The Apple iPad is Here

Everyone is talking about it. Even Doonesbury cartoons can't avoid the 500 pound gorilla in the room. Apple has just released views, news, and a full-on media info blast detailing their new tablet computer, the iPad.

In a word...WOW!

Steve Jobs is excited and so am I. So should we all be. This is crazy future tech that's available right now. Here's a quick video of the unveiling:

Gizmodo has about a hundred pics (okay, maybe not that many) up on their site for us to drool and pine over. Some of the early need-to-know specifications include:

• You want to surf the web, watch movies, videos, and listen to music on-the-go? No problem. The iPad comes complete with a 9.7 inch LCD screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional 3G and a 1GHz processor that will allow for the smooth decoding of HD video. Schwing!
• There will be three price points to keep in mind when running to the local electronics store to snap one up. The Apple iPad will retail for $500 to start. 3G capabilities will cost an additional $130. Data contract plans will be through AT&T, long associated with the iPhone. The best option is the Unlimited plan available for just $30 a month with no contract and no penalty for cancellation.
• The iPad will blow up the, until now, Kindle dominated market and allow us to peruse newspapers, books, and magazines. Early reports indicate that reading a book on the iPad is more user friendly than on Amazon's fan-favorite device. Even textbooks can be stored and viewed on it so that there will never again be an excuse for not getting that English 101 reading done.
• Some of the cool iPad accessories include: the iWork 2010 program which opens up the system's various multi-touch functions, Brushes, the multi-touch painting app and a sweet keyboard dock that offers another typing option.
• The iPad is also a green machine, eschewing environmentally damaging materials in favor of a machine that is fully recyclable.

Apple's news conference is a few hours old and there is a lot more news streaming across the net by the minute as more and more people chronicle their hands on experiences with the revolutionary iPad.

So, what do you guys think? Excited? Staring at the screen in shock and awe? Let's discuss in the comments.

As always, you can check me out on Twitter @SavingsGCapes.