Apple's iPad

MrBishop

Well-Known Member
The iPod touch..on steroids.
After years of rumors, speculation, and leaks, Apple today announced its long-await tablet, the iPad.

Chief executive Steve Jobs complemented the introduction of the new device with a new e-bookstore, called iBooks, together with partnerships with four major publishers, and showed off new versions of its iWork application and third-party applications.

Jobs kicked off the company's launch event in San Francisco on Wednesday by highlighting the history of the company's mobile products. "We're the largest mobile device company in the world," he told the audience, showcasing the iPhone and the company's line of MacBook products.

"There is room for something in the middle," he told the crowd. "If there's gonna be a third category, it has to be better at [Web browsing, e-mail, photos, video, music, games, and e-book reader]—otherwise it has no reason for being."

While netbooks have attempted to address the space, Jobs added, "netbooks aren't better than anything…They're just cheap laptops."

The key, he insisted is the tablet—a new device the company has christened the "iPad," one of several rumored names, including the "iSlate" and, simply, the "Apple Tablet." The iPad features a 9.7-inch, full capacitive multi-touch IPS display, weighs 1.5 pounds and measures 0.5 inches thick—"thinner and lighter than any netbook," according to Jobs.

Pricing for the iPad starts at $499 – far lower than the early $1,000 projections of many analysts. The 16-, 32-, and 64-GB devices run $499, $599, $699 – with an additional $130 for 3G capability. The device will begin shipping in March.

For the chipset, the company went in-house, designing a 1-GHz Apple A4, contrary to rumors that the device would be powered by an Intel or Samsung chip. The iPad comes in three capacities: 16-, 32, and 64GB. It features built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, an accelerometer, company, speaker, and microphone.

The iPad has a built-in iTunes store, for music playback. Itcan also do video, naturally, either via iTunes for movies and TV shows, or via third-party apps like YouTube and YouTube HD. The device syncs to Macs and PCs via USB, in much the same manner as the iPhone, so users can transfer content like movies and music from iTunes.

According to Jobs, the device gets 10 hours of battery life. "I can take a flight from San Francisco to Tokyo and watch video the whole time." It also features a month of standby time on a single charge, he said.

Apple is offering two 3G data plans for the device: $14.99 a month for 250-MB or $29.99 for unlimited data. "Data plans usually cost about $60 a month," Jobs told the crowd.

Contrary to early Verizon partnership rumors, the plan is available solely through AT&T. No contract is required. "International plans will be in place by June," Jobs added. Those uninterested in 3G data will be able to use the device with Wi-Fi, of course.

Jobs surrendered the stage to a number of content providers. First off, Mark Hickey from video game publisher Gameloft showcased a first person shooter for the device called Nova.

Travis Boatman from EA showcased a the upcoming title: "Need For Speed: Shift". "Building for the iPad is like holding an HD display up to your face," he told the crowd.

Martin Nisenholtz from The New York Times took the stage to show off "something special for the iPad." The paper's layout on the device mimics a standard newspaper. "We think we've captured the essence of reading the newspaper," he told the crowd. "A superior experience in a native application." The application also lets users play video, making newspaper reading a multi-media experience.

Developer Steve Sprang showcased an application called Brushes, which is already available as an iPhone app. In iPad form, the application takes advantage of the device's significantly increased real-estate, offering a deep artistic canvas experience. The app, according to Sprang, will be available when the iPad launches. Chad Evans from MLB.com also showcased a new app for the device featuring live video.

Jobs came back on stage to take a shot at Amazon's successful Kindle. "Amazon has done a great job of pioneering [e-readers]," Jobs told the crowd. "We're going to stand on their shoulders for this." The new e-book reader for the iPad is titled, fittingly enough, iBooks. Apple partnered with a slew of major publishers, including Penguin, Harper-Collings, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and the Hachette Book Group to provide content for the device's online book store called the iBookStore.

