Apple's tablet iPad faces opportunities, obstacles

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- All eyes of the tech world were on Apple Wednesday as its CEO Steve Jobs showered his team's "latest creation" a tablet computer "iPad" in front of the palpitating industry, media and Apple fans.

A man tries out Apple's new iPad after its launch event in San  Francisco, California, the United States, Jan. 27, 2010. (Xinhua Photo)

Enjoying the new trendy device, many are also asking questions like: will iPad lead and set pace in the consumer electronics as iPod and iPhone did, and how far could it repackage the traditional media and become a benchmark of the industry.

Tablet computer is not a new idea. Companies including Apple, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard have attempted to enter the market before with limited success due to technical bugs, bulky sizes and high prices.

The top challenge for Apple appears to be whether it could forge a new ground of consumer needs and wants, and fit it into people's daily life.

"iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before," Jobs said.

How could Apple persuade consumers to purchase a hybrid device crossing between a laptop and a smartphone as they already have both? Jobs said the iPad is "so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smartphone."

Jobs and his team hope to create an ultimate multimedia experience with iPad through browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading e-books and much more.

A newspaper reading program from The New York Times and the new iBooks store appears to be one of the main selling points of iPad.

Last week, The New York Times announced that it planned to demand payment for access to its website, which has been linked to the new Apple tablet by analysts.