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> Date: January 28, 2010 5:26:23 AM GMT+05:30 > Subject: Apple iPad: A Comprehensive Guide > Source: Mashable! > Author: Ben Parr > > > > Last updated: January 27th, 2010 > > After months of speculation and rumors, it’s official: The Apple iPad is > real. The device, announced earlier today by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, is > designed to fill the perceived gap between the smartphone and the laptop. > > With literally thousands of articles and blog posts being written about > Apple’s new device, it’s easy to experience information overload. That’s why > we’ve created this comprehensive Apple iPad guide. It is our complete, > constantly updated article on the iPad and its specs, features, pricing, > availability and much more. > > Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about the Apple iPad, and then some: > > Apple iPad: The Overview > > > On multiple occasions, Steve Jobs spoke about creating a new category of > devices that would fill the gap between the smartphone and the laptop > markets. He slammed netbooks for “not being better than anything.” He wanted > something that would be better than a laptop at browsing the web and that > could play games, movies, YouTube videos and more. > > The answer to that gap, at least for Apple, is the iPad. It’s essentially a > giant iPod touch/iPhone with a 9.7-inch screen, 16 to 64 GB of memory, and > the ability to run almost every iPhone app in the App Store. It can connect > via USB to sync with your PC or Mac, play HD video, act an ebook reader and a > lot more. > > While there are a lot of functions, all of which we describe below, its > killer feature is by far the price. While many predicted it would cost > $1,000, the starting price of the iPad is just $499. For comparison, the > Kindle DX, which also has a 9.7-inch screen, costs $489, only $10 less than > the iPad. > > Let’s get into the details of the iPad, shall we? > > Apple iPad: The Specifications > > > > Here’s what we know so far about the iPad’s specs. We’ll update this as more > is revealed about the device: > > - SCREEN: 9.7-inch IPS LCD screen. The LCD provides the backlighting, but > most of the technology is IPS, or In-plane switching. This gives it a > stronger viewing angle than most screens. > > - RESOLUTION: 1024×768 pixels (132 pixels per inch) > > - SIZE: 0.5 inches thin. > > - DIMENSIONS: 9.5 inches x 7.5 inches x 0.5 inches > > - WEIGHT: 1.5 pounds (1.6 pounds for 3G) > > - CHIP: 1 GHz Apple A4 chip. They went in-house instead of going to Intel. > > - MEMORY: Three models with 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB solid state hard drives. > > - INCLUSIONS: Accelerometer, Microphone, 30-pin connector, Compass, full > capacitive multi-touch, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G access on higher-end > models > > - BATTERY LIFE: 10 hours at full blast. On standby, it will last over a month. > > Summary: It’s thin, it’s light and it’s fast. > > Interface > > > > The interface should be familiar to you; it looks a lot like the iPhone OS > interface. In fact, it’s essentially a custom version of the iPhone 3.2 OS. > Primary apps are housed at the bottom and you swipe left and right through > your home screens to find apps. Steve Jobs even mentioned that it would be > easy for people to pick up on the interface because so many people (7.5 > million) have either an iPhone or an iPod touch. > > There is a new SDK for developers to build apps specifically for the iPad, > but all iPhone apps run in the iPad. iPhone apps can run either in their > native resolutions or in a “double pixel mode” for full-screen use. Most of > the apps we’ve seen run very well in double pixel mode. Developers will be > able to modify their apps using the new SDK to optimize them for the iPad, > though. > > Most everything else is just like the iPhone, but larger. The keyboard is > larger, although we have yet to see whether typing is more efficient via your > thumbs or with all 10 digits. > > Web, Email, and Maps > > Just like the iPhone, it utilized Safari Mobile as its browser. It’s bigger, > but not much else is different. And just like the iPhone, it does not support > Adobe Flash, a plug-in that Apple simply doesn’t like. > > In fact, most of the other standard web apps are the same between the iPhone > and the iPad. Email, for example, utilizes a similar interface, but it does > have more features such as email previews. Google Maps runs on the iPad just > as it does on the iPhone. > > One app that did get some new features though was the Photo app, which now > sports an iPhoto-like interface and some new multi-touch inputs that allow > you to easily view and manage multiple pictures. > > Connectivity > > Apple’s tablet comes in two models, based on their connectivity. Both > versions have Wi-Fi connectivity, which is to be expected. However, the > higher-end model also