Apple Announces the iPad: WiFi, 3G, iWorks and an E-Book Store ($499 and Up)
Apple just announced the launch of the iPad, Apple's rumored tablet computer. Judging from what we have seen so far, the iPad is basically a very large iPod touch with a modified interface. According to Steve Jobs, the device will be far better than an iPhone or netbook for browsing the web. The iPad will also feature most of the standard apps we have become used to on the iPhone platform, including maps, contacts and a calendar. Apple also announced a new e-book store and a version of iWork for the iPad.
Price and Availability
The lowest-end version of the iPad with 16GB of storage will retail for $499. The 32GB will cost $599 and the 64GB version will sell for $699.
The higher-end versions with 3G connectivity will cost $130 more.
The Wi-Fi versions of the iPad will go on sale in 60 days, and the 3G models will go on sale in about 90 days.
Image credit: GDGT
3G Connectivity
Some versions of the iPad in the U.S. will come with 3G connectivity over AT&T's network.
One plan, which will come with 250 MB of data will cost $14.99 per month; the unlimited plan will cost $29.99 per month. These plans will come without contracts and can be activated right from the device.
For the rest of the world, Apple is still working on making deals. The iPad, however, will come unlocked and users will be able to just put in their own SIM cards.
Hardware
The iPad will weigh 1.5 pounds and feature a 9.7-inch IPS display (the same size as a Kindle). The device will feature all the standard wireless networking features like 802.11n, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.
The device will be powered by a 1 GHz Apple A4 chip and come with anywhere between 16GB and 64GB of flash storage.
Other hardware features include an accelerometer, compass, a speaker, microphone and a 30-pin connector.
The battery, according to Apple, will last for about 10 hours and the device will be able to remain in standby mode for one month.
Unsurprisingly, the iPad will sync with iTunes over a standard Apple 30-pin USB connection.
Just like the iPod touch and the iPhone, the iPad features volume control on the side and a home button.
Apple is also making a keyboard dock and a stand.
Software
All the standard apps like the calendar and email apps have been redesigned for the larger screen. The new interface, from what we have seen so far, looks extremely crisp and has been greatly simplified to accommodate the multi-touch interface.
Runs iPhone Apps (With Really Large text)
According to Apple, almost every current iPhone application will run - unmodified - on the iPad. Judging from the images we have seen so far, however, the iPad just scaled these apps up to the large screen, which doesn't necessarily look that well. Games, though, seem to look extremely well on the large screen. Apple simply scales the graphics up.
Apple plans to release a new SDK today that will make it easy for developers to make use of the large screen.
Native Apps: NYTimes and Electronic Arts
Among the apps Apple demoed today was a newspaper application from the New York Times, which has already developed a native application for the iPad. Electronic Arts, too, demoed a racing game on the iPad that makes use of the iPad's accelerometer. Major League Baseball also announced a native app today.
Image credit: GDGT
iBooks App and iBooks Store
As rumored, Apple also launched its own e-book reader today. This new application, named iBook, includes a built-in iTunes-like e-book store. Apple already has deals with five publishers, including HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Penguin.
Books can include images and video. Apple hasn't announced any standard prices for these books yet, though some of the ones that appeared on screen were priced around $14.99. E-books will come in the ePub format, which could mean that the app could theoretically be able to read files from the Sony and B&N e-book stores, too.
iWork: Office Apps for the iPad
Besides the new e-book store, Apple is also launching a version of iWork for the iPad, which features a new version of KeyNote, Numbers and Pages. All the apps have been redesigned for the smaller screen and the multi-touch interface. Slides, for example, can now be rearranged with just a few simple gestures, and images can be rotated by simply using the same gestures users are already familiar with from the iPhone.
The iWork apps will sell for $9.99 each.
Photos, Music and Videos
The iPad will also feature an iPhoto-like application with integrated maps and advanced slideshows.
Unsurprisingly, the iPad will also feature an iPod, which can display iTunes LP album art and videos.
Maps
During the presentation, Jobs also highlighted the maps application, which, thanks to the large interface, looks very nice, and also features Google's StreetView imagery. Before the event, there were quite a few rumors that Apple was going to announce its own mapping service, but judging from this, Apple will continue to use Google's maps.
Image credit: GDGT
Mac, iPhone and App Store
Steve Jobs opened today's presentation by talking about the iPod ecosystem. According to Apple, the company just sold its 250 millionth iPod. Jobs also announced that Apple now has 284 retail stores that had 50 million people come through their doors last year.
Developers have now created over 140,000 applications for the iPhone platform and consumers have downloaded over 3 billion apps.
Regarding the Mac platform, Apple announced that it ended its holiday quarter with $15.6 billion in revenue from the Mac platform. Most of the computers Apple now sells are laptops. Jobs stressed that Apple is now the world's largest mobile devices company.
Before talking about the tablet, Jobs also recapped Apple's history in the laptop business. Specifically, Jobs wondered if there was space in the market for devices that fit between a laptop and a smartphone - a device you could use for watching videos, enjoying music, playing games and reading e-books.
Jobs also took a jab at netbooks, which, according to him, aren't really good at doing anything.
See also: Our follow-up analysis of this news on our iPad topic page. Plus 5 Reasons to Wait for iPad 2.0.
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Just as we expected... I'm trying to see what other devices out there are similar to iPad... any ideas?
http://thisislike.com/apple-ipad/about
About time.
I was just thinking that if I had to show a time traveler from the past our technology today and they asked about a decent tablet computer I would have to blush and try to distract them with wireless electricity or something equally petty and uninspiring. Embarrassment avoided, phew!
Boring device !
The tablet doesn't live up to the hype created !
Are they going to give free upgrades if you saved for your whole life to get a macbook pro?
Looks pretty cool, bet it feeeeels cool too.
Still no official specs yet, but I was definitely expecting something a bit more than what seems to be a large Ipod Touch for the most part.
Most useless device ever. A bigger iPod that doesn't fit in my pocket and no full OS like other tablet PCs have? Ugh. I'll keep my netbook, thanks.
MIGHT be useful for the po-po and health, but they already have tablet PCs with full Windows/Linux OS.
I think I love all what can camo from them, I hope save enough money to buy it. And the problem is than I have to buy 2.
Agreed, a bigger Ipod that doesnt fit in your pocket. Allmost as bad as kindle. A macbook pro with real processing power, and 3g card will remain my portable computer of choice.
Not a bad device for the $499 price tag! This blows the Kindle away in my opinion.
What a great ipad !! I can save several hundred bucks now.
After the iHype http://slidesha.re/bVrGpH that was orchestrated greatly
The iFail as the device doesn't live up to the expectations created.
No camera?!?!? disappointment
Definitely getting an iPad. I don't think people have yet realized how clunky it is to use a laptop on the couch, or pretty much anywhere except a desk. A few years from now there won't be any laptops that come with a required keyboard. That, combined with excellent touchscreen controls, is going to make this a pleasure to use. And, I'm confident that most of the haters will realize this once they actually use one for the first time.
Nice looking thing, but seams slippery to get a firm grip while holding as a book, atleast if its has the same alu-shell as MacBook.
I am very very excited about this product.
:)
;)
Apple call separately selling a laptop screen and keyboard a revolution...
Although its purpose built for the consumer of media and will likely be a resounding success for Apple, media publishers and app developers alike, its nerd factor is almost non existent!
Nevertheless I guess we ought not be too harsh with the first version since failings are easily adjusted by a second version, readily identifiable between the first and second iphones.
Needless to say I fore see a huge accessory market for the iPad about to launch.
Just wait until Kindle's price drops below $100 and nobody will buy one of these iPad things. C'mon, srsly, consider that:
1. No cameras mean no video conferencing and Augmented Reality
2. No Flash support means no rich internet browsing and you love playing those online flash games
3. No SD card slot and no integrated USB port
4. No E-Ink screen means no comfortable ebook reading
5. It doesn’t replace your laptop, your netbook, your smartphone, your handheld console and your ebook reader
6. No multitasking
7. It’s not a real tablet computer (why would you want one anyway?)
8. You’ll get a bigger, cheaper and more powerful Windows tablet instead with a full HD screen
9. Carrying an iPad man bag would make them question your manhood
10. As Frederic said, it’s just a bigger iPod touch.
But you know what, I'll buy one :D Check my Top 10 reasons to buy an iPad here:
http://www.bealoud.com/technology/apple-ipad/
Looks like an amazing device and would be very helpful in many workplaces such as a lab. We’re also covering this story. http://cbt20.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/want-an-ipad-for-surfing-at-your-lab/
wow this is nice this 2010 it will become most popular phone just like iphone does. Although it does not have a card slot but it has high capacity buil-in memory. Click here Sikat ang Pinoy
Open Letter to Steve Jobs,
I took the liberty to write you a letter after yesterday’s announcement of the iPad to express my concerns about the future of your product and also why I’m unsatisfied by what the iPad has to offer.
Yesterday the iPad was announced as a possible market penetrator that, as you said, would fit between an iPod touch/iPhone and a Mac. I certainly agree with that, I think that there is room for one more product as long as it is affordable (and in my opinion, it turned out to be so, given the $499 entry price of the iPad). On the other hand, I’m disappointed due to the lack of innovation on the software side of this “magical and revolutionary device”. Let’s be real, there is little innovation when talking about software on the iPad (which is basically the iPhoneOS), and I think the iPad has yet to demonstrate it’s a “revolutionary” device. As you said on the conference, there are 75 million people who already know how to use an iPhone and/or and iPod touch, and at the same time, there are 75 million people who already have a sort of portable iPad on their hands! I know, I know.. this has a bigger screen so watching a movie, browsing the web is much easier. Listening to music? not so much... but the fact is that the lack of software innovation is, unfortunately, going to keep me away from buying one of these things (even though I already know how to use it - I feel like I already have it or at least doesn’t offer anything truly new). In my humble opinion, there so much room for creating a better UI that gives you something that the iPhone or the iPod touch could never give you.
