Well it’s finally here — after intense rumor mongering, internet-wide speculation and full throated denial, the Apple iPad (watch the video — its key in understanding the appeal) was finally revealed today by Steve Jobs in San Francisco. The stats: 0.5-inch thick, 1.5 pounds, 9.7-inch tablet with integrated speaker and microphone, Bluetooth, WiFi and optional 3G, 10-hour battery life (a month of standby), iPhone App compatible, compass and accelerometer. Of course it is not cheap, costing $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB and $699 for the 64GB. All come with Wi-Fi, but adding 3G costs an extra $130 per model. The big speculation has centered around whether this tablet can save publishing, like the iPod and iTunes saved the music indust…wait a second, the music industry is doomed! Sure, iTunes has generated millions for labels that would’ve otherwise earned nothing, but I’m not sure if people will be willing to buy and consume magazines digitally (via iTunes, ostensibly) when there’s so much free media out there nowadays. It would take a lot of solidarity, but who knows what Apple’s capable of…

You can get your orders in now, but you’ll have to wait. The WiFi-only model ships in 60 days, whereas the 3G models will ship in 90 days. Check out CNN’s video on whether it’s the Publishing World’s game changer we’ve been waiting for after the Jump…