The official Apple Tablet - The iPad
It Has Arrived
The apple tablet has been publicly unveiled today. Surprisingly, the moniker is neither the iTablet nor the often rumored and predicted iSlate but the apple tablet’s authorized name is the iPad. Consisting of a 9.7 inch touch screen and featuring an operating system that mirrors the iPhone and iPod touch, the iPad is designed to bridge the gap between functionality of a laptop and the mobility of a cell phone.
Something Old yet Something New
Familiarity is the key promotional tool for the iPad as it will download and run from the preexisting app store and iTunes. The rumors for months were that the apple tablet would simply be a large iPhone/iPod touch with Macbook functionality and Steve Jobs has delivered just that. Already purchased apps, games, eBooks and songs? Do not worry, they will transfer and synch to the iPad so you won’t have to purchase the same content twice. Already own the white 30 pin connector? It’s the same cord as your iPod for connectivity to charge and sync the apple tablet to your PC or Mac. From Steve Jobs announcement, “Because they’ve shipped 75 million iPhones and iPod touches, there’s 75 million people who already know how to use the iPad.”
Step-ladder approach to storage
Similar to the varying models and storage capacity of iPhones and iPod touches, the iPad will be available in three different units; 16 gigabyte, 32 GB and 64 GB. Featuring a screen resolution of 1024 x 768, the base models will include wireless connectivity ideal for viewing newspapers and playing videos games. High end (pricier) 3G iPads will be available but require monthly data plan purchases in order to connect and use AT&T’s 3G network. Refer to the photo (courtesy of gizmodo) for the data plan breakdowns.
No official word yet if AT&T will lose its iPhone exclusivity but they are the sole data provider (for now) of 3G iPads. Regardless of the storage size and connection speed, each apple table will reportedly have an operational battery life of 10 hours for video and up to 1 month of standby.
Availability
Want to run to your nearest store and buy the apple tablet today? Sorry to burst your bubble, but direct from Steve Jobs, “We will be shipping iPads in 60 days, worldwide availability of Wi-Fi models. It’ll be another 30 days beyond that for 3G models.” That firmly places expected availability at the start of Q2 2010, around the end of March or early April. Even early adopters will need to wait till spring for the high end 3G iPad models.
Get to the pricing already!
Enough dancing around the pricing structure. Apple, always known for cutting edge, high end (read: expensive) technology has released the following pricing breakdowns for the various models of the apple tablet.
For the cheaper models it starts at $499 USD for the 16 GB unit, $599 for the 32 GB and $699 for the 64 GB. Want 3G connectivity? Be prepared to shell out an additional $130 USD on top of the base model prices. Note, this does NOT include the cost of the data plan to actually use the 3G network. Including the unlimited data plans (which realistically, why pay for the limited bandwidth usage) the 3G apple iPad will cost $659, $759 and $859.
Limitations
Be warned, these are serious drawbacks and essential applications missing from the apple tablet.
-No multi-tasking. Seriously, only one app at a time.
-No Camera. No webcam. No video conferencing.
-No SMS application means no text messaging.
-No Flash Player! No flash!
Final Verdict
$859 is a lot of money for a quaint 64 gig netbook that can’t run multiple applications, but what it can do is nothing short of astounding. The apple tablet is the next logical step in Steve Jobs technological progression after the iPod lead to the iPhone, it’s now time for the iPhone to give way to the iPad. However, a major reason for the success of the iPhone is due to its powerful ability to run seemingly any application while fitting comfortably in your pocket. The apple tablet lacks this invaluable asset. Physically, the iPad is a closer relative to the average PC netbook but lacks serious functionality essential to the very market the iPad is targeted towards. The apple fanboys will be all over the iPad, but is the general public ready for apple tablet when there are so many other viable options for the same price? Only time will tell.