As a notorious sucker for Apple products, I am waiting with baited breath for its latest baby to be launched in the UK – the ipad. It’s been much vaunted of course and in the US its been selling like the proverbial hot cakes and I simply can’t wait to get one in my hands.

I’ve held off writing about it just yet and perhaps thought I’d wait until I get one (which I most certainly will). I’ve seen too much now and the anticipation is reaching fever pitch.

Of course, it’s just like a big iphone (which is lovely anyway, so where’s the issue) and it’s not trying to replace computers or laptops, so you can’t compare it there. The ipad will be all about the content and many commentators more up to speed than I have already spotted this.

I knew this and sagely agreed but when I saw this on the Apple site, I realised for the first time that it really will be all about the content and the freedom for some of the previously printed media to expand into this completely new media channel.

I love comic books, always have. I like the smell of the ink and the feel of the paper and the box fresh nature of a new book. So for the comic (or is it graphic novel?) to work well on the ipad, it has to deliver something new. Well, it’s certainly started off well. In the demo movie, the colours fly off the page and the interaction with the digital page seems to be intuitively aligned with the way we read comic books. This will definitely be one of the first apps I buy for the ipad.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/apps-for-ipad/#marvel

I firmly believe that the ipad will herald a new era in publishing – it will revitalise flagging printed publications and move content away from being delivered purely as a website. What we’re seeing in these early days is comparable to when the iphone was first launched and now look how it has transformed the mobile phone world with over 2 BILLION apps downloaded.

I can’t help but thinking Apple’s groundbreaking innovation will create another epoch-making device that will enrich our lives and fundamentally change the way we consume enetertainment in the way the ipod did.