Apple iPad lays claim to computer tablet market

Apple is shaking up the gadget world with an iPad that redefines the tablet computer and threatens with obsolescence electronic readers, digital photo frames and other mono-purpose gizmos.

Apple is shaking up the gadget world with an iPad that redefines the tablet computer and threatens with obsolescence electronic readers, digital photo frames and other mono-purpose gizmos.

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"Apple's new iPad signifies another step toward the convergence between smartphones and mobile computers," said Frost & Sullivan analyst Todd Day.

"It's more than a smartphone, less than a notebook, but just the right personal device for everyday users. The iPad will likely be the best selling electronics device of 2010."

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs on Wednesday revealed the iPod, iPhone, and Macintosh computer maker's latest must-have device, a touchscreen tablet computer crowned "iPad."

The gadget has a 9.7-inch color screen and resembles an oversized iPhone. It is 0.5 inches thick, weighs 0.7 kgs and comes with 16, 32, or 64 gigabytes of flash memory.

The cheapest iPad model, with Wi-Fi connectivity and 16GB of memory, is $499 while the most expensive -- which includes 3G connectivity and 64GB of memory -- costs $829.

The iPad offers full color, Web and multimedia capabilities for just $10 more than Amazon.com's top-of-the-line Kindle DX that presents digital reading material in black-and-white.