It’s a quite large (when thinking of the footprint) surfboard and entertainment (video, music, photos, light gaming) device. It’s a large iPod touch.
Apple iPad is 0.5″ (1.2 cm) thick and weighs 1.5 pounds (680 g). It has 9.7″ IPS multi touch display and 1 GHz Apple processor. It will be available with 16-64GB flash storage. There are built-in Bluetooth and Wifi n, accolometer and compass (does that mean GPS, no?). iPad has speakers, microphone and 30-pin connector (for what, video output?). The battery life will be 10 hours (or one month stand by). Apple iPad runs iPhone applications out of the box without conversions or modifications. And of course Apple iPad is green.
The specifications sound great but I’m not convinced that it’ll give anything extra to personal computing. What one does with a large mobile device that is not capable anything heavier than video, music, light gaming and finger painting? You cannot replace a small laptop (MacBook Air for instance) with it if you intend to work and to replace your smart phone with it is just unrealistic as iPad is not a phone and it’s two or three times larger. Okay, it would be a handy entertainment unit while traveling or on the sofa, but laptops (standard size or netbooks) do all that too. If the device does not have GPS (they didn’t mention it, just “compass”), an internet connection is required for maps and navigation. And because they didn’t mention that 3G option is available, internet connection on the road (in a car) is impossible. What point there is to have a digital map and navigator that cannot be used? Please explain.
// Update at 9:25pm: There will be 3G available as an option. The starting price is $499 but 3G option will cost $130 extra. The best piece of news is that Apple iPad will not be sold SIM locked. The device will be available internationally in June/July. The only remaining question is: which carriers will have micro-SIM cards available by June?
Steve Jobs presenting a thin Apple iPad
Apple iPad on-screen keyboard
Apple iPad iTunes
Apple iPad playing video
Apple iPad prices in US
Credits: Photos by gdgt.com.
