Top 10 things you need to know about the Apple iPad

Welcome to the world of the Apple iPad. Launched on Wednesday in San Francisco by Apple boss Steve Jobs, it's been the most talked about gadget of the year so far.

Hailed as a "game-changer" by actor Stephen Fry, a self-confessed Apple devotee, the mobile computing device could pave the way for a whole new range of tablet-style touchscreen machines from a range of top manufacturers.

But what is it, and what does it do? Here's our quick guide to the best bits.

1) The Apple iPad has been described as a large iPod touch but it's far more than that. It may have a 9.7 inch touchscreen and run operating software very similar to the music player or iPhone, but it's designed far more for visual entertainment such as watching movies you've downloaded from the built-in iTunes store or browsing the web.

2) Just half an inch thin, and weighing 1.5lbs, it is extremely portable. It might not fit in your pocket, but it does have a remarkable 10 hour battery life when watching video say Apple, and one month of standby power.

3) Like the iPhone and iPod touch, the iPad will work with applications bought or downloaded for free from the App Store. Nearly all 140,000 of them have been configured to work on the larger screen and many new ones will be specifically designed for the high-definition display.

4) The keyboard is massive, as you'd expect from a near 10 inch screen. Running the full length of the device horizontally, it's big enough for even the chunkiest of fingers to cope with and is said to be a delight to type on.

5) There will be two versions available, one sporting Wi-Fi and another with that and 3G on board. The embedded SIM card will give an always-on internet connection but will cost more. Prices are yet to be announced as deals with the mobile networks are still being discussed. But the Wi-Fi one will arrive in Britain around June, with the 3G version following a month later.

6) Many had predicted the iPad would work as an eBook reader, and it does. But only in America for now. A new iBook store has been created, like iTunes, but for novels and non-fiction rather than music. There is no news as yet though whether and when this will come to Britain.

7) You can buy a proper keyboard for it. When the iPad comes out, there'll be a keyboard dock that allows the iPad to slot on top and stand up at an angle turning it into a mini desktop computer.

8) Stephen Fry thinks it is the start of something big. He has had his hands on one and believes its simplicity will make it stand out from the crowd. He said: "It's not just a scaled up iPhone or a scaled-down multitouch enhanced laptop – it is a whole new kind of device. And it will change so much."

9) Three storage sizes will be produced, a basic 16GB model, a 32GB version and a 64GB top-of-the-range iPad. Apple has also ensured it's not just meant for fun. Its iWork package has been remodelled for the iPad producing compatible versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote allowing it to be used to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

10) There are some things missing you might expect to see. You won't get GPS, although with the 3G version it'll be able to use phone masts to track your position. It doesn't have a camera, multitasking or Adobe Flash support either. But it does have all those amazing apps. And if you thought they looked good on your iPhone or iPod touch, just imagine how exciting they are going to be when they are three times the size.