Apple has unveiled its much anticipated new tablet device the iPad, with a likely UK launch this summer.Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive unveiled the touchscreen device at an event in San Francisco, describing the tablet, which will cost between $499 and $829 in the US, as a “third category” between smartphones and laptops. The device, […]
Apple has unveiled its much anticipated new tablet device the iPad, with a likely UK launch this summer.Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive unveiled the touchscreen device at an event in San Francisco, describing the tablet, which will cost between $499 and $829 in the US, as a “third category” between smartphones and laptops.
The device, which looks like a large iPhone, can be used to watch films, play games and browse the web. The firm has also secured a deal with publishers including Penguin, Macmillan and Harper Collins to allow e-books to be downloaded directly to the device through a new iBook Store.
01/02/2010
Jobs added the device lets people “hold the whole web in your hands”.
“What this device does is extraordinary. It is the best browsing experience you have ever had,” he said.
There are three models, based on amount of memory: iPad with 16Gbytes is $499; 32Gbytes, $599; 64Gbytes, $699. 3G adds $130 to each, so the most expensive iPad is $829.
UK launch
Apple will introduce its iPad tablet device in 60 days in the US, and 90 days for the 3G versions.
The company international version will be available some time in June, with a UK launch expected by the end of that month.
Apple are already striking some deals with UK mobile data companies for their 3G connectivity. The company already has deals Orange, Vodafone and O2 to carry the iPhone in the UK.
iPad features
The iPad is slightly smaller than a sheet of regular paper, just one-half inch thick, and weighs 1.5 pounds (1.6 with an optional 3G modem built-in).
The 9.7-inch LED backlit glossy multi-touch screen has 1024×768 pixel resolution (132 pixels per inch).
Wireless connectivity is 802.11n Wi-Fi (backward compatible with 11abg devices), Bluetooth 2.1 + Ehanced Data Rate (EDR). 3G cellular is available for $130 more, supporting UMTS/HSDPA and GSM/EDGE networks, but available at least at first only on AT&T’s network.
Apple says the iPad’s battery can give up to 10 hours of use, and 30 days of standby power, though that is likely to vary greatly depending on what applications and connectivity are being run and for how long.
iPad runs a version of the iPhone operating system, itself a variant of the Mac OS X. That means that it can run unchanged every app on the iTunes App Store. Moreover, it runs them in one of two modes: as it appears on the iPhone or expanded to be twice as large to exploit the iPad’s larger screen.
A simple docking stand props it up, and accepts a hardware keyboard.
Other features include a digital compass, assisted GPS, 1GHz CPU system-on-a-chip custom designed for Apple, the usual array of audio and video formats.
However, the device is unlikely to replace either smartphones or netbooks any time soon, missing multi-tasking features, a camera, cellular voice, and support for Flash in the Safari browser.
www.apple.com/ipad/features
