Apple has announced it would show off its "latest creation" in San Francisco later this month, an event expected to feature the unveiling of a long-awaited tablet computer.

"Please join Apple on January 27 for a Special Event," said a typically cryptic email invitation to journalists from the company behind the Macintosh computer, the iPod and the iPhone. "Come see our latest creation," said the invitation, which featured colorful blobs of paint surrounding the Apple logo.

The California-based company did not supply any further details about the invitation-only event to be held at 10:00 am Pacific time (1800 GMT) at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco.

More