It’s here! As expected, CEO Steve Jobs today in San Francisco introduced Apple’s (News - Alert) much-anticipated iPad.

 

This new tablet-style device provides the iPhone’s (News - Alert) capabilities in a larger format, making it ideal for surfing the Web, emailing, viewing photos and videos, playing games, and – watch out Kindle – reading ebooks.

 

“It’s so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smartphone,” Jobs reportedly said today at the event.

 

Apple, whose share dropped by 2.3 percent to $201.29 today, has yet to provide details on the availability and pricing of the iPad.

 

The company faces an uphill battle with the iPad, as a variety of companies in the past decade have introduced devices in the tablet category, but none have seen success in the marketplace.