Apple invitations to major product unveilings are short, cryptic messages, stingy with words and visuals, but if you read them correctly, rich with meaning. The emailed invite to Apple’s Oct. 22 event in California is no different. Read carefully: It’s a veritable font of information.
Obviously, the invite comes after months of rumors about what Apple will do and just more than a month after Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced two new phones, the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. All of that informs a good part of what we intuit from the invite.
See also: Apple iPhone 5S: A Great Phone Inches Toward Perfection
In other words, though the invite never mentions the iPad by name, we know it's primarily an iPad event. On the other hand, I think it may end up being about so much more than just the iPad. Let's dive into the digital missive and dig out the hints.
Starting from the top, Apple has fallen in love with color. I guess this goes back to the iPod mini, one of Apple’s first mobile products to ingest a rainbow and spit out a dizzying variety of color options. Last month, we saw the company turn out five iPhone 5C body colors (and three more austere 5S options).
This invite features the top edge of a white Apple logo (an indication that at least one product will be all white) and at least a dozen Apple logo-style leaves in eight or nine different colors. From this, I glean two things: Whatever Apple introduces next week will arrive in at least five color options, and the existence of so many leaves could be a nod to the number of products unveiled — but more on that later.

This is the core messaging on the invite, and many took it to mean that the product rollout would have something to do with colorful product covers. I see it differently — in fact, I'm fixating on the words “a lot.”
Apple does not use words lightly, so I take these two words as a clear sign that this event will feature at least three new products: a redesigned full-size iPad, a Retina iPad Mini, an updated Apple TV and ... something else.

I think the use of the word “still” has two potential meanings. One is that Apple is delivering on its promise of a busy fall. The other less likely option: Apple may unveil even more products this year after the Oct. 22 event.
I also think there is some hidden meaning in the word “cover.” My guess is that the new iPad covers will offer far greater functionality than simply turning into a foldable stand and acting as a device sleep blanket. Apple has patents for all sorts of cover ideas, including expanding the screen real estate to the cover, adding a battery to it and even turning the cover into a keyboard.
See also: 7 Apps You Don't Want to Miss
"Cover" could also be a winking reference to wearables. Clothes cover our body, as do smaller items that we might wear on, say, our wrists. Mark my words: “Covers” will play a role next week.
Below the imagery comes the details of the event. There’s not much to parse here except for one key element: the location. Apple chose the spacious Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco for its launch. The space is a favorite of the company's, but Apple didn’t use it last month to introduce the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. That event was held in the Town Hall on Apple’s own corporate campus in Cupertino, Calif. It’s a truly intimate space and better suited for occasions where only one or two products will be announced. It’s also where Apple typically introduces variations on a theme, as opposed to products in new categories.

