The hype is over, and Apple's iPad is with us. The most amazing achievement is that they kept the actual product name secret until launch. The device itself appears to be a strange mixture of different things that exist, for similar functions. The main attack clearly is on TV sets, not on phones or PCs, which are at the core of Apple's offering. If you've ever observed an iPhone fan snuggling on the sofa and catching up on programs via the BBC iPlayer, you can see where Steve Jobs appears to be going - don't get that big new Plasma, get yourself a personal multimedia iPad!

For mobile marketers the impact for now is minimal - the iPad will do lots of things the iPhone does, and allow users to surf the web in comfort, although missing out Flash capability in 2010 is a strange decision.

We'll have to see what the no doubt creative community of Apple developers will come up with for truly new and iPad-specific applications - before it's worth spending significant campaign thoughts on it.