comes with 3G access — for $130 more, you can have a > 3G-enabled tablet. > > If you want the 3G model, you have to use it currently on AT&T: it’s the > official launch partner of the iPad. Luckily though, you don’t have to sign a > contract to use the 3G connection. Instead, you prepay for however many > months of 3G access you desire. It costs $14.99 for 250 MB of data per month, > while you’ll need to fork over $29.99 monthly for an unlimited plan. You can > cancel any time without any termination fee. > > The iPad utilizes microGSM, meaning that it’s not specifically bound to AT&T. > Thus, you can expect it to work on international carriers sometime in June or > July. That doesn’t mean you can just stick in a T-Mobile or Verizon card > though: Verizon and Sprint use the incompatible CDMA 3G format, while the > iPad’s 3G modem doesn’t support T-Mobile’s 3G frequency. > > Ebooks and Publishing Features > > > > Apple essentially drove a dagger straight into Amazon and the Kindle’s hearts > with the iPad. Not only is the device comparable in price to the Kindle DX, > but it has its own bookstore: iBooks. > > iBooks, announced today at the iPad event, is a new native application for > iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad that allows you to browse, download and read > e-books. At launch, five book publishers will have publications on iBooks: > Penguin, Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, Macmillian and Hachette. Left off > the list is McGraw-Hill, whose CEO accidentally spilled the beans on the > tablet a day too early. We think it’s possible that Apple handed retribution > to McGraw-Hill for the leak, although you’ll likely see its books on the iPad > at some point. > > Here’s how Steve Jobs described iBooks: > > “The iBooks app is a great, new way to read and buy books. Just download the > app for free from the App Store, and you’ll be able to buy everything from > classics to bestsellers from the built-in iBookstore. Once you’ve bought a > book, it’s displayed on your Bookshelf. To read it, all you have to do is tap > on it and it opens up. The high-resolution, LED-backlit screen displays > everything in sharp, rich, color, so it’s very easy to read, even in low > light.” > > Time will tell whether the iPad is suitable for long-term reading, but Apple > didn’t hold back any punches in its quest towrest the ebook crown from Amazon. > > TV, Movies and Video > > The video display itself is crisp and sharp, and that was on clear display > when Apple demoed several movies on the device. The video interface is just > like the iPhone’s video interface, with options for bookmarking, > fast-forwarding, rewinding, etc. Oh, and it plays video in HD. > > > > It also has an iTunes store-like interface for browsing videos, movie > chapters, and purchasing video content. On the left-hand side you’ll find > your viewing options with screenshots, descriptions and video length. On the > right-hand side are graphs, either from that movie or TV show. > > Still, this device is NOT a widescreen device. There is a lot of black space > on the top and bottom when watching a film in widescreen mode. We expect that > Apple will address this in future versions with slightly longer iPads, but > for now you’ll just have to deal with it. > > Summary: It’s great for watching movies, but it’s nothing revolutionary. > > Gaming > > You really want to look out for the iPad as a gaming device, because EA and > others are going to build some amazing games on this platform. > > Several games were demonstrated for the iPad, including Need for Speed Shift > and N.O.V.A. In Need for Speed, the driver moves the car by turning the > tablet. Tapping on the device changes your perspective and zooms. You utilize > the touchscreen to accelerate and change gears. Our estimation is that the > game looks great — better than an iPhone game — but still doesn’t compare to > the PC. In N.O.V.A., a first-person shooter, you can use thee fingers to open > a door or slide two fingers to toss a grenade. There are more input > possibilities with Apple’s tablet. > > The same things that made the iPhone a popular gaming platform were apparent > in these demos, however the iPad’s HD capabilities and its more advanced > touch screen will make it a stronger gaming platform. And with all iPhone > games running on the device, there’s already a big library in its collection. > > Productivity and iWork > > > > For productivity and business work on the iPad, Apple has introduced a new > version of its iWork software specifically designed for the touchscreen > device. It’s been in development for over a year, apparently. > > A rundown of the key features and applications in iWork for the iPad: > > - Keynote: Apple’s flagship presentation software has gotten an overhaul that > allows you to easily view and add slides using the touchscreen interface. You > can made edits, browse through slides and more. > > - Pages: Word