THE NEW APPLE TABLET - IPAD

140,000 Apps At Your Fingertips From Day 1!

Apple's Answer To Netbooks And Tablet PCs

Pricing: Starts at $499. Price increases based on storage capacity and 3G capability. AT&T offers $30 a month unlimited 3G internet access for the iPad.

January 27th 2010 marked a big day in the world of technology. Apple with its usual fanfare unveiled the latest Apple product which has been rumored to be in the works for a few years.

The iPad can be described as a cross between the iPhone, Macbook Pro, and the Amazon Kindle.

The design of the iPad is stunning and sleek. The dimensions make it about the same size as a sheet of standard paper and about a half an inch thick. The screen is just under 10 inches in size. Basically if you cut the screen portion of the Macbook Pro off and made it a touch screen, you'd have the iPad.

The features make this a viable competitor to "netbooks" and could quite possibly be a huge threat to handheld e-book devices such as the Nook and the Kindle. With up to 10 hours of battery life this could become the ultimate portable "media device."

What are some of the features?

Besides being a completely touch screen based device, the iPad also has built in Wi-Fi allowing you to connect to nearby wireless networks. In addition, select models will have 3G capability through a no-contract data plan from AT&T.

The iPad also features a dual layout screen meaning you can view the screen vertically or horizontally. There is also a full size on screen keyboard. Multi-Touch design means that the iPad's controls mimic those found on the iPod Touch and iPhone.

The iPad plays movies, music, and games. A big question was whether or not existing iTunes Apps would function on the larger screen. Apple announced that most Apps will work with the iPad.

The iPad also functions as a fully functional web browser allowing you to view webpages in full screen mode. The iPad can also become an e-book reader allowing you to download e-books from the new iBook Store on iTunes.