Apple-iPad

So you wanted a device that could provide you browsing, email, photos, video, music, games and eBooks. Apple introduces the iPad. Steve Jobs doesn't just change the e-book market, but I think he will redefine your overall mobile experiences.

The iPad is between a laptop and smartphone, according to Apple. The device is capable of doing many of the same things an iPhone can but on a larger, 9.7-inch LCD screen. The iPad is a half-inch thick, weighs 1.5 pounds, and comes in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models.

The starting price for the 16GB model is $499, the 32GB is $599 and the 64GB is $699. Those models will nclude Wi-Fi connectivity; Apple will also offer 3G-equipped iPads for $130 more with the most expensive costing $829. The wifi iPad is Coming April 3.  Starting March 12, pre-order from the Apple Online Store or reserve for pickup at an Apple Retail Store.

The iPad will utilize the larger touch screen built specifically for Apple's tablet device.  This will allow the touch screen concept to be broadened to include a version of Apple's iWork productivity suite. All of the iWork apps on the iPad launch to a library of documents that allow you to tap on the document you want to open. An on-screen keyboard will appear when you need to type text.  The demo showed a person casually reading and typing emails while sitting in a chair.

The device also has 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, a speaker and mic, a compass and an accelerometer.  The blue tooth technology was not shown in the demo’s. However there were claims made that it could easily connect to a projector which could be through a cable or blue tooth.   

The  iWork for iPad app which was shown in the demo will cost $10 and will be available for download from the App Store.

Another app built specifically for the iPad is iBooks--Apple's e-reader app. It will let users read e-books directly on the iPad; they'll also be able to buy books, ranging in price from $8 to $15,

Many iPhone and iPod touch apps will be able to run on the iPad as well. To that end, Apple updated is iPhone SDK with iPad support, so that developers can update their apps for the new device. That was released 1/27/10/

I know many will be disappointed with this but AT&T has won the rights to this device, as Seteve Jobs put it, with a break through deal. For $14.99 per month you can get 250GB of data or for $30 you can get unlimited data on AT&T’s network.

In addition you can get free service at all AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots. AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots are located at many Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, and McDonalds.

• No Camera and more importantly no front facing camera. That is probably because AT&T doesn’t want Skype to be running rampant on their network.
• Battery life. Apple claims 10 hours battery life. One beta tester claims it's more like three hours if you're running a game full-out. It is still better than a laptop, mine runs for two hours. Still astoundingly less than the Nintendo DS or Sony PSP, which can approach or exceed 10.
• No Flash. While Steve Jobs was displaying the iPad it looks like the device won't support Flash. Engadget captured a photo of the tell-tale blue missing plugin icon that shows up when you try viewing a Flash element without the plugin installed.This makes sense because the iPad is using the iPhone OS which also doesn't support Flash.
• The pricing model is reminiscent to Microsoft's Windows pricing. Here is a chart you pick what you want. It should be only WiFi with the 3G option, but you know that AT&T is getting a cut of the price differance because there is no way a 3G interface costs $130 by itself.
  

• iPad is being targeted by textbook makers by software developer ScrollMotion. Features on iPad my make this conducive for including video, interactive quizzes, the ability to record lectures, highlight and search text, and take notes, according to The Wall Street Journal.
• A built-in camera may be coming! Dozens of news reports point to Mission: Repair, a Kansas-based company that fixes iPods, iPhones and other Apple products. The blog that claimed the company had iPad frames in stock and that those metal frames had a place for the iSight camera. One clue that implies there may still be a camera on the shipping versions was in the iPad's SDK, where there were several visible clues that implied camera connectivity to particular apps, such as the address book. Sadly these have been removed from the latest SDK beta release.
• Hackers and criminals are hijacking search results regarding Apple’s iPad and related keywords to spread a Rogue anti-Virus application “Live PC Care”.
  Read more: http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/201005/5170/BlackHat-SEO-targets-Apple-s-iPad#ixzz0eZz9pxUX

• TechCrunch wrote that word from “an industry insider that Hulu is working on an iPad-friendly version of its site that should be ready by the time the iPad hits the market.” TechCrunch backs up the rumor by noting Hulu video is already compatible with the kind of video iPads can run.

• 9to5Mac writes that YouTube was also a last-minute surprise before the iPhone launched. Hulu could do the same for the iPad. This somehow makes the rumor more believable.

• Telegraph.co.uk writes that the Wi-Fi only version of the device is widely expected to go on sale on March 26. It is believed that iPads will start arriving in Apple stores by the middle of next week, to give employees enough time to get to grips with the device, while Apple's advertising campaign for the iPad will swing in to action on March 15.

• Jobs reportedly said in an email from his iPhone that the Apple tablet will be available "Initially at Apple Retails and online store and Best Buy," keeping AT&T stores out of the equation so far.