I’m sure every website on this planet is writing about the Apple iPad today so I’m not going to blabble much about it, just a little ;) I’ve listed the technical specifications at the end of this post.
Apple claims the iPad is the best way to experience the web, photos, videos and email. I’m not really convinced just yet, but it looks tempting so far. I’ve never been a big fan of the Apple monopoly in terms of user restrictions, but I can see how their keep-it-simple principles are very appealing to the masses.
Let me say this first. This is not a computer and it won’t let you do all your design or web related work. That’s NOT what the iPad is meant for. The iPad is meant to give you a relaxing evening on the couch or in bed. It’s a device that lets you surf the web and write emails, it lets you update your social media sites or blog, watch youtube videos or share some photos. If that’s what you’re looking for, this is probably a must-have gadget for you.
The high-resolution, 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS display on iPad is remarkably crisp and vivid. Which makes it perfect for web browsing, watching movies, or viewing photos. With iPad, there is no up or down. It’s designed to show off your content in portrait or landscape orientation with every turn. And because it uses a display technology called IPS (in-plane switching), it has a wide, 178° viewing angle. So you can hold it almost any way you want and still get a brilliant picture, with excellent color and contrast.
To maximize battery life, Apple engineers took the same lithium-polymer battery technology they developed for Mac notebook computers and applied it to the iPad. As a result, you can use iPad for up to 10 hours while surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching videos, or listening to music.
There are lots of great accessories specifically designed for iPad. The Keyboard Dock, for instance, combines a dock with a full-size keyboard. There’s also a standalone Dock. And because iPad has built-in Bluetooth wireless technology, it works with the Apple Wireless Keyboard, too. The Camera Connection Kit lets you import photos from a camera or SD card. The iPad Case not only protects your iPad, it also allows you to use it in various positions, making it easier to type, look at photos, or watch movies. And through a range of accessories, iPad can play your content on TVs, projectors, and displays. You can find all the accessory details on the Apple.com website.
It definitely looks like Apple has struck a goldmine with this one. It easy to use, it has a great display (IPS Panel), it will hit the market with a wide range of accessories and quite frankly I can’t wait to give the iPad a chance. If you want a fun toy to play around with and you want to simplify your web experience, I think this little gizmo could be the right thing for you. Like me, most of us really enjoy the tech toys nowadays :)
Size and weight
Height: 9.56 inches (242.8 mm)
Width: 7.47 inches (189.7 mm)
Depth: 0.5 inch (13.4 mm)
Weight: 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg) Wi-Fi model;
1.6 pounds (0.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G model
Display
* 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
* 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
* Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
* Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously
Wi-Fi model
* Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
* Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
Wi-Fi + 3G model
* UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
* GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
* Data only2
* Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
* Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
Location
* Wi-Fi
* Digital compass
* Assisted GPS (Wi-Fi + 3G model)
* Cellular (Wi-Fi + 3G model)
In the Box
* iPad
* Dock Connector to USB Cable
* 10W USB Power Adapter
* Documentation
Capacity
* 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive
Processor
* 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip
Sensors
* Accelerometer
* Ambient light sensor
Audio playback
* Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
* Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
* User-configurable maximum volume limit
TV and video
* Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite Cable
* H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
Mail attachment support
* Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)
Languages
* Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian
* Keyboard support for English (U.S.) English (UK), French (France, Canada), German, Japanese (QWERTY), Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Russian
* Dictionary support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French, French (Canadian), French (Swiss), German, Japanese, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Russian
Accessibility
* Support for playback of closed-captioned content
* VoiceOver screen reader
* Full-screen zoom magnification
* White on black display
* Mono audio
Pricing and price variations
The price of the iPad isn’t all that bad. You can buy two versions, the Wifi version and the Wifi + 3G (UMTS) version. I’ve added the pricelist below.
Wi-Fi version
16Gb – $499
32Gb – $599
64Gb – $699
Wi-Fi + 3G version
16Gb -$629
32Gb – $729
64Gb – $829
Uuuuuuh, finally the secret is revealed. I want the Wifi + 3G version!! Do you know when it will be available?