You have probably already heard about the complaints of what the iPad is missing and why it’s a disappointment. According to PC World there are twelve things the iPad should have had. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want those twelve issues fixed before buying and iPad, but there are two that keep me from doing so having already an iPhone or iPod touch. These are, the lack of a revolutionary UI, and the lack of a video camera for iChat.
Let me start with the second and least important one. I’m the user of a netbook. Yes, those cheap computers that aren’t better at anything. The fact is that netbooks, even though they’re slow, let me video chat while I’m in the University, or on a trip, or in anywhere else where I don’t carry my MacBook Pro because I find the netbook a lot lighter. Certainly the iPad is lighter than the netbook, but it won’t let me video chat.
Now, about the UI. Please please pleaseee! get rid of the iPhone OS and start a new iPad OS! Not that the iPhone OS isn’t any good (it’s actually excellent and I love my iPod touch in terms of hardware and software), but it was developed for the iPhone, a device with a limited screen size, with limited processing capabilities. The iPad has a much larger screen, and certainly has much better processing capabilities. In a way, I feel that the UI is being underused. Having such a beautiful screen just to display the same icons that the iPhone has? There so much more that could be done, and there is so much more the iPad could and should offer in order to say: wow, I need that!. I have a few ideas, but the purpose of this letter is not to sell them (I bet people at Apple have tons of great ideas) but to let you know that the iPad has to be much more than just an “iPhone on steroids”. As you said, the iPad needs to better at certain things in order to fit an already crowded market, and in my opinion, it’s only partially better. Let me explain why the UI is underused to me. When I get home and I lift the screen of my MacBook Pro, I ALWAYS do the same things first. These are, checking my email, checking the weather for the next few days, checking the latest news, checking the currency values (which are of particular interest to me) and opening the calendar to see what things need to be done or where do I need to be today or tomorrow. I do all of this by opening the dashboard, the calendar application and safari, and I do it all more or less at the same time. The problem with the iPad is that it offers no multitasking, meaning that I have to open (and close!) five different applications in order to do the same that I do on my MacBook Pro. Is the iPad better at doing those things? I think not. I wish there was some sort of iPad Dashboard/Home Screen where you could organize the most important things you need to see with many widgets (or whatever) to choose from (created by the same people who create the applications). In the end, having such a screen just to display icons of applications that open independently is not the most efficient way to display information. As I said, there’s much more to be done in order to the iPad become the device I need, and not just want.
Sincerely yours,
Jesus Montiel Maillo
P.S. By the way, the fact that it doesn’t have Flash, a rear camera, HDMI, etc, is not an issue to me, but those two things I mentioned earlier are, and will keep me from buying.
Loved that "open" letter, what a waste of time, do you think Steve Jobs will READ that?
Although it has just launched it shows alot of potential, I can see a long way to go...still a bit expensive though just tried my luck here they're giving an ipad for free http://www.gfi.com/blog/free-ipad/
it would have been a lot better if it ran on mac OS X... still I love it but I just dont see the point of tablets... i mean we have laptops, iphones and gaming consoles...what market is this aimed for?!
every thing is just great but the point that disappoints me is it does not support multitasking.....
lets wait when apple add it.
I think after you actually touch it and physically use it it will be more likable.
Links
This pretty much says it all. Read the quote at the end.
WWW.RANDOMMUCH.COM for more thoughts on the iPad, among other things. ;)
Oops... forgot the link. LoL
http://9gag.com/photo/17815_full.jpg
Think iPad does wonders!!
We at Sourcebits have launched iPad Lab and truly delighted to impress consumers developing super applications over the next 60-90 days for the iPad release.
For more information about the Sourcebits iPad Lab and the super app developer's perspective on the iPad capabilities, please visit: http://www.sourcebits.com/
I’ve used Macs for over 20 years, but I think Apple missed the target big time with this. In addition to the unfortunate name, I see the following:
First, they apparently want you to purchase all content from Apple. They don’t mention that you can download free content. No thanks, no way. Then, no flash capability, no USB port, no multi-tasking, no user-replaceable battery, and a really ugly bezel. What was Steve thinking?
What does it do that a normal tablet PC won't do? Even one several years old and available for far less? Or a used netbook, for that matter. Show wide-screen movies? Not very well with the 4:3 screen dimensions they use.
My ten y/o Walkabout HH3 tablet pc holds my 800+ free ebooks, shows my videos, pictures, has GPS, wifi, and cost a lot less. Did I mention it's waterproof rugged, and almost indestructible?
I see that there are only two things of positive note with the iPad. That it uses an Apple-designed chip, and an SSD drive. Both went almost unnoticed in the hype. The SSD drive will soon be the industry standard and Apple doing their own processors should be a wake-up call for Intel.
Other than those two items, I see a big worm in the Apple.
Is 3g ipads better than wifi ipads?
will you be able to purchase 3g for the regular wifi connection?
Serious problem with WIFI.... what a problem !!! Ill have to return the product from Outside US... dam!!
It looks really nice but a bit big.... where would i keep it in my house with 2 cats? i think that they would end up scratching it.