Today is the big day when Steve Jobs finally took the wraps off the rumored iTablet or iSlate. Leave it to Apple to leak bogus names and then fake everyone out in the end with the official iPad.

Apple® today introduced iPad, a revolutionary device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading e-books and much more. iPad’s responsive high-resolution Multi-Touch™ display lets users physically interact with applications and content. iPad is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds— thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook. iPad includes 12 new innovative apps designed especially for the iPad, and will run almost all of the over 140,000 apps in the App Store. iPad will be available in late March starting at the breakthrough price of just $499.

“iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “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.”

iPad will be available in late March worldwide for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model, $699 (US) for the 64GB model. The Wi-Fi + 3G models of iPad will be available in April in the US and selected countries for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad will be sold in the US through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. International pricing and worldwide availability will be announced at a later date. iBookstore will be available in the US at launch.

The word on the street is that Apple is shipping a new version of the iPhone 3GS that is resistant to jailbreaking. The new 3GS includes a new Bootrom that is not vulnerable to the known 24kpwn exploit used by Dev-Team.

Dev-Team member MuscleNerd has confirmed that “the loss of the 24kpwn exploit would mean a normal jailbreak would be impossible for the time being.”

Apple is continuing its path of closing itself off from potential buyers. Maybe it has to do with its contract with AT&T, but Apple should have had unlocked iPhones on the market by now. They’d have many more potential customers.

What does this latest development mean for all those jailbreakers out there? You’ll have to look for a refurbished unit.

[via pdaBlast!]

This one looks real fake, but real good at the same time. It supposedly showed up in a Russian magazine. Either way, if they come out with this for real, we want one. C’mon Apple…give us a MacBook Mini.

[ Via Gizmodo ]