NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Apple(AAPL Quote) shares surged 3.4% to a record high Thursday amid speculation that a major product announcement -- possibly the long-anticipated tablet computer -- will be coming in January.

Apple stock rose $6.94 to close at $209.04 in a shortened trading day after the Financial Times reported that Apple may be preparing for a big announcement after renting space for several days in late January at an arts center in San Francisco.

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