Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, unveiled the Apple iPad device

( iPad is a challenging product, according to Steve Jobs)

Apple finally announced its iPad tablet computer last week, a magical, revolutionary and ambitiious product which price is just unbelievable.

iPad keyboard: a huge and bulky version of the iPhone keyboard, but with much more room between keys making easier and faster writing quick text, such as e-mails or chatting. It will also work with Bluetooth keyboards and, also, Apple will sell a charging dock with a built-in keyboard, even the on-screen one is more than enough to work and write.

(Apple CEO Steve Jobs presents the iPad at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Jan. 27, 2010)

(AP PhotoMarcio Jose Sanchez)

It’s software: iPad will virtually run all iPhone applications without modification, meaning it'll work with more than 150,000 programs on the day it ships.
Even though it doesn’t feature a camera or support for Adobe's Flash technology and only Apple's programs can run in the background (making possible listening to music while browsing the Web) and all applications run only in full-screen mode, they are not enough reasons for not giving iPad a try. Even though it comes with a splendid photo viewer, it doesn't have a USB port or memory-card slot, there's no way to print from the device.
What about price? Even it was expected to run $1,000 or so, iPad starts at $499 for the version with 16GB of solid-state storage and no 3G broadband, and tops out at $829 for one with 64GB of storage and AT&T 3G. iPad’s most impressive thing is that Apple came up with a user interface optimized for a touch-centric, no-keyboard computer.
Comparing to netbooks, the ones that have bought one in the past as a secondary computer will buy an iPad instead, specially if they're primarily interested in consuming music, movies, e-books and Web pages.
Apple announced a second-generation iPad in 2011 that fixes most of the biggest gripes and packs more features at a better price.