After years and years of waiting for the almost-legendary Apple Tablet to even show up, today, Apple just finally ended years of speculation in their “Newest Creation” event by showing a demo of the Tablet, named iPad. Yes, everyone. The Apple iPad is real, and it’s pretty. We all know how crazy the hype has been for the iPad. We’ve seen blogs dedicated around 50% of their articles just for iPad rumors, and really, I got sick of hearing about the magical computer’s capabilities. I got to the point where I was expecting somebody to say that the Apple Tablet can cure cancer.

I was just as excited as everyone for the release of the tablet. There hasn’t been a successful tablet computer outside the dedicated geek who needs to have everything. Even Apple had a bust with its Newton line. The iPad could be the first tablet computer that can become a hit with the masses. Why not? It’s got a great price, and the interface, running iPhone OS, would be familiar to anyone who’s used an iPhone or iPod touch.

But honestly, I am disappointed with the iPad. There’s that horrible name, for starters. I’m sure you know about the flood of jokes about the iPad sounding like a certain women’s sanitary product. I’m also not convinced at how the iPad can actually bridge the gap between the smartphone and the laptop. Netbooks have been doing great in that aspect for a couple of years already, and netbook manufacturers are actually developing innovative touchscreen computers that can actually compete with the iPad’s (lackluster) features.

Of course it’s too early to conclude the iPad will be a disappointment. To be fair, I think that it offers the best touchscreen experience over any other tablet. Of course I haven’t even gotten my hands on one yet, so I can’t make a conclusion on that. But I do know this will be a hit for Apple, but I won’t buy one. Once Apple develops the iPad even further (we may even see a camera one of these days), I might change my mind. But for now, I’m not picking up one in its current generation.