Twitter users have responded snarkily to the name of Apple's latest innovation the iPad, pushing the phrase "iTampon" to a number two "trending" topic on the microblogging site.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the new gadget amid high expectations on Wednesday, and Twitter users followed his announcement online, with both "Steve Jobs" and "Official Apple iPad" scoring high on the site's trending topics.
But by late afternoon, joking messages drawing attention to the connotations many associated with the name iPad were being uploaded by Twitter users all over the world, in a variety of languages.
"Dear Apple: Have fun trying to control all the teasing you're gonna get for the iPad name (i.e. #iTampon #iPadwithwings etc etc)," wrote user Emily McLain.
"I guess iTampon will be the smaller version to come out this fall," joked one user under the account name sTOOJ. "Does the iPad come with wings?" wrote Justin Breese.
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Twitter account user "thelampnyc" questioned why Apple's vast marketing resources hadn't made the connection.
"Really love that I have already heard the iPad called the #iTampon. Really, Apple marketing geniuses? Didn't see that coming?"
Others pointed out that Jobs' company had plenty of opportunity to work out what people might think when they heard the name iPad, thanks to a comedy skit produced years ago by US show MadTV.
The skit featured two businesswomen discussing the virtues of Apple's latest product for women -- named the iPad.
On Youtube, a video of the sketch was enjoying new attention, with "NYHeineken" summing up the views of many in a comment posted underneath the 2006 skit. "I guess Apple forgot to google iPad before they named it... Hahahahaa."
However not all reviews were negative.
News Limited journalist Stephen Fenech reviewed the device and dubbed it "impressive".
"Typing on the virtual keyboard I was impressed by the responsiveness of the screen which responded smartly even when typing fast", he writes.
IPad 'much more than a laptop and a phone'
Some technology analysts believe the iPad will render other e-readers obsolete, while a number of publishers are counting on it to sell digital versions of their publications. The New York Times, Time magazine and National Geographic were among the partners whose content was displayed on the iPad.
"We want to make something that combines the best of print and the best of digital," Times digital operations vice president Martin Nisenholtz said as he showed off an early version of an app for the device.
"We are incredibly psyched to pioneer the next stage in digital journalism."
Besides serving as an e-reader, the iPad runs almost all of the applications available through the Apple App Store for the iPod and iPhone.
"If you are thinking about buying a Kindle, you are probably reconsidering that decision. If you are a developer, you have one more reason to develop applications for Apple," said Interpret analyst Michael Gartenberg.
Apple simultaneously released a kit for software developers to tailor applications for the iPad. Jobs said he expected the device to carve out a place between the laptop computer and the smartphone.
"Do we have what it takes to establish a third category of products in between a laptop and a smartphone?" he asked.
"We think we've done it." The iPad is "so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smartphone," he said.
He said it has about 10 hours of battery life. Analyst Rob Enderle of Silicon Valley's Enderle Group said the iPad could be "disruptive for a lot of markets."
"I have a hard time believing after seeing this that folks are going to want an e-reader that just does plain text and doesn't do format or color," he said.
Enderle believed iPads could also pose a threat to hand-held gaming systems and eventually videogame consoles. Gameloft and Electronic Arts showed off slick games they had crafted with just a few weeks of preparation, saying the iPad opens countless "new doors."
"We are going to be able to bring all of the other great EA games for the iPhone from the App Store to this device in no time," said Travis Boatman of EA's mobile studios.
Apple shares gained 0.94 per cent to close at $US207.88 ($A232.55) on Wall Street, but slipped a tad in after-hours electronic trading.
