Apple CEO Steve Jobs, on Wednesday 27 January, unveiled the iPad, the widely anticipated tablet-style computer that he called "a truly magical and revolutionary product." It has a 10-inch screen, runs existing iPhone apps from the Apple apps store and is available in 16-gigabyte, 32-gigabyte and 64-gigabyte versions. It runs on a 1 GHz processor and is about a half-inch thick and weigh about 1½ pounds.

"What this device does is extraordinary," Jobs said. "It is the best browsing experience you've ever had. ... It's unbelievably great ... way better than a laptop. Way better than a smartphone."

The computer will act as a sort of missing link between the two. The model Jobs demonstrated at an invitation-only event in San Francisco operated without a hardware keyboard, with Jobs typing on a nearly full-size touchscreen keyboard.

Jobs also announced iBooks, Apple's e-books reader, which includes an integrated store selling titles from from publishers such as Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, MacMillan and Hachette.

Pricing for iPad will start at $499 for the 16-gigabyte version, $599 for the 32-gig version and $699 for the 64, Jobs said. Having 3G mobile access will cost an extra $130 on each, he said.