The iPad is here! You can put your inferior kotex brands away.

The iPad has finally been announced, meaning that the blogosphere is abuzz with how this "changes the game" and "shakes things up."  It's also abuzz with how the name makes us think uncomfortably about our menstrual cycles.  Jezebel's got the hilarious twitter feed.
Sample quotes:

auxfruit: If I order this, will my boyfriend and I have to worry if it comes late?
andBegorrah: If you and your friends all buy one, will they sync up?
vlvtjones: So will iffy Wifi coverage be called iSpotting?
morninggloria: Can I get a scented iPad for when my data feels not-so-fresh?

As for the Pad itself, personally, I kinda don't get it...yet.  To me it seems like an awkward device.  How do I watch video on it--do I hold it?  If I want to type on a plane, do I put it flat and look down on the screen?  How can I use it to read on the treadmill?  Given how highly anticipated it was, I can't help feeling like it's a bit of a letdown (especially for people who were hoping for neato ways to read magazines and newspapers).  But let's remember that when the iPod came out, it was clunky and hard to use, too.  It took a long time for us to see how it had really changed things.  To demonstrate this, check out this video of Steve Jobs introducing the iPod in 2001, which makes it seem like 2001 was a realllly long time ago.  (Sample Steve Jobs rhetorical question: "Why can't I just play music on my iBook?  Because the iBook is portable, but the iPod is ultra portable.")

Gizmodo has all the details if you want to find out more about the Pad's specifications.  They also have 8 things that suck about it, and I can't help finding their criticisms persuasive.