The iPad's five best surprises

Macworld - The "Apple tablet" is finally official, and it has a name: iPad. Though this super-sized iPod touch is largely what we expected, Apple's announcement included a number of nice surprises, as well as a couple bombshells. I'm not talking about those things we assumed would be true, such as a large screen and support for existing iPhone apps. I mean those features we hoped for, expecting disappointment, or those that caught us off guard. With an hour or so to contemplate the day's news, here are my five biggest/best revelations from Apple's big event (plus a bonus one).

The prices: Leading up to today's event, pricing rumors were all over the map, but most touted estimates in the range of $700 to $1000. So it was quite a shocker to learn that the iPad would start at just $499 for a 16GB Wi-Fi model. Let's put that in perspective: it's the same price as a 32GB iPod touch just two years ago, and only $200 more than the current 32GB touch, despite having a much larger screen, more powerful hardware, and more features. But perhaps the more telling comparison is that Amazon's similarly-size Kindle DX, with its non-color, non-touch-sensitive screen and much more limited functionality, is priced at $489. Unless you're a hardcore e-ink fan, the iPad seems like a relative bargain in comparison.

Of course, if you want to spend more, you can: $599 for a 32GB iPad or $699 for a 64GB model. And you can tack on $130 to any model to get 3G wireless support.

Pre-paid, no-contract, unlocked 3G: There were plenty of rumors about 3G wireless support, but the big surprise was the iPad's options for getting 3G service. Unlike the iPhone, where you're locked into a two-year contract at $30 a month, AT&T will offer two iPad data plans: $15 a month for 250MB of data, or $30 a month for unlimited data. The kicker? These are pre-paid, no-contract rates, and you can activate service at any time right from the iPad itself. So you can, say, enable 3G service before a big trip and cancel service when you get back.

Of course, these plans get you 3G service with AT&T--the mention of which drew audible groans from those in attendance at Apple's event. But the other part of the 3G surprise was that 3G iPad models will ship unlocked. Which means you should be able to plop in a SIM card for another GSM 3G network provider and avoid AT&T altogether, as well as use your US iPad overseas by buying a prepaid SIM card. (Update: It's actually a Micro SIM card, which not all providers currently offer.)