Apple CEO Steve Jobs ended months of rumours, intrigue and speculation Wednesday by lifting the veil on the iPad, a one-button, keyboard-free mobile computing device billed as a cross between a laptop and a smartphone, offering the best of both worlds.

A total of six models will be available ranging from US$499 to US$829 depending on storage capacity and whether they have Wi-Fi or 3G wireless connections. The Wi-Fi models will be available internationally in 60 days while the 3G models will be available in 90 days, Jobs said.

Its high-resolution Multi-Touch display lets you interact with content - including 12 innovative new apps designed especially for iPad and almost all of the 140,000 apps available on the App Store. At just 0.5 inches thick and 1.5 pounds, iPad is thinner and lighter than any laptop or notebook.

The high-resolution, 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS display on iPad is remarkably crisp and vivid. Which makes it perfect for web browsing, watching movies, or viewing photos. With iPad, there is no up or down. It’s designed to show off your content in portrait or landscape orientation with every turn. And because it uses a display technology called IPS (in-plane switching), it has a wide, 178° viewing angle. So you can hold it almost any way you want and still get a brilliant picture, with excellent color and contrast.

The Multi-Touch screen on iPad is based on the same revolutionary technology on iPhone. But the technology has been completely reengineered for the larger iPad surface, making it extremely precise and responsive. So whether you’re zooming in on a map, flicking through your photos, or deleting an email, iPad responds with incredible accuracy. And it does just what you want it to.

Canadian availablity is expected in March 2010 for the Wi-Fi model while the 3G wireless is expected in April 2010.