After months of building up anticipation, Apple (AAPL) revealed its tablet the iPad on Wednesday.

At a half-inch thick and 1.5 pounds, the iPad features a 9.7-inch touch screen and includes the same operating system that accompanies the iPhone, with access to a whopping 140,000 applications. Pricing starts at $499 for a Wi-Fi enabled device (these will be available in March), up to $829 for an iPad with 64 gigabytes of memory and 3G connectivity provided exclusively by AT&T (T) .

Meanwhile, the iPad s features and capabilities are very similar to those offered by most netbooks on the market today, and in many cases surpass them. Before the price was announced, analysts had expected the basic iPad model to be pricier and had assumed that netbooks were unlikely to encounter much competition. That opinion is now starkly different, and companies that maintain significant market share in the netbook arena have to rethink their strategies to remain competitive, says Bill Kreher, a senior technology analyst at investment firm Edward Jones.

To be sure, the true effect on other companies won t be known for months, but speculation is buzzing. Here s a look at how some stocks that could see an effect from the iPad reacted Wednesday -- and how they may be impacted in the future.

Wireless Stocks

Two key stocks to watch are AT&T and Verizon (VZ), which some analysts say is likely to become a competitor later this year.

At market close Wednesday, AT&T s stock stood at $25.62, up 1.2% from Tuesday's close. In the short term, investors can expect the stock to maintain growth potential in part because of the hype surrounding Apple products and the fact that, for the time being, it still is its exclusive wireless service provider.

This agreement represents a continuation of a relationship that Apple is clearly pleased with, says Kreher. It s more symbolic of the relationship and the fact that both companies are pleased to be working together.

In the long term, several issues could pop up to plague AT&T. To begin with, many users may purchase an iPad with just a Wi-Fi connection, surpassing the wireless provider s services, rather than the one with 3G connectivity.

Then, there s the strain that AT&T s network has encountered as the iPhone has risen in popularity. The data the iPhone has been using and that the iPad will use will put strain on AT&T s network in terms of providing capacity, says Toan Tran, associate director of technology research at Morningstar. In some areas of San Francisco where the iPhone is especially popular, Tran says users often experience difficulty getting signals.

In addition to that, it s likely Verizon will start offering iPhones at some point this year, says Tran. Should that happen, current iPhone users will probably start shopping around for better prices and service. Verizon s stock hit a daily peak of $30.20 Wednesday, but closed down 0.99% at $29.87.

Both analysts say that the wireless providers who have been left out of this deal including T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel (S) aren t necessarily at a disadvantage when it comes to their revenue stream. Wireless carriers for the most part make the bulk of their money from voice plans, says Tran. (The iPad is not a phone.) As a result, this deal isn t necessarily a needle mover in terms of revenue, says Kreher.

PC Stocks

At the unveiling, Apple CEO Steve Jobs dismissed netbooks as potential competitors. Netbooks aren t better at anything, he said.

There could be a ring of truth to that, says Kreher. For the most part, the iPad has the same PC capabilities as most netbooks, and then some. The device is more powerful than a netbook, with a longer battery life, more robust applications, doubles as an e-reader and has compatibility with the rest of Apple s products, Kreher says.

But the bigger issue that could jeopardize netbooks future is the iPad s price. Analysts originally thought the iPad would be much pricier than most netbooks -- but its starting price is almost the same. Apple is really out to do some damage to the netbook market with $499 pricing, says Tran.

Currently, the leaders in the netbook space are Asus and Acer as well as Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Dell (DELL) . Asus, which trades on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, closed Wednesday at $59.20, down 1.2%. HP closed down 0.58% at $49.45, and Dell finished down 0.36% at $13.53.

The vendors that make netbooks may need to rethink the game plan going forward regarding those devices, by either packing in more features or reducing the prices, says Kreher. "Apple has put the iPad at a price point that makes it a very compelling proposition relative to the traditional netbook." Apple closed at $207.88, up 0.94%.