Apple has just revealed details on the iPad, which looks just like a big iTouch. It has all the same capabilities of the Touch, including videos, games, Internet, apps, iTunes (it's a big iPod), YouTube, mapping, calendar, etc. PLUS it will have a Wi-fi and a 3G version (using AT&T) with pre-paid (no contract to AT&T!) data plans ($15 for Wi-fi only and $30 for 3G) that will allow you to surf and use the iPad from anywhere at any time, getting email and everything, just like an iPhone, only bigger (and minus the phone). It will also challenge Amazon's Kindle as an ebook reader, as the announcement today included a description of it's e-reader capabilities and an iTunes-like bookstore, which for a writer like me, is a pretty big deal. If we can get more young people to start reading in between videos and video games on their new iPads, then it's a good thing for everyone.
Overall, it's pretty much what everyone was expecting the iPad to be, but seeing it all big up there in Steve Jobs' hands made it look all the more wonderful. The price points are reasonable -- starting at $499 for Wi-Fi only 16 GB and up to $829 for 64 GB 3-G version. The Wi-fi versions will ship in 60 days, the 3Gs in 90 days. It's sort of between an iTouch/iPhone and a laptop and with a portable plug in keyboard it can double as a laptop for email/iWork applications/Internet surfing, plus the portable large-screen video/Internet/gaming device that the iTouch is. Check out CNET's live blog (that's where I got all these screen shots from) for more information.