Apple unveiled its much speculated about iPad tablet computer at 10 AM this morning in San Francisco. And as we predicted here on Dr. Tablet, Apple has its sights set on the netbook market. The iPad, which performs many of the functions of a netbook, runs existing iPhone/iPod apps as well as software developed specifically for it, will start at $499 US for a 16 GB WiFi model – half the price that analysts were predicting that it would debut at.
Here’s a quick feature rundown:
- 9.7 ” color multitouch-enabled screen (not OLED)
- 1024×768 resolution at 132 pixels per inch
- 16, 32 or 64 GB of storage
- 1 GHz Apple “A4″ custom-designed processor
- 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- Some models include unlocked 3G wireless connectivity
- accelerometer, compass, microphone, dock connector and built-in speakers
- GPS in WiFi + 3G models
- 10 hours of battery life with 1 month standby
- video out support via Dock connector to VGA adapter
- 720p H.264 video support at 30 frames per second
The iPad is expected to begin shipping in late March (3G models will ship in April), and is priced aggressively:
$499 / $629 for 16 GB WiFi / WiFi + 3G
$599 / $729 for 32 GB WiFi / WiFi + 3G
$699 / $829 for 64 GB WiFi / WiFi + 3G
The iPad can run iPhone / iPod Touch applications (at native or scaled-up resolutions) as well as custom software written specifically for the device. Native apps shown included mail, calendar and a photo viewer. In each case the user interface was quite different from the iPhone counterpart (Mail used a two-panel view for instance). It definitely looks as though Apple has built a new, iPad-specific user interface for their operating system – one that takes advantage of the larger screen area and multitouch gestures.
The iPad includes the iTunes App Store, as well as the new iBooks eReader / book store application. The inclusion of iBooks is a shot across Amazon’s bow – Apple has inked distribution deals with 5 major book publishers, including Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Macmillan, with more on the way. The New York Times was also on-hand to demo its new NYT Reader iPad application. The app featured a newspaper-like layout with inline video content and was said to “capture the essence of reading a newspaper”. I’m looking forward to giving this a try when I get my hands on the iPad.
Apple also demoed a version of iWork designed specifically for the iPad. You’ll be able to buy each component of iWork (Keynote, Pages and Numbers) individually for $9.99. Each app is gesture-enabled and compatible with its desktop counterpart. Phil Schiller showed how you could use gestures and context-sensitive virtual keyboards to edit a spreadsheet without the need for a keyboard or mouse. A video-out adapter that plugs into the Dock connector will allow you to run Keynote presentations directly off the tablet.
With regards to wireless connectivity, every iPad model ships with WiFi and Bluetooth. The 3G models also include an unlocked 3G modem, capable of working on any GSM cellular network. Note that the iPad uses a microSIM card, so if you don’t have a microSIM card you’ll have to talk to your carrier.
In the US, Apple has inked deals with AT&T for iPad-specific dataplans. $14.99 gets you 250 MB/month, and $29.99/month gives you unlimited data. No contract is required – the plans are pay as you go. These compare favorably to the existing laptop dataplans offered by many carriers, which are typically $60/month. Apple has stated that they are working with international carriers to provide similar plans, which will become available later this summer.
Apple expects to ship the WiFi only iPads in late March, and the 3G models shortly thereafter in April.
Mike is a former sysadmin and embedded developer, who worked on several prototype tablet devices way back in the dot-com era. He's also a non-practicing physicist and a big fan of anything resembling a tablet computer (or a telescope).
The extent of the Bluetooth features for the iPad aren’t yet clear to me. I’m dying to know if the iPad will be able to access my mobile phone’s 3G Internet data plan over Bluetooth tethering. I wouldn’t want to have to buy a 3G iPad and another data plan when I’ve already got a phone with 3G and a data plan. I wonder when these kinds of details will surface. I’d love device-in-hands now! Can’t wait.
Chris: I’ve been wondering the same thing myself. I have a 6 GB data plan on my iPhone, and don’t necessarily need a 3G iPad (although my understanding is that the 3G models also sport assisted GPS, whereas the WiFi ones only include the digital compass … GPS is always nice to have
I’ve posed your question to Andy Ihnatko, who actually had his hands on the thing & some face-time with Apple reps. I doubt that the info is out there yet, but who knows? He’s going to respond on this blog later today.