The granddaddy of all Apple rumors finally came true today. It’s not going to change the world, but it might get you reading more books. The Apple iPad ($499-$829) is the now-not-so-mythical tablet God King, featuring a 9.7-inch Multi-Touch LED-backlit display with IPS technology that’s packed into a half-inch thick piece of aluminum that weighs just 1.5 pounds. Shipping with slick apps for web, email, photos, videos, music, and eBooks, the iPad can also run most current iPhone apps, small or upscaled in full screen. Thanks to a new iBook Store (goodbye Kindle, nice knowing you), you’ll be able to buy and download books to read, just like you do music and movies on your iPhone. The iPad is powered by a custom 1GHz Apple A4 chip and offers an insane 10-hours of (video watching) battery life and a month of standby time. The iPad comes in two versions — one with Wi-Fi and one with both Wi-Fi and 3G. There’s also a bunch of unexpected accessories, including a Keyboard Dock and a Portfolio case that can double as a stand. Get your iPad in late March.

Available in Japan for some time now, the Nintendo Wii Classic Controller Pro ($20; April 2010), a more advanced version of the original Classic Controller, is finally making its way stateside. Available in Wii white or a striking black, the Classic Pro features double trigger buttons on the right and left for more control options, Playstation-style integrated bottom grips, and will also be bundled with the Capcom title Monster Hunter Tri for $60.

Entering its 21st season on Fox, The Simpsons isn’t just a cartoon about a dysfunctional family — it’s the longest-running prime time series in American television history. The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History ($18) tells the show’s surprising tale from its humble beginnings on The Tracy Ullman Show through modern times, complete with interviews of many of the show’s principles, including creator Matt Groening, various writers, animators, and more.

Long before he ate green eggs and ham, Dr. Seuss — also known as Theodor Geisel — was a talented political cartoonist for the New York newspaper PM. Dr. Seuss Goes to War ($14) is a 272-page tribute to his two-year stint at the paper, featuring reproductions of roughly half of Seuss’ 400 cartoons from 1941-1943, highlighted alongside explanatory text by Richard H. Minear to help those of us not born during prohibition better understand these largely unknown works of art.

Although some parts of the country are seeing a slight thaw this week, winter is far from over, and the Sorel Fairbanks Drift Arctic Sneaker ($100) can help see your feet through the remaining weeks of cold weather. Inspired by winter chukkas worn by the Alaskan Inuit, the Drift is a cold weather shoe meant to protect your piggies from the elements with a waterproof leather upper, recycled felt insulation, a tough outsole with snowmobile-inspired tread, and a removable PU midsole for added comfort.

Longevity and success in both acting and directing of the type Clint Eastwood has enjoyed is quite unusual, as is the film icon’s long-standing relationship with Warner Bros. Thankfully, it’s this relationship that makes Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years ($135) possible. This encyclopedic box set packs every WB Eastwood film since 1968’s Where Eagles Dare, including the full Dirty Harry series, 1992’s Oscar-winning Unforgiven, recent standouts Million Dollar Baby and Gran Turino, and many, many more, as well as the all-new documentary The Eastwood Factor, which offers a rare look at Eastwood as both an actor and director.

Ingenious and slightly ironic at the same time, the BookBook ($80) is a new case for the MacBook and MacBook pro that disguises your ‘Book as, well, a book. Employing thick hardcover front and rear panels and a rigid spine, the BookBook provides ample protection for your laptop, while elastic corner clips let you use the computer while it’s encased, and dual zippers let you charge the device while closed. Best of all, the hand craftsmanship and distressing ensure your BookBook will be unique to you, further reducing the fact that passerby will notice that it’s not simply an aging hardbound tome.

As the company’s first vehicle with four doors, you’d expect the MINI Countryman ($TBA) to be a little different from its stablemates, and indeed it is. The Countryman is more crossover than go-kart, with an optional ALL4 all-wheel drive system, an elevated seating position, more ground clearance, and an innovative customizable Center Rail that lets you use the space in between the seats however you see fit, but still retains the classic MINI exterior styling, rounded gauges, and, perhaps most importantly, performance.