Is Apple's $499 iPad a Kindle killer? (1)

The 9.7-inch touchscreen-based device that was unveiled by Jobs in a glitzy event at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts is expected to to revolutionise the publishing industry and have a similar impact on the e-reader market as the iPod had on MP3 players.

The device, which has the trappings of Apple's impeccable design, with its sleek styling, user friendly interface and cutting edge high definition touchscreen can be used for watching movies, playing games and surfing the Internet.

But most importantly, it can also be used as an e-reader (Jobs showed off how easily the device can handle digital magazines and newspapers) and Apple has already inked a deal with publishers including Penguin, Macmillan and Harper Collins to allow e-books to be downloaded directly to the device through a new iBook Store.

"You can download right onto your iPad," Jobs said.

In a first, the iPad will also display special versions of newspapers, with the New York Times set to launch one of the first applications for the gadget. During demonstration, the New York Times showed off the app which not only recreates the look and feel of the newspaper but also allows it to have new features, such as video.

"We're pioneering the next version of digital journalism," Martin Nisenholtz, a senior executive at the newspaper, said.

The iPad, which sports a multitouch display and is powered by 1GHZ Apple processor, comes with 16, 32 or 64 GB of flash memory, WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G (optional) connectivity besides other bells and whistles such as speaker, microphone, accelerometer, compass and built-in iTunes software.

The device weighs 1.5lbs (0.7kg), is 0.5-inch (1.25cm) thick and one could easily mistake it for an e-reader, albeit a more versatile one.

For instance, besides promising to offer the "best browsing experience you have ever had," the device has a multitouch display, allowing people to type directly on to the screen, as well as manipulate pictures and control the action in games with their fingers. In addition, users can also plug in a keyboard via a special dock.

Besides coming preloaded with twelve applications - essentially multitouch versions of existing Mac software such as iPhoto, the iPad also allows users to download third party apps - both specially designed for the iPad and those already available for the iPhone. And, owners of both can synchronise their apps between the two devices.

In contrast, the Kindle, which is the market leader among e-books, rely on monochrome (black-and-white) electronic ink (eInk), refreshes too slowly to offer video or motion graphics and has white plasticky button-based interface that make it unsuitable for many types of applications.