Apple Tablet is Called the iPad, starting at $499
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled Apple’s answer to netbooks, the Apple tablet called iPad.
Sliding right into that niche between the smartphone and laptop (remember that Apple does not believe in netbooks), it’s pretty much a giant iPhone (or is it iPod Touch?) with a more easily viewable screen. You can use it for e-mail and web browsing (via 802.11n WiFi), ebook-reading (oh, yay! iBooks! This is like iTunes except for, you know, books), photo- and video-viewing, with functions for calendars and contacts, and of course, music (via iTunes). It also has Bluetooth 2.1 capabilities, accelerometer and compass.
It comes with an office suite called iWork. I’m trying to imagine what it would feel like to type on the pop-up keyboard. I’m thinking awkward, but then again… maybe we’re just used to a keyboard. Somehow, I could see the iPad as an entertainment gadget rather than something I can work on. However, they are throwing in a keyboard dock.
Half an inch thick and weighing 1.5 lbs., it has a 9.7″ LCD screen with a 1GHz CPU and, like the iPod Touch, comes with 16, 32 or 64GB storage. The iPad also comes with built-in Apple apps but will run most of the iPhone apps, but as software developers have already been working on iPad specific apps for a couple of weeks.
Price is at $499 for the 16GB model with WiFi only. 64GB of storage and 3G will set you back $820. AT&T will be offering 3G service with up to 250MB of data/mo.for $14.99, and an unlimited plan for $29.99/mo. No contract, which means you can cancel anytime you want. The 3G iPad is also unlocked so you don’t have to flock to AT&T to get service.
Battery life is said to be at 10 hours.
As with every shiny new gadget Steve Jobs unveils, I want one. So, what say you? Yea or nay?
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Filed under: Apple iBook