processing on the iPad goes through Pages, which allows you to > type more effectively without a physical keyboard and provides touch-based > formatting options. For example, dragging images on a page is easy since > there’s auto-wrap. > > - Numbers: Apple’s spreadsheet feature lets you design data cells and > spreadsheets with the multi-touch interface. > > - Cost: It costs $9.99 for each app in the app store. > > It’s important to note that you can open Excel, Word and Powerpoint documents > in iWork, meaning that you can work on your PC documents on your iPad. > > Pricing > > > > Pricing was the biggest shocker at this event. While we thought it would cost > in the $800 range (some thought $1,000 was more accurate), the true price of > the cheapest model is actually $499. > > As you can see from the image above, it comes in two editions: Wi-Fi enabled > or Wi-Fi + 3G capable. There are also three sizes: 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. > Thus, the cheapest (Wi-Fi, 16 GB) costs only $499, while the most expensive > iPad, the 64 GB model with 3G, costs $829. > > Here’s the rundown, in order of price: > > - $499: 16 GB, Wi-Fi only > - $599: 32 GB, Wi-Fi only > - $629: 16 GB, Wi-Fi and 3G > - $699: 64 GB, Wi-Fi only > - $729: 32 GB, Wi-Fi and 3G > - $829: 64 GB, Wi-Fi and 3G > > In addition, you have to take into account the cost of 3G services. The iPad > has 3G through AT&T alone currently, but there is no contract, meaning you > can prepay or cancel at any time. For 250 MB of data a month, it costs $14.99 > per month, while unlimited data is $29.99. It’s quite a good deal in our > estimation, especially since you can cancel your contract at any time and you > get access to any AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot for free (e.g. Starbucks). > > Availability > > The iPad, while it doesn’t have an official launch day, should land in stores > at the end of March, 60 days or so from today or so. > > Only the Wi-Fi versions will be in stores at that time, though. If you want a > 3G version, you have to wait until April. > > We’ll update this section when we have hard launch dates for both device > models. > > Competitors > > > > Above: The HP Slate > The iPad isn’t the only device to sit in this mid-level computing device > realm. A slew of competitors were shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show > earlier this year, and many more are slated to arrive in 2010. > > While Apple may have the advantage of its brand and its loyal customers, > watch out for some of these competitors, many of them running on the Google > Android OS. > > - HP Slate: A Windows 7-powered tablet > > - Asus Eee Tablet: An upcoming tablet that may run on Google Android > > - Notion Ink Tablet: Another Android-based tablet > > - Google/HTC Tablet: Rumor has it that Google and HTC are developing a > Google-branded tablet, much like what they did with the Nexus One. There is > no confirmation of this, though. > > If you want to dig deeper into iPad competitors, we have a more comprehensive > overview of nine tablet challengers. > > What the iPad Lacks > > While in a lot of respects the iPad is a sleek, powerful device that will > surely create massive lines on launch day, it is missing a lot of features we > had hoped would be in it. > > Here are just a few of the things that you won’t find on the Apple tablet: > > - No camera: There is no front-facing camera for video conferencing, and > there is no back-facing camera for taking photos. This is a major omit from > the device. Hell, most netbooks and smartphones have a camera or two. > > - No multitasking: You cannot run multiple apps at the same time. To make > this a useful device, it needs to be able to do things like run Last.fm while > tweeting. This is one we hope Apple will fix with a future iPhone OS update, > but for now it can’t run multiple apps. > > - No HDMI Output: You can’t plug your iPad into your TV. > > - No USB port: You can’t plug in your favorite keyboard into the device…or > anything else, really. It will plug into your computer via the same cord you > charge iPhones and iPod touches with. > > We’re disappointed at a lot of the things that were excluded from this > device. Gizmodo has a great list of other things the iPad doesn’t include, > but the point is this: It’s a first generation device, and it’s not going to > include a lot of the things we want. With that said, make sure you know the > drawbacks before buying. > > Additional Reading > > - Apple Introduces iPad Tablet Device > > - Official Apple iPad Demo [VIDEO] > > - Apple iPad Specs Revealed > > - A First Look at the iPad for Publishers > > - iBooks: Apple Answers the Kindle with a Digital Bookshelf Like No Other > > - 4 Reasons the Kindle is Dead, 4 Reasons It’s Not > > > > [img credits: GDGT, Apple, Inc.] > > Tags: apple, Apple iPad, Apple Tablet, ipad, iphone, iphone os, iSlate, > Tablet, trending > > > > > > > Read more… >
