"iPad" is Apple's Latest Creation
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad, a tablet-style computer that resembles the iPhone, but with a larger screen and other features for work and play. Prices start at $499, for a 16 GB version with Wi-Fi, and shipping begins in 60 days.
"It's so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone," Jobs said Wednesday at the device's highly anticipated debut in San Francisco.
A 32 GB version with Wi-Fi is $599, and a 64 GB version $699. Adding 3G network to the Wi-Fi enabled iPad, ups the price to $629 for the 16 GB, $729 for the 32 GB, and $829 for the 64 GB versions. The 3G versions ship in 90 days, Jobs said. AT&T will offer an unlimited data plan for $30 a month, and will not require the usual longer-term service contract, he added.
Jobs demonstrated how the iPad is used for surfing the Web with Apple's Safari browser. He typed an e-mail using an on-screen keyboard and flipped through photo albums by flicking his finger across the screen, using gestures common to the iPhone.
The iPad also has a custom version of iWorks, productivity software that includes applications for documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The applications are priced at $9.99 each.
On the specifications list, the unit comes with a multi-touch screen and a 1 Ghz custom Apple chip that the company calls the A4. The processor, graphics, and input-output memory controller are all on a single chip.
The iPad is 0.5 inches thin and weighs 1.5 pounds. The 9.7-inch IPS display is the same display used in the latest-generation iMac. (See more specifications below.)+
Apple says the iPad can run almost every application from its App Store without needing modification.
A computer user can run the system with 16, 32, or 64 GB of SSD storage, according to Apple.
It includes 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Apple also says the until features a 10-hour battery life - the crowd responded with enthusiastic applause after Jobs mentioned that attribute. The iPad also comes with one month of standby battery life; that is, you can leave the unit in sleep mode and not use it for 30 days. It also has an optional keyboard.
As part of today's announcement, Apple came out with an online bookstore called the iBookstore, along with Penguin, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan and Hachette as partners. It will compete head-on with the Amazon Kindle device and bookstore. The Kindle lacks the color screen and rich-media capabilities of the iPad and its mobile operating system.
Every the master presenter, Jobs lauded the iPad as "a great reader, a great online bookstore. All in one really great app. We use the ePub format. We're very excited about this."
There's been lots of speculation that Apple's tablet will bring new life to print media like newspapers and magazines. But so far, there's no indication of how the old media will wring profits from this new device, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone.
Now Apple will have to convince consumers, many of whom already have Internet-connected phones, computers and TVs, that that's the case. Tablet computers have existed for a decade, with little success.
The iPad has the advantage of plugging into the iPhone and iTunes, and now iBook, ecosystem, and a broad base of loyal users. Apple has sold over 250 million iPods and nearly 40 million iPhones to date.
The color screen and screen size, as well as the fit and finish associated with Apple products, makes the iPad a multipurpose device that bridges the gap between the iPhone and a laptop. It doesn't define a new category, but could redefine the notion of a "netbook," CNET experts said.
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Meanwhile, tune in to a live video chat about the Apple product debut as Tom Merritt, Molly Wood and Rafe Needleman host a special session of CNET's Buzz out Loud.
iPad Specifications
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 (.68 kg) Wi-Fi model;
1.6 pounds (.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
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)
* Data only2
* Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
* Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology
Location
* Wi-Fi
* Digital compass
* Assisted GPS (Wi-Fi + 3G model)
* Cellular (Wi-Fi + 3G model)