The iPad.

Well after weeks of waiting and speculation Apple have finally announced their new tablet device....The iPad. To be honest I was expecting a full blown computer similar in specification to a MacBook....so initially I was disappointed....Although I probably was expecting a little too much!! The iPad has been released to fill the gap between smartphones and laptops, I think it will fill this gap nicely.

After reading about the iPad and looking through the pictures Apple have released I started to realise that it does actually look pretty nice indeed. It has the black glossy border around the screen and a nice brushed metal back. It is basically just a larger version of an iPod Touch or indeed the iPhone (if you have the model with 3G built in). This is the iPads technical specification:

9.7 inch- (25cm-) multi-touch display

1 GHz Apple processor

16, 32 or 64 GB of flash memory

0.5in- (1.25cm) thick

Weighs 1.5lbs (0.7kgs)

Wi-fi, bluetooth and 3G connectivity

Speaker, microphone

Accelerometer, compass

Looking through the videos of Apple showing off what it can do don't really excite me either. Although its HD screen does indeed look amazing, it really is just a larger iPod. It runs the same

Apps and has the same layout. One of the main issues with the device is that it doesn't run Adobe Flash. I find this astonishing and rather disappointing.

With prices starting at $599 (£376) its not ridiculously expensive. However this is for the 16GB Wi-Fi only version. If you want a 64GB version with 3G it will set you back about $830 (£520). It is not so expensive that only the mega rich can afford. The cheaper version is cheaper than most of the high end smartphones and similar in price to the netbooks. I think and hope the iPad will render the netbook extinct. They are cheap laptops that are slow, ugly and have awful displays.

Overall I believe this product will be a success, thanks to its amazing looks, the size, what it can do and also its pricing. So yea another good product from Apple...cant wait until it hits the Apple stores so I can go have a little play for myself!

I Really want one!!!