What walks like a Macbook, jams like and iPod, smells like uh, no news on how it smells, starts at $499, and looks like a giant iPhone? That would be the iPad, Apple's effort to bridge the gap between the smart phone and the laptop.
With its focus on graphics, multimedia, and wi-fi connectivity, the touch screen device is intended to become the premier way to navigate the increasingly multimedia web experience. From the demo videos floating around, the multi-touch screen seems well suited to that task. On top of that, a 10 hour battery life makes the device supremely mobile. The large HD display lends the device to gaming and ebooks, two things that Apple has had its sights on for awhile now.
Not everyone was thrilled with the announcement. #iTampon and #iMaxipad quickly became two of the most popular tags on Twitter. Most of the negative reaction seems to stem from the fact that many of the primary features of the iPad would seem pretty familiar to anyone that's used an iPhone or iPod Touch, leading to questions about just how "revolutionary" the new device is. Unconfirmed Flash support and the omission of a multi-tasking feature have also raised eyebrows (see Spock above).
Once the public gets their hands on the device, plays around with it awhile, and gets to make up their own minds, the fate of the iPad will become clearer. If nothing else, this is a powerful demonstartion of a new type of device that nobody knew they needed yet. Some may still need a bit more convincing.
