Apple Airs First iPad Commercial. Are You Drooling Yet?

If you watched the Oscars last night (I didn’t because I didn’t know a deal had been struck for Cablevision to bring back ABC), you probably caught Apple’s first ad for the iPad. The commercial is slick and bouncy, showing the $499 tablet off as an eReader, web surfing device, movie player, and e-mail and productivity machine. My favorite part was when the user flicked open a stack of photos with a simple pinch gesture. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Apple highlighted how quickly the iPad turns pages when reading eBooks. (Sorry Kindle and other eInk gadgets.) We also saw someone attempting to type using the onscreen keyboard, and I’ll be interested to see how well the final production model works in our full review.

We’ve already done our first hands-on with the iPad and came away impressed with the design and software–and a little thing called the App Store. On the other hand, we were miffed about certain missing features. Although it certainly matters what the tech press says, marketing plays a huge role in communicating a gadget’s benefits and its target market. For instance, while the over-the-top Droid ad campaign helped make that Android phone a hit, many blame Palm’s Pre campaigns (especially that first New Agey one) for its lackluster sales.

So the question is, now that that you’ve seen the first iPad ad, does it make you want it more or less?