After all the anticipation and also some feeling that Apple might not after all introduce a tablet device comes the truth and that is Steve Jobs has finally introduced iPad to the world. On the surface it looks an incredible device as it’s only 1.5 pounds heavy along with being 9.56 inches in height and 7.47 inches in width. The more incredible part is that iPad device will be just half an inch thick.
Ipad at the moment will come in two models that is the Wi-FI and 3G. The cheapest model will cost $499. One of the the main features with iPad will be it’s supposedly the best browsing experience. I was watching an Apple video on iPad (included below) and at-least heard the statement ‘iPad is the best browsing experience for the internet’ at-least 3 times in 3 minutes. It seems to be a obvious selling point of them.
The other feature that it is betting big on is reading books online. They will have iPad connect to a iBooks store and allow you to purchase and download the book onto the iPad. As iPad is not much bigger than a book it could be quite useful. I think it is safe to assume Amazon’s Kindle will start feeling the heat after iBooks. 😉
Here is a table of specification for iPad
| Display | 9.7 inch (diagonal) LED-backlt glossy widescreen with Multi-Touch display with IPS technology. 1024 X 768 resolution. Fingerprint resistant coating. |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi model includes bluetooth.
Wi-Fi + 3G |
| Capacity | 16GB, 32GB or 64FB flash drive |
| Processor | 1 GHz Apple customised A4 high one performance low on battery chip. |
| Sensors | Accelerometer and Ambient light sensor |
| Audio | Freq response 20 Hz to 20000 Hz.
Audio formats supported are MP3, MP3 VBR, AIFF and WAV |
| Video | 1024 X 768 Dock connecter to V GA adapter. Supports .m4v, mp4, and .mov file formats along with MPEG- 4 video format. |
| Battery and Power | Built in 25 Whr rechargeable lithium battery. Upto 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-fi, watching video or listening to Music.
Charging can be done through power adapter or USB cable to the computer. |
| Input/Output | Dock connector (USB). 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack, built-in speakers and microphone. SIM card tray for Wi-Fi + 3G Model. |
| Prices | Lowest model will go for $499 and the highest being $829. |
I think the iPad rocks but considering its anticipated buzz it might still take more innovations to match up to the cult like status of iPod or iPhone. At the moment it looks like a bigger sized iPod Touch model.
Apple has a reputation of coming out with world class designed gadgets but I am not so sure of iPad being an instant hit. The main problem with tablet devices are they are much bigger than a cellphone and slightly smaller than a notebook or laptop. That makes it not as sophisticated as a laptop and unfortunately not as discreet as a phone or music player. If iPad is meant to be a device to be used on the go it might be facing an uphill task. Tell me what do you think? Will iPad take Apple to new heights or has the honeymoon ended?
Here is the video introducing Apple’s iPad.
Link: Apple iPad