2010: the year of the iPad / iSlate / Apple tablet (Apple haters move on please...)

[Husty]

I'm really not being anti apple like usual here (price aside) I just really cant see a use for it which a netbook doesn't provide

 

[clippedgull]

jobs finishes

Nice work Steve

Now wheres my credit card!

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

I'm really not being anti apple like usual here (price aside) I just really cant see a use for it which a netbook doesn't provide

Hey mate, no worries. You're just sharing a different perspective, that's all. I get that.

Personally, I'm happy that Apple aren't trying to graft a laptop interface and navigation method on a device with multi-touchscreen capabilities.

 

[Husty]

Can we clarify though? Is this running OSX like on all their macs? So i can browse files, folders, multitask e.t.c. or is it the iphone OS blown upto a bigger screen? Theres a fairly significant difference there if you ask me.

 

[clippedgull]

Can we clarify though? Is this running OSX like on all their macs? So i can browse files, folders, multitask e.t.c. or is it the iphone OS blown upto a bigger screen? Theres a fairly significant difference there if you ask me.

Updated Iphone OS

 

[clippedgull]

Apple today unveiled its iPad, after years of rumors that the company was building a tablet-like device. Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the device today during a special media-only event, saying it is "way better than a laptop, way better than a phone. It's the best web experience you've ever had."

Jobs began the introduction by discussing what kind of device might fit between a smartphone and a laptop. "We've wondered for years as well—in order to create that category, they have to be far better at doing some key tasks... better than the laptop, better than the smartphone," Jobs said. "Now, some people thought that was a netbook—the problem is that netbooks aren't better than anything!"

Then Jobs brought out the iPad, which looks much like an oversized iPhone. It features an interface that essentially a hybrid between Mac OS X and iPhone OS. In addition to browsing the web, included applications also give users access to iTunes media, including HD video content, calendars, photos, contacts, and more. The built-in e-mail client also looks like a hybrid between Mail on the Mac and Mail on the iPhone. Text entry is done with a large, on-screen QWERTY keyboard, which seemed very responsive during Jobs' demo.

The iPad hardware itself is built using a custom Apple-designed chip dubbed the "A4," running at 1GHz. It features has a beautiful 9.7-inch, 1024x768 IPS LCD display with full multi-touch input. It also packs in 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR, accelerometer, compass, speaker, microphone, 30-pin dock connector, and a 10 hour battery capable of a full month of standby time. All of that hardware in contained in a case that is just half an inch thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds.

The iPad will come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions, starting at just $499. The 32GB version will sell for $599, and the 64GB model for $699. That's far less than the oft-rumored $1,000 price point. Models with integrated 3G networking will be available a month later for an additional $130. The 3G modem will be carrier-unlocked and use new "micro" SIM cards. In the US, AT&T will be the first official provider of data service for 3G-equipped models, with a $14.99 250MB plan and a $29.99 unlimited plan. Activation will take place directly from the device; all plans are prepay and can be cancelled at any time. Plans for international users will be announced later this summer.

When we set out to develop the iPad, we not only had very ambitious technical goals and user interface goals, but we had a very aggressive price goal," Jobs said. "We want to put this in the hands of a lot of people... At $499, a lot of people can afford an iPad."

Of course, the iPad wouldn't be of much use without apps that let you do the things you want to do. It will run standard iPhone apps just fine, without modification, either centered in the middle or enlarged to fit the full screen. However, developers can access an updated SDK, complete with an iPad simulator, to begin developing apps specifically for the device. EA and Gameloft were on hand to demo games, and the New York Times showed of a virtual newspaper app. An iPad-ready version of Brushes, a painting program, was also demonstrated, showing off the devices precise touch sensing.

However, Apple also had some significant new apps of its own to show off. The first is iBooks, an e-reading application. The app, which looks suspiciously like the iPhone app Classics, lets readers flip through virtual books, complete with animated page flips. Books can be black and white or full color, and publishers can even include video and audio. Books will be available from an integrated iBook Store, which for now will be stocked with books and textbooks from from the top five publishers: Hachette, HarperCollins, MacMillan, Peguin, and Simon & Schuster.

 

[clippedgull]

Apple - iPad - Technical specifications and accessories for iPad.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/ipad-video/

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Thanks very much for the links.... it's a lot smaller and usable than I thought, judging from the promo vid.

 

[clippedgull]

Nice case, turns into a stand!

 

[Bozza]

What do you mean, not a real OS? Of course it's a real OS! It's OS X!

No it's not, it's iPhone OS, or a slightly extended version thereof.

I'm really not being anti apple like usual here (price aside) I just really cant see a use for it which a netbook doesn't provide

Spot on. It's Apple's take on a what a netbook (or what they see as a gap between a laptop and smartphone) should be.

