It's Official: iPad Is Here (and so is iBook Store)

By Matt Steinmetz

In perhaps the worst-kept-secret in Silicon Valley history, Apple today announced the launch of a tablet device it's calling the iPad to an auditorium of press, tech folks and Apple fanboys. And, as many in the book industy suspected, the device is home to the new iBook Store, a book store not unlike iTunes.

Months of speculation were put to rest by Steve Jobs' entertaining demo of the device, which checks in at just 1.5 pounds and a mere half-inch thick. More specs on the iPhone-like device are below.

Jobs' brief presentation was part shock-and-awe, as he revealed a device that many in publishing believe could by the key to the industry's future, part stand-up comedy bit—highlighted, perhaps, by a slide showcasing the following quote from the Wall Street Journal: "Last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, there were commandments written on it."

Apple has partnered with a number of publishers, highlighted by five of the major houses—HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, Penguin and Hachette—to make hundreds of frontlist titles available in ePub format.

Here's what we know so far:

• .5 inches thin
• 1.5 lbs
• 9.7 inch IPS display
• Capacitive multitouch
• 1GHz proc Apple A4 chip (PA Semi!)
• 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
• 802.11n WiFi
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Built-in Compass
• Built-in Accelerometer
• 10 hrs battery life
• 1 month standby

Stay tuned for more information on the iPad.