Meet the iPad

Posted by: rasp1 on: 01/28/2010 11:02 AM [ Print | 0 comment(s) ]

The Ipad is upon us. Today we learned about Apple's newest creation. The buzz over the last 2 to 3 weeks have been immense in speculation of what exactly Apple would be introducing. Would it have some special hardware, software. Would it be iPod/iPhone OS, or some other variant of the Mac OS. You have come to right place to find out.

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The iPad is upon us. We got to see what all the hype is about today with the brand new iPad descending on the world. The device doesn't really break any new ground on the hardware or software front, but it brings it together in a nice package.

Dimensions

The screen is 9.7 inches diagonal giving a ~1024x768 resolution. It is a type of TFT display technology. The device measures 9.56x7.47x.5 inches. It will weigh about 1.5 pounds in wifi, and 1.6 in 3G. It looks/feels like a MacBook pro tablet. It has the unibody construction that is the new sheik.

Screen Details

The iPad is fully multitouch capacitive in the same way the iPhone is. The screen measures in at 9.7" and has a dense resolution of 1024x768. The screen is much smaller than anything on the MacBook side, but much much larger than the iPhone.

The inside Tech

The iPad is only .5 inches thick, and the wifi version will weigh 1.5 pounds. It will come in 16, 32, and 64 GB sizes for flash storage. It is powered by a custom Arm A4 chip. There isn't much detail on this chip yet, but we assume that it is made/designed by PA Semi that Apple purchased a couple of years back.

Networking wise, it sports 802.11n wifi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. It also uses the standard 30 Pin iPod connector, two speakers, microphone, accelerometer and compass.

Video output is run through the iPhone type composite cables up to 576p and through a dock-to-VGA adapter up to 1024x768. There is no other video output like hdmi or Display ports. Also lacking is any kind of camera on the iPad. Not sure why.

The machine can be upgraded to use 3G and these models come with A-GPS.

Battery

Apple is claiming the unit will run up to a month in standby mode, and will work flat out for 10 hours. This will be awesome if true. You could watch several movies while on a long trip, or shut the kids up watching movies on a long trip...

Connecting to the World Beyond

The iPad will come in three separate models. The 16, 32, and 64 GB versions. These versions will only have wifi to connect to the outside world. There will also be the same three models that offer Wifi/3G, the same kind of split between the Ipod Touch and the iPhone. You also gain Assisted GPS with that as well.

The iPad will cost you $15 a month for 250 MB on AT&T, or $30 a month unlimited data. It also gives you access to AT&T hotspots as well. And the device comes unlocked, and the service is Prepaid only. So you don't have to sign a contract with AT&T to get service. And you can sign up or drop service at any time right on the iPad.

The radio in the iPad is technically unlocked, but the iPad uses a new kind of SIM card call the Micro SIM, and the only other GSM carrier here in the US is t-Mobile, and their 3G works on the much higher 1700 MHZ and thus is incompatible with the iPad.

Software

The iPad software is based off of and is compatible with the iPhone. Software made for the iPhone will run unmodified in the iPad. The apps will display as a small box, or a pixel doubled version.

Since the iPad is just a ginormous iPhone, it's screen and user interface are modal in nature, and so doesn't offer multitasking just like the iPhone. If you can't do it on the iPhone, you can't do it here. They have introduced pull-down menus, and have implemented this in the SDK.

Homescreen and niceties

The home screen looks and feels pretty much like the iPhone. But they have left the dock icons the same size so there is plenty of white space on each page. I hope that they will change that by the time it ships, or in the near future. Bigger icons would take care of that nicely.

Keyboard

Keyboard is over grown just like everything else on the iPad. You can type on it with your fingers, but still it is a onscreen keyboard. After a little bit, you get tired of that. Tactile feedback please.

Email

The email is basically the same with a preview pane. But to help with some of the glaring issues that happens with having multiple email accounts that you have to check the drop down menus and pop up windows is a nice function. We will have to see if that adds to the user feel.

Music

It is a cross between a iPod and the iPhone with a little dash of iTunes from the Mac OS. You can play music, and have a full sized iTunes store to buy your wares in. Cover flow seems to be absent from this, but we need more info to see if it is not going to be included.

The youtube app can now display 720p video as well as iPod app. Beyond that though, it looks and feel pretty much the same as the old ones.

Browser

The browser is upscaled just like in the rest of this device. If you didn't like it before, you won't like it now. But it is good enough. We still don't have flash support for the device, and with the beefier specs I would assume flash is now at least doable. Or the Flash lite or whatever Adobe is calling it, should work on here.

The map and photo app are similar to what is found in iPhoto and the Map app. The iPhoto has been given the multi-touch make over.

Apps and that

Of course we have all this new real estate to play with, and we can use all the old apps right out of the box, but what can with do with this extras? The SDK now supports the drop down menus and all the new elements inherent with the iPad.

Brushes is the first app that shows what can be done. It has has this really cool interface to let you paint and draw to your hearts content using your fingers. I felt like I was in kindergarten again, finger painting my heart out.

Games, Games and more Games

Apple is also pushing the gaming angle. They had EA come up on the stage and demo "Need for Speed: Shift" and it used the accelerometer to steer and go. It was very nice. And since these things are toys, maybe Apple will get behind the gaming push. That will sell a lot of apps and a lot of units. Better watch out Nintendo.

No word yet what kind of graphics chip that this thing uses, but the iPhone itself can run the Quake 3 engine and openCL graphics. That could make for some interesting times ahead.

Books

There is a new app called iBooks. This app comes with its own store that will sell nothing but apps for all the little boys and girls of the world to download and read.

Apple is using the ePub format for the books it sells, and the Kindle app should still work, or will work with the iPad.

They won't be selling magazines or newspapers, that looks to be delegated to just a caller specific app, ie the New York Times app.

iWork

...WOW...That is all I can say. I like Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on the Mac, but this reworking of iWork for the iPad is just awesome. They have redesigned the UI so that it works in this touch centric world.

They look like they have the same basic and advanced functionality as the desktop brothers. Plus, I'm sure there is some stuff in there that isn't on the desktop as well. And with the ability to dock this thing to a monitor/projector very easily, this will probably become the new way to do presentations.

The icing on the cake...They are only $10 a piece, or $30 for all three of them. That is nice. Oh so nice.

The Little Things

The iPad will come with a keyboard dock, case/kickstand, and regular dock. It also supports bluetooth keyboards in general, so you can grab your Apple keyboard and use that bad boy. No word if others will be allowed or just unsupported.

You will have to have a new USB charger because this thing uses more power, and looks like any accessory that will plug into the iPhone/iPod will work with the iPad.

Pricing and availablity

Wifi Only:

$499: 16 GB
$599: 32 GB
$699: 64 GB

Wifi + 3G

$629: 16 GB
$729: 32 GB
$829: 64 GB

The iPad will ship within 60 days to the US in both version, and wifi only over seas. 90 days for the iPad to make it in a 3G form factor internationally. Apple is working on carrier deals, so subsidizing might be an option.

In the US as stated above you can get a $15 a month 250 MB plan, or a $30 month unlimited plan. There is no contract involved, so that you can cancel at any time. So this actually makes the iPad cheaper than the iPhone...

Photos From Event