# 'Magical and revolutionary product' bridges gap between laptop and mobiles
# Prices start at $499 (£308) in the US for a 16GB version with WiFi
# Powered by a 1GHz Apple A4 chip, and has 16GB to 64GB of flash storage
# New device is half an inch thick, with 9.7in display and weighs 1.5lb
# Ten hours of battery life if watched continuously and one month of standby charge
# WiFi version available worldwide in 60 days with 3G following a month later
# Apple could run into trademark problems with Fujitsu, who previously filed a claim to the name 'iPad'
# Prices start at $499 (£308) in the US for a 16GB version with WiFi
# Powered by a 1GHz Apple A4 chip, and has 16GB to 64GB of flash storage
# New device is half an inch thick, with 9.7in display and weighs 1.5lb
# Ten hours of battery life if watched continuously and one month of standby charge
# WiFi version available worldwide in 60 days with 3G following a month later
# Apple could run into trademark problems with Fujitsu, who previously filed a claim to the name 'iPad'
Apple unveiled the new generation device dubbed by some gadget aficionados as the 'Jesus Tablet' and named it the...iPad.
Details were revealed by company chief Steve Jobs amid astonishing frenzy at an event in San Francisco.
The name raised some eyebrows amid complaints it was not as impressive as the iSlate or iTablet, which many people had speculated would be chosen.
At first glance, the iPad with its touchscreen looks like a bigger and more square version of the iTouch and iPhone, which has sold millions around the globe.
Apple has presented the iPad - which will start retailing at $499 (£308) in the US - as filling a gap in the market between smartphones and netbooks, which are effectively small laptops.
The iPad will have a wi-fi connection to the internet, while some higher spec versions will also link to the web via the 3G mobile phone network.
This will allow users to download video, music, books and newspapers while on the go rather than being tied down to wi-fi internet hot spots in the home or town centres.
Mr Jobs demonstrated the device with images of newspapers and books.
The company believes that, in future, people will read their magazines and newspapers on an iPad screen rather than traditional newsprint.
The device will go head to head with electronic book devices such as Amazon's Kindle and similar products from Sony and British firm Interead.
Each device would be able to download and carry around a virtual library of thousands of books.
It was also announced that the New York Times had created a customised application for the iPad.
The size of the device means the publication appears very similar to the actual paper .
Apple has presented the iPad - which will start retailing at $499 (£308) in the US - as filling a gap in the market between smartphones and netbooks, which are effectively small laptops.
The iPad will have a wi-fi connection to the internet, while some higher spec versions will also link to the web via the 3G mobile phone network.
This will allow users to download video, music, books and newspapers while on the go rather than being tied down to wi-fi internet hot spots in the home or town centres.
Mr Jobs demonstrated the device with images of newspapers and books.
The company believes that, in future, people will read their magazines and newspapers on an iPad screen rather than traditional newsprint.
The device will go head to head with electronic book devices such as Amazon's Kindle and similar products from Sony and British firm Interead.
Each device would be able to download and carry around a virtual library of thousands of books.
It was also announced that the New York Times had created a customised application for the iPad.
The size of the device means the publication appears very similar to the actual paper .
Mr Jobs, who appeared in his trademark jeans and black turtleneck, demonstrated the device live on stage, browsing YouTube, Google maps, its built-in iTunes store and even played Disney's Pixar's animated film Up.
'It's so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone,' he said.
The device is half an inch thick, making it thinner than any netbook, and weighs 1.5pounds(680g) while the screen is 9.7inches across the diagonal.
Mr Jobs said: 'We've been able to achieve 10 hours of battery life. I can take a flight from San Francisco to Tokyo and watch video the whole time. And it has over a month of standby time.'
The operation of the iPad is virtually identical to the iPhone and iTouch.
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