By now, you probably have heard of Apple’s new tablet device named iPad. Coverage of this device can be found all over the Internet.

Apple’s iPad is the new tablet/slate computer that will provide a new touch-based experience that will play movies, music be a book reader and run most of the applications written for the iPhone.

Here’s a video provided by Apple regarding the new features of the iPad:

Note: This video is no longer available.

Those that have been in the industry know that the tablet PC has been released before (I actually use a Lenovo X60 Tablet to write this blog), take a look at what my Tablet PC looks like:

But, will this work? Is this a product that will make the tablet pc a viable product?What will this new product mean for the market?

I think first of all – the iPad is a device suited and marketed for the consumer – this is new for the tablet pc. This will be the first time the tablet is recognized by non-tech or business people. This will be a big hit and create an entirely new market for books – I expect the iPad to revolutionize books and possibly really hurt the Kindle (although the iBook interface looks more flashy than practical).

What will be the best device for web browsing? It will still be a PC. In fact, if you’re looking for a slate/tablet for web browsing and more versatility than the iPad, check out HP’s offering:

Note: This video is no longer available.

If you’re looking for a cool product that will play iTunes music and is essentially a large iPod Touch? That iPad is for you – but this is no revolution.

Update: I found a funny video thanks to the Huffington Post regarding the iPad – apparently MadTV predicted this product some time ago: