Apple has started its promotion campaign for its much anticipated (and slightly hyped) iPad tablet device with a prime time advert at the Academy Awards Oscars 2010. Over 40 million Americans saw the advert and many more will watch it in replay online. In addition, “Meet the iPad”, as the ad is called, will be run on American television more times in the coming months

The commercial ad features the track “There Goes My Love” by Danish blues-rock band The Blue Van and is 30-seconds long.

The ad shows us how to unlock the device, browse through our photos on iPhoto, read and buy books in the iBookstore, use the browser to read The New York Times, watch movies, use the iCalendar, locate ourselves on Google Maps, physically rotate the device and having the screen move with it, read our email, use iWorks to create documents and presentations and use the on-screen keyboard. It finishes with the iPad’s D-Day: April 3.

A bit surprisingly Apple doesn’t show us what everyone has been talking about in the last few weeks: magazines, and how their digital usability experience might be superior on the iPad. Apple probably feels it’s too early for this, considering there’s not enough magazines out there that will be publishing for the iPad, Apple might not want to create any expectations it cannot fulfill.

Overall, it looks like a good way to quickly stir up some attention for the device with mainstream consumers.

Remember, us techie readers and bloggers know about this device, the mainstream has probably just barely heard about it. They need to be informed, involved and shown why it’s the next big thing in mobile computing for them. Has Apple succeeded in that with this ad? Tell me if you think so in the comments.