At first the iPhone was a revolution, but now Apple thinks they have come up with something better: the iPad.

"Everybody uses a laptop and a cell phone," said Steve Jobs, co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. at the special Apple event on Jan. 27. "We needed to invent a device that is better than both; a device providing greater access to web browsing, e-mail, photos, videos, music, games and e-books."

This device, the iPad, does just that. It goes above and beyond their breakthrough of the iPhone and offers a larger variety of functions.

"We wanted to take all of the iPhone capabilities and apply them to the iPad; the best web surfing experience, the best e-mail experience, the best photo and movie watching experience," said Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide product marketing for Apple, according to the Apple Web site. "It's going to change the way we do the things we do every day."

The multi-touch screen on the iPad is based on the same revolutionary technology as on the iPhone. But the technology has been completely reengineered for the larger iPad surface, making it extremely precise and responsive. The screen is 9.7 inches measured diagonally. It's slightly smaller than a magazine. At just 1.5 pounds and 0.5 inches thin, you can take it anywhere.

"The face of the product is pretty much defined by the single piece of multi-touch glass and that's it," said Apple's senior vice president of design Jony Ive at the Jan. 27 Apple event. "There is no pointing device, no up, no down, no right or wrong way to hold the device. I don't have to change myself to fit the product. The product fits me."

The large multi-touch screen on iPad lets you see web pages one page at a time with vibrant color and sharp text. Text and images can be seen at a readable size.

With built in wireless Internet capabilities, the iPad automatically locates available wireless networks, which one can join with just a few taps.

Though the iPhone allows for users to read books on it, the iPad is larger, which may appeal to some college students seeking to purchase e-books instead of hard copies of their textbooks. Another nice feature of the Apple iPad is the ability to take notes. College students will appreciate this application since all class notes can be kept together in one compact place.

The device should be in stock just in time for back-to school shoppers. IPads with just wifi will retail for under $500, though the 3G support will be worth the upgrade. A downside is that 3G will require a separate monthly fee of between about $15-$30, depending upon desired service level.