There had already been years of speculation before Apple's iPad finally made it on stage with Steve Jobs this year. Every Macworld Expo and Apple event for the past few years had always had a run-up with rumors of a new slate device that just might make its first appearance on stage. But it was always pushed out to the next Apple event.

When it was finally released, there were mixed reviews. Some wanted it to be a laptop, while others couldn't get enough of Apple's larger touch-screen device. But over the coming months, the iPad would prove to be a huge tech product for 2010, with major app developers coming up with ways to convert their wares to be touch-screen friendly. Now, the iPad is one of the hottest devices of the holiday season, which might even make Steve Jobs' claim that the iPad was "magical" much closer to reality than we thought.

If you're one of the lucky people to receive a new iPad for the holidays, you're going to want to know which apps to download first. The iTunes App Store is enormous and daunting, so we decided to put together a Starter Kit of apps that every new iPad owner should check out.

Without further ado, here is our iPad Starter Kit for 2010.