As I mentioned earlier, Apple has launched a new tablet computer to fit between their iPod/iPhone and MacBook lines. Officially dubbed the iPad, it can simply be defined as an over-sized iPhone on steroids. Above, in the stock image from Apple, the desktop/springboard truly does look exactly like that of the iPod/iPhone with a 9.7 inch screen. Steve Jobs said there is already 75 million people that have experience with the iPad because of the similarity to the iPod/iPhone interfaces.
The keyboard may be almost full-sized now, and the screen size and resolution twice as large, but almost every single app from the App Store will work on the iPad. Some new apps are, and will be, able to run on the iPad with its larger screen and better hardware specifications; older apps have a low resolution mode, which doubles the app’s screen size, and a native mode that keeps the same iPod/iPhone screen size.
More information, including: pricing, images, and even an official video are after the jump.
Because of the new-and-improved hardware behind the iPad, combined with the larger screen, Apple is able to add more features to the device. There is a version of iWork that works with it, an improved email client and web browser, and, as I expected an e-book reader.
The new e-book program, called iBook, is built to handle Apple’s new e-book store, which uses the open-source ePub standard. There are 5 major publishers already on-board, including textbook publishers–an interesting fact that may mean iPad textbooks for students next Fall…
The A4 processor for this device is a completely in-house solution, which may be related to Apple’s purchase of P. A. Semi in 2008. Internet connectivity is provided by a wireless-N capable Wi-fi chip, but there is also an added 3G option. Other hardware component information is still unknown; the tech specs displayed on the Apple website is the most information about the iPad hardware available at the moment.
The pricing, from $500 to $830, based on the hardware configuration, is not really too bad considering the lowest tier iPhone, an 8GB 3G, sells for, I believe, $400 without a contract with AT&T. It is considerably better than the $1000 mark many analyst had predicted. Pricing for the memory and connectivity options is below.
| 16 GB | 32 GB | 64 GB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | $499 | $599 | $699 |
| Wi-Fi + 3G | $629 | $729 | $829 |
Personally, I am going to be waiting to see if the iPad will qualify for a student discount. Maybe next Fall I will be a proud new iPad owner…
Since the iPad will not be available for a couple more months, in the mean time, we can enjoy a bunch of people from Apple–including the famous designer Jonathan Ives–talking about the “revolutionary” product they created.
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