Unlike the Kindle, the iPad displays titles in full color. The screen's animation lets users flip quickly through the pages of the book. Users can even change the font of the books they're reading. The device utilizes the nearly universal ePub format for its titles.

For more business-minded users Apple has developed a special iPad version of iWork, making it possible to create and view spreadsheets on the device. The device can also view slides in Keynote and PDF files via Adobe Acrobat. iWork applications will run $9.99 a piece and will be compatible with Macs and projectors.

Apple is also offering a number of accessories for the device, including two docks. The first is a picture dock, which lets the device stand upright for video and image viewing. The other has a built-in keyboard, transforming the iPad into a more fully functioning netbook of sorts. Apple's case also lets the device stand upright.

Rename it the iWant
apple_ipad_full_2.jpg
 
Apple's stock went from a pretty negative number, to a pretty positive one,
after the pitch.

Intel tried this way back in 2k, and they lost.
I wouldn't buy Apple atm myself.
 
Apple's iPad, another coup by Stevie?

Plenty of suckers to buy that overgrown ipod for five bills?
 
Twitter contest to win one...I'm not eligible tho' :(

If it wasn't so damn proprietary, I'd consider one..much like I consider/covet a nice eBook reader and/or a Wacom Tablet.
 
Nice piece of hardware, I would like to play with one a little. I'll wait until a PC version is properly developed. I'm just not into iApples.
 
I need something a bit more powerful than whats currently available. I need a portable unit that I can use with on location video.
  • Larger SSD.
  • Capture in full 1080p (1394 port) with audio.
  • Hi-res 720p or better.
  • Able to load Adobe OnLocation. (maybe some NLE capabilities)
  • Maybe even a CF port.
  • A 2way HDMI port would nice too
There are number mid range lappy's that can work for what I need.
 
fuck apple. "tablet" my ass. a real tablet is USEFUL in a creative way. this is a fucking television.
 
I need something a bit more powerful than whats currently available. I need a portable unit that I can use with on location video.
  • Larger SSD.
  • Capture in full 1080p (1394 port) with audio.
  • Hi-res 720p or better.
  • Able to load Adobe OnLocation. (maybe some NLE capabilities)
  • Maybe even a CF port.
  • A 2way HDMI port would nice too
There are number mid range lappy's that can work for what I need.

HP had a nice tablet-laptop.
I understand that the iPad can do VOIP and Skype..but audio only. I think that it's too big to be more than just an ebook reader and web-browser, but it's trying to be much more. It's not powerful enough to be a replacement for a laptop. It certainly won't run full-scale programs..though it has lots of apps. They're all micro-programs.

It's more like a portable entertainment unit than a computer. Frankly, I don't travel all that much. My internet access is at home, as is my DVD player and tv. That leaves reading and personal organizing. It's a good size for an eBook reader, but the power-consumption is a bitch. As an organizer, it's too big to fit on my hip...so I'd need to carry it in a briefcase.

I wouldn't refuse one if given to me..but plopping down $500-$800 plus monthly access fees... nah.
 
Yeah, I need something that can suck-up 35 Mb/s and not miss a frame. That's roughly 100min = 32gigs. Once we add second camera that need will double (synced frames).

Shooting 4 hr/day will add-up fairly fast.
 
No mutlitasking, no USB without a goofy adaptor, no camera, no flash....

Just a big iPod Touch. At least with an iPhone you can make calls.

Pass.
 
Mac weenies love Steve's iPad

Netbooks based on the Atom Processor bridge the gap
between the cel phone and the Desktop just fine
but cuz Stevie made this
Mac weenies will snatch it up in droves?
 
found an image that sums it up pretty good.

for $200 i have a 10" nextbook that is smaller and lighter than a standard size hardcover novel, with 3 hours battery, and all PC functionality.

Or, for only $300 more, I could have an overgrown ipod touch that has some decent multimedia capabilities but nowhere nearly as much functionality as a normal computer.

Wo27t.jpg
 
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