The Wednesday call by Silicon Valley gossip blog Valleywag, seeking pictures of the highly-rumored but 'not yet officially disclosed' Apple tablet device, has not only resulted in some interesting pictures being posted, but has also evoked a response from Apple's lawyers who said that the blog had clearly 'crossed the line.'

In response to Valleywag's offer of up to $100,000 cash prize in exchange for photos of the Apple tablet device, Attorney Michael C. Spillner of high-status Silicon Valley firm Orrick, Herrington, and Sutcliffe, wrote to Valleywag's parent firm Gawker Media that the announced cash prize offer was "illegal."

Noting that Valleywag was enticing people to break a nondisclosure agreement or share trade secrets, Spillner elaborated that the looks, features, and physical samples of the product are part of a strictly confidential information, and those in the know are "bound under the strictest contractual obligations not to disclose the information to third parties."

Pressing Valleywag to "immediately discontinue the Scavenger Hunt," the attorney's letter further said: "While Apple values and appreciates vibrant public commentary about its products, we believe you and your company crossed the line by offering a bounty for the theft of Apple's trade secrets."

With the letter clearly written in reference to "an unannounced and highly confidential Apple product," it somewhat substantiates the relentless speculation that the Apple tablet device is actually in the making!