Tablet

On Wednesday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs made a bid to create a new computing category by unveiling a tablet computer called the “iPad”.

The high-tech gadget is a 9.7-inch multitouch computer that starts at $499 for a 16 GB model that uses Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet. A 3G model that can reach the Web through AT&T’s network costs $130 more, plus $29.99 for unlimited data ($14.99 for 250 gigs).

The first iPads are scheduled to ship in 60 days, the 3G versions 30 days later.

The device runs most of the 140,000 iPhone applications out of the box, giving it a huge headstart. And as Jobs points out, he’s already got a big customer base ready to buy it — loyal Apple users who have bought 75 million iPhones and iPod touches and given Apple 125 million credit card numbers.

Jobs credits Apple’s success to working at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, and he sees the iPad as a continuation of that tradition.

It is, as he puts it, “Our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.