The anticipation today ran thick. I almost passed out at my desk awaiting the news.

Wednesday afternoon, at an event in San Francisco, Apple co-founder/CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the company’s much hyped tablet device. Called the iPad, it enables users to browse the Web, read e-books, watch videos, listen to music and play games, among other things. The iPad has a multi-touch screen with a virtual keyboard and is available with 16, 32, or 64 GB of SSD storage. (The device will sell for $499 for 16GB of memory, $599 for 32GB and $699 for 64GB.)

At the event, Jobs said the Wi-Fi version will be available in 60 days, while the 3G version will be available in 90 days.

So far, the iPad has major book publishers on board and a version of the New York Times has been adapted for the device.

OK, so maybe I didn’t really almost pass out at my desk, but I did follow some live blogging about the unveiling. I thought it strange that as much talk as there had been about the device being a “game changer” for newspaper and magazine publishers that Jobs made no mention of magazine clients at the unveiling.

Sure, Apple got some things right, and some things wrong. But, either way, will consumers want it? Will it in fact change the way they consume magazines and newspapers?

I reached out over Twitter to get some initial feedback from our followers. Here’s a sampling of the responses we’ve received so far. Leave yours in the comment section below.

@mattrett: Worst name ever = 1st thought.

@pacificweddings: awesome! I want one.

@givingcity: Are they really calling it iPad? Seriously? Did they ask any women at all before they came up with this clever mark?

@breizh2008: Awesome !

@marcusgrimm: Priced to make an impact. Given the large format, though, publishers will need to think how an app is different than the website.

@mcnamdave: Surprised by the low price, lack of multitasking and camera etc... Underwhelmed on the whole.. Game changer? NO, Player, YES

@Ana_P_Rodrigues: I want an i-Pad! I want an i-Pad! I want an i-Pad! I want an i-Pad!

@henrydonahue: why no mags on #ipad? 1) limits of rich media on 3G 2) pubs want customer info 3) expense ($629 + $30/mo.?)= lack of ubiquity