"iPad" is Apple's Latest Creation

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad, a tablet-style computer that resembles the iPhone, but with a larger screen and other features for work and play. Prices start at $499, for a 16 GB version with Wi-Fi, and shipping begins in 60 days.

"It's so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone," Jobs said Wednesday at the device's highly anticipated debut in San Francisco.

A 32 GB version with Wi-Fi is $599, and a 64 GB version $699. Adding 3G network to the Wi-Fi enabled iPad, ups the price to $629 for the 16 GB, $729 for the 32 GB, and $829 for the 64 GB versions. The 3G versions ship in 90 days, Jobs said.

Jobs demonstrated how the iPad is used for surfing the Web with Apple's Safari browser. He typed an e-mail using an on-screen keyboard and flipped through photo albums by flicking his finger across the screen, using gestures common to the iPhone.

On the specifications list, the unit comes with a multi-touch screen and a 1 Ghz custom Apple chip that the company calls the A4. The processor, graphics, and input-output memory controller are all on a single chip.

The iPad is 0.5 inches thin and weighs 1.5 pounds. The 9.7-inch IPS display is the same display used in the latest-generation iMac.

A computer user can run the system with 16, 32, or 64 GB of SSD storage, according to Apple.

It includes 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Apple also says the until features a 10-hour battery life - the crowd responded with enthusiastic applause after Jobs mentioned that attribute. The iPad also comes with one month of standby battery life; that is, you can leave the unit in sleep mode and not use it for 30 days. It also has an optional keyboard.

As part of today's announcement, Apple came out with an online bookstore called the iBookstore, along with Penguin, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan and Hachette as partners. It will compete head-on with the Amazon Kindle device and bookstore.

Every the master presenter, Jobs lauded the iPad as "a great reader, a great online bookstore. All in one really great app. We use the ePub format. We're very excited about this."

Now Apple will have to convince consumers, many of whom already have Internet-connected phones, computers and TVs, that that's the case. Tablet computers have existed for a decade, with little success.