The selection of Yerba Buena means Apple has big plans for this event. It’s further proof that will we see not only at least three new products, but also some surprising innovations — perhaps, based on this and other tea leaves parsed above, the entry into the wearable technology category. I do wonder whether Tim Cook will walk on stage wearing an iWatch. (I’ll watch for that.)
The Apple invite may contain other hidden messages, too. I have not tried reversing the art (ok, I have, but I didn’t find anything) or reading the text backwards or looking for anagrams and hidden words diagonally and horizontally (ok, I did that, too — nothing). Regardless of what you do or don’t see in the invite, Apple's next product unveiling promises to be interesting. Mashable will be there to deliver the play-by-play. Will you be watching?
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Image: Apple
Skype for iPad has a well-designed interface that makes it easy and fun to keep in touch with others. The app is a must-have for those who want to use their iPads' video function to its fullest.
Image courtesy of Skype
The Weather Channel's beautiful app is one of the most-downloaded in the App Store, and its features include regularly updated forecasts, push alerts, weather news and gorgeous HD images.
Image courtesy of The Weather Channel
If you aren't using Netflix on your iPad, you're doing it all wrong. The app is great for watching new releases and your favorite shows, whether it's on the go or while you're winding down after work.
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With Feedly, It's easy to read and share content from around the web. The fast-loading cards make it simple to browse content, and your settings and favorites are saved across all platforms.
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Chrome is one the best and most popular web browsers available, and the same goes for mobile devices. If you sign into your account, you can sync your open tabs, bookmarks and passwords between your devices.
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Pocket lets you save web content to read later, which you can read offline. The app is especially handy in places where you don't have access to Wi-Fi.
Image courtesy of Pocket
The Google Search app is more than just a simple search engine. With Google Now, you get the information you want when you need it, including weather alerts, the quickest routes to work and more.
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Winner of "App of the Year 2012," Paper increases your productivity by allowing you to jot down notes, sketches, illustrations, drawings and diagrams. You're able to purchase additional tools within the app itself.
Image courtesy of Paper
The Ted app gives you instant access to more than 1,400 Ted Talks from the world's most brilliant minds. You can make your own playlists and even download videos to watch offline.
Image courtesy of Ted
There are several photo apps available on the iPad, but Snapseed is one of the best (and it won Best Mobile Photo App of 2012 from the Technical Image Press Association). With Snapseed, you can easily adjust, edit and share your photos.
Image courtesy of Snapseed
With Evernote, you can take notes, make to-do lists, take photos and record voice reminders. The app lets you sync everything across your devices and make each item searchable.
Image courtesy of Evernote
The eBay app lets you sell, browse, purchase and bid on items from your iPad. You'll find advanced search capabilities, seamless scrolling and high-resolution photos. You can also customize your homescreen and share items with your friends via social media, email and text messaging. With this app, there's no need to use eBay's web version again.
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Zeebox's iPad app immerses you in the social TV experience. It's a platform for social interaction, content discovery and getting extra information about your favorite shows.
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Waze is a community-based traffic and navigation app with more than 40 million users. Drivers generate up-to-date information on traffic and road conditions, helping you get to your destination quicker and more efficiently.
Image courtesy of Waze
The iPad doesn't come with a native calculator app, making the free Calculator for iPad app a must-have. It combines functions for quick computations and a full scientific calculator, and you can even choose from several themes.
Image courtesy of Calculator for iPad
Flipboard's tagline is "your personal magazine." The app has been one of the most popular social news apps since its launch in 2010. With Flipboard on your iPad, you can keep up with everything that's happening on the web, tailoring it to your own interests.
Image courtesy of Flipboard
You don't need an Amazon Kindle device in order to read Kindle ebooks. The Kindle iPad app gives you access to more than 1,000,000 ebooks, and the Whispersync technology keeps your page for you (and any notes, bookmarks, etc.) across devices.
Image courtesy of Amazon Kindle
Mint lets you easily manage your personal finances, bringing together information from all of your accounts in one place. You can see your transactions, manage budgets and view graphs of where your money goes (a feature exclusive for iPad).
Image courtesy of Mint
Temple Run 2 is one of the top 25 most-downloaded apps of all time. The 2013 update is a fun game filled to the brim with adventure, and the graphics look great on the iPad.
Image courtesy of Temple Run 2
Adobe Photoshop can cost you hundreds of dollars, but the Photoshop Express app for iPad is free. Edit your images by cropping, rotating, adjusting color, adding filters and creating borders.
Image courtesy of Adobe Photoshop Express
Guardian Eyewitness provides striking images daily, reflecting events around the world. You have access to the latest 100 images at any one time.
Image courtesy of Guardian Eyewitness
Explore the planet in 3D with the Google Earth iPad app. You can travel to faraway places you've never seen before, preview destinations before you travel there in real life or even check in on the neighborhood where you grew up. The Earth Gallery includes real-time earthquakes, planes in flight, hiking trails and city tours, and the "tour guide" feature makes it easy to discover new places.
Image courtesy of Google Earth
Pandora is a free personalized radio app with more than 200 million registered users. You can create custom radio stations based on your favorite artists, songs and genres. If you're a super-user, you can subscribe to Pandora One for $3.99 per month.
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Dropbox lets you save all of your files in one place and share them easily, as well as access them across all devices. You'll get 2 GB of space free automatically, and you can add files to your "Favorites" for offline viewing and more.
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This app from award-winning food website Epicurious.com gives you access to more than 30,000 recipes. You can save your favorite recipes, make shopping lists and share recipes with your friends.
Image courtesy of Epicurious
This is pretty obvious, but it's worth noting that your favorite social networks -- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Vine, Pinterest, et al. -- all have great iPad apps. Share, post and pin away!
Images courtesy of Facebook and Twitter