All About the Apple iPad
You may have read our post about Steve Jobs unveiling the Apple iPad earlier today, but we didn’t give a whole ton of information about the device. If you’re interested in learning more about the iPad, we’ve got all you need to know right here.
Design
The first thing you’ll notice about the iPad is that looks very much like a larger version of the iPhone. The iPad features a high-resolution 9.7 inch LCD multi-touch screen. The iPad is extremely thin (0.5 inches), and only weighs 1.5 lbs, making it very convenient and portable.
Performance
Using the same lithium polymer battery technology Apple developed for their notebooks, the iPad’s battery life lasts up to 10 hours. The iPad will be available for both Wi-Fi and 3G, so you can expect very fast data performance. The A4 chip used inside the iPad was custom-designed by Apple engineers to be extremely powerful, and yet extremely power efficient.
Features
The iPad comes in both Wi-Fi and 3G models, so data will always be running very quickly. The iPad will be available with 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB flash drives. The 30-pin dock connector on the bottom of the iPad allows you to dock and charge it. It also lets you connect to iPad accessories like the Camera Connection Kit or the Keyboard Dock. The iPad also has powerful built-in speakers giving you a better movie and music experience, and a built-in microphone.
The iPad also features fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating and support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously. You will be relieved to hear that the iPad does include a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. The iPad also has an excellent pop-up touch screen keyboard which is actually about the same size as a normal keyboard, making typing and emailing very simple and efficient.
Apps
There are currently 140,000 iPad apps and counting. The iPad is capable of running almost any iPhone app. When an iPhone app is used on the iPad, you will have the option of enlarging the app from its original iPhone size to the full iPad resolution. Opening the app store on your iPad will take you to a dedicated section of apps made specifically for the iPad. Both iPad and iPhone apps can be bought directly from the iPad.
One certain app worth mentioning is the iBooks app. The iBooks app features a custom bookshelf showing the iBooks you’ve bought. With a single tap, you can access the new iBookstore which is promised to have a wide variety of books, from classics to bestsellers. The iPad’s high-resolution LCD screen is perfect for sharp, rich, and clear reading.
Closing
In closing, I’ll give you a quick view of the iPad’s pricing. The Wi-Fi only model will be $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G model will be $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB. Wi-Fi models of the iPad will begin shipping in March, along with 3G models coming April.