The New Apple Ipad Just Released

Apple Tipped to Breath New Life into Tablet Industry with iPad

Apple's newly-unveiled iPad is likely to spur the growth of the tablet PC industry, analysts have predicted.

Launching the new device this week, the technology firm's chief executive Steve Jobs explained that, far from simply being a larger version of the popular iPhone, the tablet offers an ideal compromise between a smartphone and a laptop computer, offering the benefits of both.

And, while the idea of a tablet device is not in itself new, with Microsoft having launched its own version back in 2001, technology observers believe that, given the advances that have been made in touch-screen capabilities over the past couple of years, the iPad is likely to prove a major hit for Apple and boost global demand for similar gadgets.

Van Baker, an analyst with Gartner Research, told the BBC that it is "a winning product".

"It's hard to argue against. I can use it in the living room, the classroom, for light work and at the coffee shop," he said.

The unveiling of the iPad came just days after Apple announced that it had enjoyed a 50 per cent increase in profits after a busy Christmas period which saw it shift 8.7 million iPhones worldwide.