Apple plans to show "latest creation" next week

NEW YORK: Apple Inc is inviting reporters to an event next week to see what it calls ``our latest creation.''

The company e-mail Monday offered no specifics about what it would display at the invitation-only Jan. 27 event in San Francisco.

But it comes amid speculation that Apple is close to unveiling a tablet-style touch-screen computer that is bigger than an iPhone but smaller than a standard laptop.

Tablets are one-piece computers with big screens and no keyboards. Such devices have been around since the early 1990s, but haven't seen much success in the mainstream.

An Apple spokesman declined to provide more details on its plans Monday afternoon.