14 DAY TRIAL // During yesterday’s “creation” event, Apple finally unveiled its long-rumored system combining key elements from the iPhone and the company’s range of MacBook computers. Called the iPad, the tablet-shaped device does everything you’d expect an iPhone to do, only much better, much faster, and at a greater scale. It’s also a great ebook reader, netbook, and media-playing device, going by the demonstrations taking place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts yesterday morning. A new version of the iWork suite, announced in tandem with the iPad, adds even more benefits to the tablet experience.
In an unusual manner, Apple’s press room is featuring a single announcement - “Apple Launches iPad” - following a big event. However, with a single product introduced this time around (leaving aside the iWork revision made especially for the device), it’s really no surprise.
“Apple today introduced iPad, a revolutionary device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading e-books and much more,” the official press relase reads. “iPad’s responsive high-resolution Multi-Touch display lets users physically interact with applications and content. iPad is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds— thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook. iPad includes 12 new innovative apps designed especially for the iPad, and will run almost all of the over 140,000 apps in the App Store. iPad will be available in late March starting at the breakthrough price of just $499,” the introductory paragraph ends.
A statement from Steve Jobs inevitably follows, with Apple’s CEO saying, “iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price. iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.”
The report goes to mention the tech specs, as well as other key features of the device. Apple proudly reveals that the iPad features 12 built-in, next-gen Multi-Touch applications, with every one of them working in portrait and landscape, automatically animating between views as the user rotates the iPad in any direction. Other Multi-Touch capabilities are also dished out in the report, but also abilities like watching movies, TV shows and YouTube, all in HD. This is owed to the iPad’s 9.7-inch, LED-backlit display, which features the IPS technology to deliver crisp, clear images and consistent color with an ultra-wide, 178-degree viewing angle.
Powered by Apple’s very own next-generation system-on-a-chip, the A4 processor is said to provide exceptional processing power and graphics performance along with a long battery life. The company claims up to ten hours of battery life, but something tells us that fans of racing video games will not be doing any endurance tracks.
Finally, the report reveals the multiple versions Apple’s iPad will be available in, with two main versions being introduced - one with Wi-Fi and the other with both Wi-Fi and 3G - both of which will ship with various storage capacities. The device starts at $499 (US) for the 16GB WiFi-only model, and goes up to $829, for the 64GB WiFi+3G model. The first models will ship in late March. Also worth mentioning is that the WiFi standard on the iPad is 802.11n.
Not surprisingly, Apple made the iPad microSIM compatible, while leaving traditional sim cards behind, making it difficult for many potential customers to choose their preferred carrier for 3G connectivity.