Is Steve Jobs’ sales pitch for the iPad over the top? I’m beginning to think not. In Jobs’ own words, it “is so much more intimate than a laptop, and…so much more capable than a smartphone… It’s phenomenal to hold the Internet in your hands.”

Analysts say that the iPad is creating a more integrated, immersive media experience, supported by social networking tools and location-based technologies. Robert Iger, CEO of Disney, predicted that the iPad will be a game-changer, enabling his company to create product that is different from what is found today on television and the internet. At the end of March, The Wall Street Journal suggested that Apple’s tablet may revolutionize news media, bringing together film, TV, music, publishing and the web. 

Maybe it is time to forget about the critical issues raised by The New York Times in its initial product evaluation: whether there’s room for another device in the “cluttered lives of consumers,” whether the tablet device will appeal to more than the Apple enthusiast, would it cannibalize the demand for other Apple products. Computer techs dont’ care for it, but it’s not a substitute for the PC.

Then fast forward to June 2, when the consumer weighed in big. Apple sold 2 million iPads in two months, wiping out doubts about whether there is a market for another device. In the Financial Times, June 4, Paul Taylor writes that any tablet now is up against a device that has redefined the market. “Apple is the benchmark against which others are judged.” As Jobs’ might say, it is magical.

There is more to come. Apple’s impact on consumers, advertising and the media industry will continue to unfold. In an interview early last week, Jobs said that the iPad will offer new opportunities for content creators, especially news organizations, to charge readers for their products. If that actually happens, it could dramatically change the newspaper business. Mr. Jobs advises media companies to price their products low, just as Apple did with songs on iTunes. To quote him:

“As one of the largest sellers of content on the Internet today, Apple’s lesson is price it aggressively and go for volume. I believe people are willing to pay for content. I believe it in music. I believe it in media. And I believe in it in news content.”

This could be a product that inspires a different pay for content approach for beleaguered newspaper companies. Will newspaper publishers use it to their advantage. perhaps changing their business model?  Time will tell. In the meantime, Apple is a company that is living its slogan - “Think Different.