Apple Announces iPad
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We have finally seen what’s Apple has been up into all the time that people have been speculating about the company’s direction in the upcoming years. Steve Jobs introduced iPad today and unlike what a lot of rumors suggested, the company has thought of everyone with this device. The iPad comes in two flavors. The WiFi-only version is much more affordable and has a starting price that is much closer to netbooks that a lot of rumors suggested. Of course, a lot of people will be picking up this device to have access to the Internet on the go at all times. So it’s no wonder the 3G models are more pricey (but they still start below $630 mark).
I was more impressed with the service plan for this device. Being able to get 3G for only $29.99 with no contract is a real good deal. You can also settle for 250 MB of data per month for only $14.99. This goes on to show that Apple is serious about making Apple iPad a success. The pricing strategy is aggressive to say the least, and the wireless deal is icing on the cake.
The new iPads will start shipping in 60 days. If you want to get your hands on the 3G flavor, there will be another 30 days of waiting ahead of you. The device will work with thousands of apps available on iTunes, and it will support next generation apps as well. And of course, it can act as an e-book reader as well. The battery life is interesting as well. You are going to get only 10 hours on this device but the standby time is much longer. The screen size is only 9.7-inch, so the rumors of 11-13 inch iPads were not true. Pity.
All in all, it seems Apple has outdone itself. The device looks nice, but the pricing strategy is aggressive for what have come to see from Apple. You also have more flexible options with 3G plans. So far so good.
Will you be picking up an iPad?
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I do not belive Apple has ever produced anything original i.e. ground breaking.
They make nice boxes. Remember the king and his new clothes.
Mike, I appreciate your opinion, but without the iPhone “multi-touch” wouldn’t even be in our vernacular. I’m a Microsoft developer (.NET) and converted from my trusty Blackberry to an iPhone without ever looking back; it was revolutionary. Mac machines are about the OS, the experience, and the presentation of that experience. That’s their game plan, and I believe they’ve hit the mark again. I wouldn’t spend $2500 on a MacBook as a PC competitor; I’d spend it for it’s power, simplicity, design and OS. Conversely, I wouldn’t spend $2500 on a gaming rig that I could build myself for half that. All that said, I’m on the fence with this product. My suspicion is that it won’t be as revolutionary as the iPhone and it won’t be as cult-ish as the Mac computer systems; however, I believe it will sell well, and it will be a huge competitor for NetBooks and the Kindle – which is what it is supposed to be. Jobs even said he was “standing on the shoulders of Amazon” when he referred to the Kindle and how they just wanted to make a good thing better. They probably succeeded, in my opinion.
@Mike : It’s almost as if you expect Apple to build computers controlled by your thoughts and can fly and make you coffee in the morning and sell them for pennies before you admit to them having come up with a ground breaking product.
Tablet PCs have been tried for years now, and none of them comes close to the apparent usability and focused design that Apple has managed to achieve in the iPad.
That and being able to run iPhone apps out of the box, I think I can safely say that the iPad indeed does break plenty of ground, and it’ll be a while before the rest of the industry realizes that interface usability and custom app infrastructure is everything.
The current IPad is just an IPod with a bigger screen. It is too big to carry in your pocket on the road and it is not powerful compared to PC or Mac at home. No way this can complete with ereaders with EPD’s — with a LCD screen, it is not suitable for book reading.
yes it is it comes with 1 GHZ processor that’s more than most net books pack. Have you ever seen an Ipod screen? The resolution is amazing! Here check it out for yourself: http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
How can the iPad not do well? Amazon’s Kindle has been doing great, and that’s for what is essentially a single-purpose device with a monochrome display. I’m not knocking eInk’s superiority in very bright conditions and in battery life, but the contrast has yet to live up to the hype. And while some people may find backlit LCDs difficult to read from, I do not; I spend far more time reading off LCDs than I do paper these days, and modern displays have excellent contrast.
The iPad isn’t a replacement for a cell phone, nor a replacement for a power user’s laptop. As a software developer, I’ll be sticking with my trusty MacBook Pro. My wife, on the other hand, would probably find everything she needs in an iPad with a Bluetooth keyboard. Apple’s only downside here is that it may cannibalize a portion of their low-end laptop sales, but cash-conscious users with simple needs would likely be looking at cheap netbooks, anyway… and the iPad is going to compete well there, I think.
Overall, this does fill a gap in Apple’s product portfolio, and it is already causing the vast army of iPhone developers to mobilize. And those apps are going to be the first big differentiator between the iPad and the inevitable wave of copycat products as the netbook market mounts their response.
The iPad is poised for the success that has thus far eluded tablet computing. It’s going to be interesting!
I think that the iPad will be a success. I have an iPhone and love it especially on the road. When I am at home and need to check something out on the web quickly I use my iPhone but of course I am staring at a small screen. If I had an iPad I would use that to do a quick check of email and sofa surf. This thing will boot up as quick as an iPhone and will be a real timesaver.