screen, looks like a larger iPhone with a MacBook-like aluminum back, priced around $800 on contract with Verizon or $1,000 without and yes, arriving in March. Close inspection also reveals what might be a front-facing camera near the top of the device, which the device has been commonly believed to have.

Most interesting of all, apparently the actual name of the device is a mystery even to Apple employees, who simply refer to it by the original codename, “K48” -- a codename that Engadget first heard back in May, from a very reliable source who also pegged the iPhone 3GS (which can seen buddying up to the tablet in the second image) to a tee before its announcement.

The same source is spilling that the iPhone will indeed be coming to Verizon today and yes, there will be an iLife ’10, but don’t expect any MacBook Pro updates. This is all starting to sound pretty familiar, but we’ll all know for real in a matter of hours now.

(Images courtesy of Engadget)