I don't remember any credible rumors (WSJ, NYT, Bloomberg) in 2009 about an OSX tablet. All the rumors back the centered around a iOS tablet (and they were right).
This time there's a lot of smoke from credible sources, as well as some great explanations (iPad mini screens cut from 3GS glass). I'd be surprised if we didn't see it hit by next February.
sounds an awful lot like the 2009
"The good news for iPhone fans is that Apple is apparently going to come out with a OSX tablet soon."
Apple speculation has a history of being high profile and also wrong.