Is the mythical iPod Tablet coming to rock the publishing world? Two tech news outlets are reporting on rumors about plans Apple Inc. (AAPL) has for a large-screen device.

According to a “reliable source” at iLounge, Apple will announce about this new device in mid-January 2010. The source also speculated that the device will also have higher resolution, “enabling easy reading of full-sized book and magazine pages, plus cropped newspaper pages. Expect something like 5-6 times the resolution of an iPod touch or iPhone screen (720p or thereabouts) and 7 times the touchable surface area.”

The tech blog Gizmodo has been reporting on the partnership side of the rumored device, trying to speculate on the future of Apple’s top-secret device via potential publishing partners. Here’s the important passage: “Two people related to the NY Times have separately told me that in June, paper was approached by Apple to talk about putting the paper on a ‘new device.’ … A person close to a VP in textbook publishing mentioned to me in July that McGraw Hill and Oberlin Press are working with Apple to move textbooks to iTunes.” (Via TeleRead)