We just got our iPad from the SoHo Apple Store. The Business team there gave us the VIP treatment — we bypassed the line and then as we entered the store we were literally flanked on both sides by exuberant, blue-t-shirted Apple Store staff, energetically cheering us as we passed through to the glass staircase. Apple really knows how to make a consumer experience memorable.

Initial impression: it’s gorgeous, heavy, and despite resembling a large iPod Touch, the size makes it a totally different experience. It made the familiar iPhone “chirp” when I plugged it in and it started up — I’m not sure whether that’s a good or bad thing for a device that wants to be evaluated on its own merits.

Anyway, it’s charging up now, and we’ll report more impressions later.