AApple Inc CEO Steve Jobs took the wraps off an "iPad" tablet with a lower-than-expected price tag, placing a big bet on a new breed of gadgets¹ that aim to bridge the gap between smartphones and laptops.

苹果公司首席执行官史蒂夫•乔布斯日前揭开iPad平板电脑的神秘面纱，当天公布的产品定价远低于预期。对于苹果公司而言，开发填补智能手机和手提电脑之间空白的新型系列产品是一个很大的赌注。

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Jobs, who returned to the helm领导地位，驾驶盘 last year after a much-scrutinized详细检查的，审核的 liver transplant, took the stage at packed theater on Wednesday and showed off a sleek圆滑的, half-inch thick tablet computer with a 9.7-inch touchscreen. It can run movies, books, games and a gamut全音阶，整个范围 of applications.

The iPad will sell for as low as $499 for 16 GB of storage. An extra $130 is needed to equip it with third-generation wireless⁵ capability⁶.

"What once occupied half your living room can now be dropped in a bag," said NPD analyst⁷ Ned May. "It's pulling together a variety of needs (in) a universal entertainment device."

Shares of Apple were up 1.7 percent after the pricing details were announced to trade at $209.40, within reach of在……附近 their all-time high of $215.59 logged on Jan. 5.

The tablet is Apple's biggest product launch since the iPhone three years ago, and arguably rivals the smartphone as the most anticipated预期的，期望的 in Apple's history.

Culminating最后的，终极的 months of feverish⁸发热的，极度兴奋的 speculation⁹ on the Internet and among investors¹⁰, Jobs took the stage at a jam-packed theater in San Francisco and, with his famed showman's flair¹¹资质，鉴别力, began displaying the device's features.

Jobs said there was a need for a new type of device that would sit between a smartphone and laptop computer, and that can perform tasks like browse¹² the Web, play games and display electronic books.

"If there's going to be a third category of device, it's going to have to be better at these kinds of tasks," he said.

The iPad has a near life-sized touch keyboard and supports Web browsing¹³. It comes with a built-in calendar and address book, Jobs said, calling it "awesome¹⁴."

In an online poll on reuters.com, 37 percent of more than 1,000 respondents said they would pay $500-$699 for the tablet. Nearly 30 percent weren't interested, while 20 percent said they would pay $700-$899.

Analysts¹⁵' sales predictions for the tablet vary widely, with many believing Apple can sell 2 million to 5 million units in the first year.