Apple's iPad revolution

For the next several weeks, a lot of Mac users are going to be eager to get their hands on Apple's new iPad.

The iPad is heavier than you'd think, especially if you've used a Kindle. Amazon's e-reader weighs less than 12 oz.; the iPad checks in at more than twice that weight: 1.5 lbs. You notice the heft as soon as you pick it up. It feels like you've ripped the top off a MacBook Pro and added some thickness to it.

The source of a lot of that weight is the 25W/hour battery, which can power the device for 10 hours, according to Apple.For reference, the MacBook Air has a 40W/hour battery that is billed as lasting seven hours. On stage, Jobs bragged that you could fly from San Francisco to Japan and watch movies on the iPad the whole way. Something tells me he might have tested that particular stat himself.A lot of laptops promise similar battery life, but don't deliver.