Apple is apparently in negotiations with McGraw-Hill and Hachette Book Group to bring educational and trade titles to its rumored tablet device, according to BusinessWeek. If true, Apple could potentially position its tablet as a competitor in the education market -- an area that Amazon has been hoping to capitalize on with its Kindle DX ebook reader.

Unnamed sources claim Apple has been negotiating with both book publishers to bring content to its tablet device.

John Wiley & Sons has been in talks with Apple, too, but stopped short of saying it would be providing ebooks for the tablet. "We have had ongoing conversations with Apple about their interest in including educational content," Wiley's director of digital content, Peter Balis, said. "We will continue to support their efforts in whatever iteration it takes next week."

Apple will be hosting a special media event on January 27 in San Francisco where the company is expected to introduce a tablet computer. The tablet is rumored to include a 10-inch multi-touch display, an enhanced version of the iPhone OS, video iChat support,  support music, movie and TV show playback, and work as an ebook reader, too.

Apple hasn't commented on whether or not it will unveil a tablet computer at its special media event, but did hint that some kind of new product is on the way.

Be sure to check in with The Mac Observer on January 27 for our coverage on Apple's product announcements.