As Steve Jobs took center stage just a moment ago at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, it quickly dispelled one of the most rumored (and hyped) gadget in the last 2 years – the Apple tablet device. Emaciated from his recent liver transplant, Jobs, in his signature black turtleneck, jeans, and sneakers, announced the new tablet-like Apple device – officially named the Apple iPad.
Measuring around the 9.5 inches in height and 7.5 inches in width, the iPad is about 0.5 inch in thickness and weighs at 1.5 pounds. A 9.7-inch LED backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology, along with a single “Home” button, dominate the front. (Think of it as a very large iPhone). Its innards feature a 1GHz Apple A4, specifically created by Apple in-house chip designers for a high-performance, low-power processing unit. This equates to a 10-hour battery life with a “over a month standby power”. There are 2 variants base on connectivity, the WiFi-only version enable the device to connect to all 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1. A WiFi + 3G version (with its telltale black antenna patch on the back) will connect a myriad of wireless options including UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/EDGE, 802.11 a/b/g/n, and Bluetooth 2.1. A new online store, the iBooks, will compete head-to-head with the successful Amazon.com Kindle device. Plus, revised iWork software gives the iPad an edge in productivity when comparing to other e-reader gadgets.
The official announcement today also dismissed several speculations:
- Apple is continuing its partnership with AT&T in allowing the wireless giant as the official 3G service provider for the iPad . But consumer could cancel the wireless plan any time.
- The Apple iPad will NOT be able to multitasking
- The device will be UNLOCKED
- Both editions will cost substantially less than $1000
Cost:
Apple iPad with Wi-Fi:
16 GB – $499
32 GB – $599
64 GB – $699
Apple iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G:
16 GB – $629
32 GB – $729
64 GB – $829
Release Date:
Apple iPad with Wi-Fi – Late March 2010
Apple iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G – Late April 2010
Apple iPad with Wi-Fi
Apple iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G
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 (.68 kg) Wi-Fi model – 1.6 pounds (.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G mode
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
Processor:
- 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip
Sensors:
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
Power Source:
- Built-in 25Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
- Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
- Charging via: power adapter or USB to computer system
Wireless and Cellular:
Wi-Fi model:
- Wi-Fi (802.11 a/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)
- Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
