Apple has confirmed that it is launching a new product at a special event later this month, with reports indicating that the firm is to unveil its much anticipated tablet device.
The event will take place in San Francisco on January 27th and comes after weeks of rumours of a new touchscreen tablet PC being developed by the company.
Apple's invitations for the launch are covered in bright, colourful splotches, suggesting that the ability to use the tablet as a colour-enabled e-reader may be one feature of the new device, according to the Financial Times.
"The consensus is that the tablet will have a large screen, perhaps ten inches on the diagonal, and run the same operating system as the iPhone and iPod, as opposed to the Mac computers," comments Joseph Menn of the publication.
It is not yet known what the name or price of the new product will be. Microsoft is also known to be developing a tablet PC in partnership with HP.
Meanwhile, Deloitte's latest Technology, Media and Telecommunications predictions for 2010 suggest that tablet computers will see significant growth this year, the Press Association reports.
The market for such devices could be worth more than £600 million by the end of 2010 as tens of millions of tablet PCs are snapped up by consumers worldwide, the report indicates.
