A fellow student in the e-media class I am taking at the University of Cincinnati has a cousin who works at Apple in California. He got himself a 64GB iPad for $300 and brought it to class today. And let me play with it.

I had it my hands for less than five minutes, but my initial reaction is very positive. Quick, light, bright and a perfect size. Also, easy to type on. I can’t wait to get one.

CNBC is reporting on-air that Steve Jobs is taking a leave of absence from Apple until June to “focus on his health.” According to the report, Tim Cook will handle day-to-day operations at the company in the interim.

Here is the email that Jobs sent to Apple employees this afternoon:

Team,

I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.

In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple’s day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.

I look forward to seeing all of you this summer.

via Breaking: Steve Jobs Taking a Leave of Absence from Apple.