Time to take a tablet

There was an air of hysterical frenzy two days ago as fruity types gathered round their colour-calibrated Cinema Displays to hear the news from Apple HQ. To rapturous applause, Steve Jobs delivered yet another evangelistically-styled performance to the Apple faithful gathered in San Francisco. Rumours of a tablet-based product launch turned out to be true. Enter… the iPad.
Much like the iPhone and iPod, iPad comes in 16/32/64GB forms, with a second option of Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi coupled with 3G connectivity. No UK prices as of yet, but the 16GB Wi-Fi only base model starts at US$499, with the top end 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G retailing at US$829. iPad comes with a 9.7-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display, with a reasonably insubstantial weight of 0.73 kg (Wi-Fi + 3G).
The bit photographers will want to know is the screen capabilities. Apple say the resolution will be 1024 x 768-pixel at 132 pixels per inch (ppi). We've looked through the MPEG playback specs, and whilst it could hardly be described as cinematic, iPad should deliver a reasonable viewing experience if the input quality is up to speed.
Competing products already exist, although UK high street phone retailer Carphone Warehouse reckon Apple’s legendary marketing spin could be enough to ignite the whole sector.