Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) hit the market with the new iPad on Friday, even opening its stores at 8 a.m. to begin tending to the early risers and overnighters. Once again, Apple raises the bar while keeping its starting price of $499 intact.

Can any other tablet maker compete? Remember the days when naive Android tablet manufacturers were piling on specs on slick tablets at price points higher than what Apple was charging? That didn't pan out too well.

The only rival tablet that has legitimately made a dent, the Kindle Fire, has done so at the rock-bottom price of $199, and most analysts believe that it's being sold at a loss.

This game isn't over, of course. Android continues to be the leading mobile platform of choice for smartphones, and there may come a time when that success carries over into competitively priced tablets.

It's just now happening now. When it comes to tablets, we're all living in Apple's world.

Briefly in the news
And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week.

  • Demandware (NYSE: DWRE) priced its IPO at $16 on Thursday and opened 58% higher. Demand? Where? Everywhere! The company provides cloud-based data-management solutions for e-commerce.
  • Sirius XM Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) will broadcast this year's FIA Formula One World Championship. Listening to a car race while you're driving around doesn't sound like a lot of fun. Actually, it sounds pretty dangerous.
  • Scholastic (Nasdaq: SCHL) shares soared on strong results, fueled by the success of the Hunger Games book trilogy. The movie opened on Friday. Do you have your tickets yet? Oh, sorry. I mistook you for a teenager.

Moving on
Now that you've had a glimpse of the past, let's delve into the future. A new report details the latest Rule-Breaking multibagger that has earned Fool co-founder David Gardner's attention. The report is free, and you're closer to it than you may think. Check it out now.