The Apple iPad was announced on January 27th with great media fanfare. The details of this product are already available and the basic critiques are arriving.

The innovation is remarkable and predictably the iPad has been described as a big iPhone. The screen consists of a broad 9.7″ LCD display with various buttons on the sides. The iPad is really thin at just 0.5 inches deep – similar to the iPhone.

The iPad operates very like the iPhone. You slide to unlock the unit and the screen contains the common Apple images – Safari, Mail, iPod, iTunes and Youtube to name just a few.

The iPad will be able to operate all the active iPhone apps in addition to the many another iPad specific apps that will to swamp the market. You may operate all the iPhone apps on the device in either full screen or at the resolution you would normally use for the iPhone.

The iPad stands for the latest in Multi-Touch engineering but on a display bigger than touch screen users have ever used available. Furthermore, the iPad is much thinner and lighter than any laptop. This is Apple’s effort to participate in and dominate the e-reader market place and on first impression the iPad may well challenge the market place dominance of Amazon’s Kindle, in particular for the light reader of magazines and glossier texts. It remains to be seen whether the lighter and more portable Kindle will continue to reign the market place for smaller paperback book readers. Many have acclaimed the iPad as the gadget that will merge all forms of media and it is true that all the major media companies are eager to join the iPad party.

Concurrent with the announcement of the iPad, Apple showcased three official iPad accessories. Obviously it won’t take very long before accessory makers like Griffin and Belkin start to put out their adaptations of keyboards, docks and cases.

iPad Keyboard Dock

lots of like a typical docking station, it will recharge your iPad. You will also be able to use it to synchronise to your computer, and provides an sound connector to link your iPad to a real hi-fi. USD69

iPad Dock

If you are happy with the onscreen keyboard, you can simply buy a regular docking station. A normal dock offers the corresponding features – the ability to sync, an audio jack and 30-pin connection, and charging capacities, but doesn’t have a keyboard. USD29.00

iPad Case

iPad Case offers a angular kickstand which props the iPad up at convenient angles — upright for watching movies, and at an angle for typing. While it looks like leather, it’s reportedly made from a smooth, rubbery microfiber substance. Cases are one of the most common accessories, and you’ll be drowning in alternatives way before the iPad really starts shipping. $39

Specs
- 1 GHz Apple A4 chip
- 16 – 64 GB of Flash storage
- Bluetooth 2.1
- 802.11n
- 10 hours of battery life
- Speaker, microphone and 30-pin connector
- Fully multi-touch
- 9.7 inch IPS LED backlit LCD
- 1/2 inch thick
- 3G UMTS/HSPDA and GSM/EDGE data (optional)
- Assisted GPS and Digital Compass (3G version only)
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- VGA out support or AV out via dock connector and converter cable

As is to be required of all Apple product, the iPad feels impressive and with a price starting at $499 it will for certain be the essential gadget of 2010.