Steve Jobs revealed this morning the latest sibling to the the iPhone, iPod family, the iPad.
"It's like holding the Internet in your hand," Jobs said. He thinks its better than a smartphone or a laptop.
The iPad runs the OS that is on the iPod and iPhone. The iPad comes with calendar, address book, email, Safari Browser, YouTube, iTunes and Google Maps. The multitouch iPad has an onscreen touchscreen and uses touch gestures for drop-down menus.
A main feature is that it has the iBook app, with virtual bookshelf from which you can buy and download ebooks directly to the iPad. There is a feature called iWork for spreadsheets and business apps withth Pages, Keynote and Numbers for
documents, presentations and
spreadsheets with charts, functions and formulas. The three apps will
be available separately through the App Store for $9.99 each.
There are two models of iPad, one with Wi-Fi only and other with AT&T 3G connections with fees at $14.99 per month for 250 megabytes and an unlimited plan at $29.99 per
month.
iPads come unlocked with GSM and SIM. Deals with world carriers will be announced later. The SDK is available today for developers.
Apple iPad Prices:
- Apple iPad 16GB with Wi-Fi, costs $499.
- Apple iPad 32GB with Wi-Fi costs $599.
- Apple iPad 64GB with Wi-Fi costs $799.
- Apple iPad 16GB with Wi-Fi and 3G costs $629.
- Apple iPad 32GB with Wi-Fi and 3G costs $729.
- Apple iPad 64GB with Wi-Fi and 3G:cost $829.
Wi-Fi model iPads will be available in 60 days. On the other hand, the Wi-Fi with 3G iPads in 90 days.
Apple iPad specs:
- 0.5 inches thin.
- Multitouch capacitive display.
- 1GHz Apple A4 chip.
- Accelerometer.
- Compass.
- Bluetooth 2.1.
- Wi-Fi.
- 16GB to 64GB internal memory
- Standby Time: over 1 month
Display
- 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
- 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
- Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
- Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously.
- Support for 1024 x 768 with Dock
Connector to VGA adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Composite A/V Cable,
576i and 480i with Apple Composite A/V Cable - H.264 video
up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC
audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file
formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per
second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo
audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.
Must Have Accessories:
iPad Keyboard Dock
The Keyboard Dock is a dock for
charging your iPad, integrated with a full-size keyboard. The dock has
a rear 30-pin connector, which lets you connect to an electrical outlet
using a USB Power Adapter, sync to your computer, and use accessories
like the Camera Connection Kit. And an audio jack lets you connect to a
stereo or powered speakers.