The iPad is designed to define a new market between laptops and
smartphones. It works like an oversized iPod touch, but new and updated
apps have been modified for its larger 1024 x 768 display. For
instance, when you to go email, the onscreen keyboard automatically
appears - and it's large enough to type on.
The iPad is just 0.5" thick.
The 9.7" screen is large enough that you can view a monthly calendar
meaningfully - the text isn't so small that you have to click to read
it. Of course, iTunes is built in, and there's support for HD YouTube
videos.
The
iPad is just 0.5" thick, weight 1.5 to 1.6 lb., and its LED backlit
display has full capacitive multitouch support. It's powered by Apple's
own 1 GHz A4 CPU - processor, graphics, I/O, and memory controller on
one chip - and includes 16 GB to 64 GB of flash memory. 802.11n WiFi is
included, and battery life is rated at 10 hours - or a month in standby
mode. It's got the same dock connector as the iPod and iPhone.
The iPad has
stereo speakers and a built-in microphone.
The iPad is very green: no arsenic, BFR, mercury, or PVC, and it's
highly recyclable. It can run all iPhone apps out of the box, either at
native size or scaled up ("doubled") to full screen. Online reports
indicate that using the "2x" button makes apps look blocky.
A new feature is iBooks, Apple's ebook reader that uses the ePub
format. iBooks can be purchased through Apple's iBookstore. You can
change the typeface and size, and Apple promises that textbooks will be
available.
Next, there's iWork for the iPad, which has a whole new user
interface. It includes Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, just like the Mac
version. Price is $9.99, probably per app, not for the iWork suite.
There will be
different versions of the iPad, including some with 3G wireless.
AT&T has a $30/month unlimited data plan, or $15 for 250 MB of
data. Both plans include free use of AT&T WiFi hotspots. Best of
all, these plans are prepay with no contracts! The 3G iPad supports
UMTS/HSDPA and GSM/EDGE networks.
Prices: 16 GB, no 3G, $499; 32 GB, $599; 64 GB, $699. 16 GB with 3G,
$629; 32 GB, $729; 64 GB, $829.
Unlike the iPhone, the iPad is unlocked and uses new GSM micro SIMs.
Apple hopes to have worldwide data support available in June or
July.
The WiFi models will ship wordlwide within 60 days, and the wait is
up to 90 days for 3G models, which still need FCC certifiction. Apple
has a dock to hold the iPad upright when charging or docked to your
computer. Put your iPad in the dock, and it acts as a digital picture
frame.
For
serious keyboarders, Apple has a full size mechanical keyboard that
uses a dock and supports the iPad in vertical/portrait mode. There's
also a case that can be used as an easel to display the iPad in
horizontal mode.
If you already have an iPhone or iPod touch, you can use your
existing apps with the iPad - no need to buy them again.
Like the iPhone and iPod touch, no multitasking unless you upgrade
to iOS 4. There is no built-in camera, so no video chat without
accessories.
Specifications
- announced 2010.01.27; non-3G version available 2010.04.03; 3G
availability late April 2010; replaced by iPad 2 in March 2011
- requires iPhone OS 3.x or later
- CPU: 1 GHz Apple A4
- RAM: 256 MB
- Level 2 cache: 512 KB
- performance: Geekbench
- overall: 470
- integer: 373
- floating point: 470
- memory: 707
- stream: 343
- display: 9.7" 1024 x 768 LED backlit, 132 ppi resolution
- video out: with adapter
- flash drive: 16, 32, and 64 GB
- ports: Apple dock connector, 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, SIM card
tray (3G model only)
- WiFi: 802.11n
- Bluetooth: 2.1 + EDR
- G3: UMTS/HSDPA and GSM/EDGE
- sensors: accelerometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass
- microphone: built in
- Battery: rated at 10 hours, one month on standby
- size: 9.56 x 7.47 x 0.5" (242.8 x 189.7 x 13.4 mm)
- weight
- WiFi: 1.5 lb. (0.68 kg)
- 3G: 1.6 lb. (0.73 kg)
Online Resources
- iPad perfect
for handheld computing, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing,
2010.02.05. You can hold the iPad in one hand and operate it with the
other, giving it real advantages over a laptop computer.
- Touch shifts the Apple
empire, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 2010.02.05. Apple
dominates mobile computing, and it will be difficult for competitors to
match the value of the iPad.
- iPad targets netbook users, iPad
'flaws' don't matter, in-page search for iPhone Safari, and more,
iNews Review, 2010.02.05. Also FSF considers iPad 'iBad' for freedom,
Touch Mouse app turns iPhone into wireless keyboard and trackpad,
privacy screen for iPhone, and more.
- iPad should support a stylus,
CoolBook quiets MacBooks, Puppy Linux for PowerPC Macs, and more,
Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2010.02.03. Also the iPad as a
genie in a bottle, Eudora Classic 6.2, notebook battery life, and more
uses for 'obsolete' technology.
- Is the iPad Apple's
true successor to the 12" PowerBook?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings,
2010.02.02. The iPad has the same 1024 x 768 display as generations of
G3 PowerBooks, iBooks, and the 12" PowerBook G4 - but it offers a whole
lot more than any laptop ever has.
- The iPad shows the
failure of journalism, Jason Walsh, Mac Life, 2010.02.02. Tech
pundits latch on to every perceived shortcoming of Apple's iPad while
looking to it to save the publishing industry.
- iPad a better
choice than a netbook, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 2010.02.01.
Apple's iPad is a new category of product explicitly designed for
getting work done on the go.
- The iPad changes
the mobile game, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 2010.01.29. The
iPad goes beyond Apple's Newton and iPod touch legacy to create a new
and compelling mobile platform.
- iPad score card,
Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2010.01.29. Apple's iPad is almost everything
expected, but there are areas where it comes up short.
- iPad to kill off laptops?,
office app with Google Docs integration, SpotACop app, and more,
iNews Review, 2010.01.29. Also iPad pros and cons, AutoPark helps avoid
parking tickets, WhiteHouse.gov: Anywhere, Dragon Dictation reviewed,
first iPad bags announced, and more.
- iPad priced from
$499, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2010.01.27. The 9.7" iPad has a
custom 1 GHz Apple CPU, runs iPhone apps, ships in 60 days, and defines
a whole new category of products.
- Making the computer
even more personal, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2010.01.25.
Portability and wireless networking make computing on the go easier and
more personal than ever.
- Why I didn't wait
for the Apple tablet, Jason Walsh, Mac Life, 2010.01.20. Jason
Walsh explains why he bought Dell Mini and made a 'Hackintosh' of it
rather than waiting for Apple's new mobile computer.
- iPad
Technical Specifications, Apple.
