Steve Jobs may demo Apple tablet in January

We may soon see Apple’s long-rumored, yet-to-be-announced tablet computer. It looks like chief executive Steve Jobs has plans to demonstrate the product on-stage in January.

A source told The Business Insider that Apple has asked application makers to create apps for a demonstration next month. Those apps need to support full-screen resolution, suggesting an iPhone- or iPod Touch-style device with a larger screen — i.e, a tablet. At the same time, the Financial Times reports Apple has rented a stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco for several days in late January. You do the math.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster predicted today that there’s a 50 percent chance that Apple will announce the tablet next month. If that happens, he said the device will probably go on sale later that quarter.

The tablet has been the hot topic around Apple for months and months now. Whenever Apple holds an event, everyone wonders, “Will we see the tablet?” It’s supposed to be Jobs’ focus, after he returned from a health-related absence.

An Apple tablet would certainly face plenty of competition, including Hewlett Packard’s Dreamscreen, the controversial JooJoo (formerly the Crunchpad), and even a super-cheap tablet from the One Laptop Per Child project. But if Apple does demonstrate the tablet, I’m sure of one thing — it will look really, really cool.

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