There have been talks about an unknown Apple Tablet for years. However, it would last only a couple of weeks before the news would eventually die down. For around 7 years since the initial rumor of an Apple tablet, new rumors would arise and quickly die until the last months of the 2009 when the latest round of rumors started to rise.

However, this time, there was something different, the rumors didn't die; in fact, these rumors intensified and exploded to such proportions that many are speculating even without proper facts, claiming that they heard it from a person who has heard it from another person that knows someone inside the Cupertino-based company.

Speculations abound such as the "tablet" having 10.2-inch OLED screen, 2 cameras (one in the front and another at the back), and a price tag of $999. However, Apple remained quiet, which only fanned the flames to such an extent that there were even rumors that the new device would use the front facing camera as a method for gesture-based user-interface as in the movie, Minority Report.

The only thing that was missing was that the new device would grant one wish with each charge. And thus, when the iPad was finally announced, a lot of people were sorely disappointed.

I started writing this article right after watching the live feed from the iPad announcement. It was supposed to be about my first impressions about the device. I had a lot to say about it but it mainly boils down to the iPad being just a large iPod Touch. Needless to say, it was not that much of a game-changer as most pundits thought that it would be.

On the other hand, I thought about what Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, said that the iPad would be new category. It would be set between a regular laptop and a smartphone such as the iPhone or Blackberry. And when I watched the press event again and saw the features and what it could do, I thought I would need more time to let everything sink in.

What I really wanted to think about is how the iPad would fit into into the lives of regular consumers, and more importantly, how it would fit into my own lifestyle. As I said earlier, if you breakdown the reality distortion field that tends to encircle all Apple products when they are launched, the iPad is just a glorified iPod Touch.

On the surface, the iPad sports a large 9.7-inch multi-touch screen. The display itself uses IPS technology that gives the iPad excellent viewing angles and bright colors. The display has a resolution of 1024x768, which is hardly 720p HD quality. It has a speaker, microphone, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an iPod connector.

All iPad's will have WiFi (802.11N) included as well as 3G connection for the more expensive models. All run by Apple's custom A4 chip inside with enough juice to last up to 10 hours.

Pretty impressive specs, the geek in me is already thinking about how to pay for the iPad, but, and there always is a “but” somewhere, what do I do with it? As a technology writer, I send most of my time in front of a computer or an actual notebook collecting my thoughts to share with the readers.
In my downtime, I would spend concentrating on video games or reading a book or magazine, or surfing the Internet or in Twitter.

With my needs, it's easy to fit the iPad as it could do all those things easily. But (again with the "but"), I usually do at least two of those things at the same time.

And there lies the problem, just like the iPhone and the iPod Touch, the iPad is not a multi-tasking device. You either surf the Internet, or have a Twitter client running, or read an ebook, there is no "and".

I have to say though that I am not the average consumer of technology. For other, the Apple iPad is the perfect device for what they want to do.

I really do see that once the iPad becomes available, people would pull out their iPads in coffee shops to read their ebooks, surf the Internet, or play games while I justify to myself the Apple's new creation is a "want" or a "need".