Thanks very much for the links.... it's a lot smaller and usable than I thought, judging from the promo vid.

Really?!?

Smaller - for months, everything said it was going to be 10", and it's come in pretty much right on the money at 9.7"

Usable? You think Apple would release a clunky device with a difficult-to-use i/f?

 

[Husty]

Engadget says:

It's not light. It feels pretty weighty in your hand.
The screen is stunning, and it's 1024 x 768. Feels just like a huge iPhone in your hands.
The speed of the CPU is something to be marveled at. It is blazingly fast from what we can tell. Webpages loaded up super fast, and scrolling was without a hiccup. Moving into and out of apps was a breeze. Everything flew.
There's no multitasking at all. It's a real disappointment. All this power and very little you can do with it at once. No multitasking means no streaming Pandora when you're working in Pages... you can figure it out. It's a real setback for this device.
The ebook implementation is about as close as you can get to reading without a stack of bound paper in your hand. The visual stuff really helps flesh out the experience. It may be just for show, but it counts here.
No camera. None, nada. Zip. No video conferencing here folks. Hell, it doesn't have an SMS app!
It's running iPhone OS 3.2.

I dont see why they bothered frankly, its a very big iphone and nothing more, most pointless gadget of 2010 award has just been awarded to this thing.

 

[clippedgull]

Which model you buying Bozza?

I will probably go for the 32gb wifi

 

[Bozza]

god it is cheap though, i would pick one up but i would need an extended period of time with it first to decide if it is actually WORTH getting as i just cant see when i would use it over my traditional (faster) netbook.

How do you know your netbook is faster?

You know that you can't just say a 1.6ghz chip is faster than, say, a 1ghz chip of a completely different flavour, right?

(If you could, old Pentium chips would be faster than modern atoms, dual cores et al)

f***ing typical apple that, a wifi chip DOES NOT cost $120

Eh? They're not. Wifi comes for 'free'. It's the 3g version that costs more.

 

[Bozza]

Which model you buying Bozza?

I will probably go for the 32gb wifi

Dunno yet but I'm sure we will get one.

There tends to be a bit of a scrap for the Macbook Pro I'm currently writing on and the 'loser' will invariably use one of the iPod Touches for web, Facebook and Twitter stuff over one of the yucky PC laptops in the house.

I've held off a netbook purchase, even resisting Hackintoshing something to see just what the iPad was going to be. And, to be honest, a jumbo-sized Touch suits our needs fine - web, Facebook, Twitter, games and then using iPlayer, TVCatchup to watch video content in bed etc.

I'm not sure why we'd want much storage space on board - we won't use it for music, mainly video or maybe books. eBooks don't take up much space at all and, when at home, the Air Video app allows you to stream video content from other machines in the house.

The question will be whether to go for a 3g version. It would be nice if I could plug in one of my 3g dongles for internet access when required.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

You think Apple would release a clunky device with a difficult-to-use i/f?

Those are your words, not mine.

 

[Superphil]

I love this binfest. I love it that people are already telling us why it is shit, why it won't work, why it won't sell, what it is, what it isn't, why they won't be buying one.

Face it, Apple make products that people buy, they used to have loyal fans of their PCs, then the iPod made them millions of new fans, then the iPhone did the same. This will do it moreso.

I suggest people who don't like it, don't think it is good enough, or just don't understand it (or won't understand it), don't fret, don't get wound up, it's only a portable computing device. Your life will go on, as will the lives of the millions who buy this new gadget, you don't have to worry about it. And of course your Netbooks, Nokias, Ubuntus and HTCs will satisfy you completely, so it's win win really, you have yours, and others will have their iPads.

 

[Husty]

I love this binfest. I love it that people are already telling us why it is shit, why it won't work, why it won't sell, what it is, what it isn't, why they won't be buying one.

Face it, Apple make products that people buy, they used to have loyal fans of their PCs, then the iPod made them millions of new fans, then the iPhone did the same. This will do it moreso.

I suggest people who don't like it, don't think it is good enough, or just don't understand it (or won't understand it), don't fret, don't get wound up, it's only a portable computing device. Your life will go on, as will the lives of the millions who buy this new gadget, you don't have to worry about it. And of course your Netbooks, Nokias, Ubuntus and HTCs will satisfy you completely, so it's win win really, you have yours, and others will have their iPads.

I think we both know that isnt how it works.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

I love this binfest. I love it that people are already telling us why it is shit, why it won't work, why it won't sell, what it is, what it isn't, why they won't be buying one.

Face it, Apple make products that people buy, they used to have loyal fans of their PCs, then the iPod made them millions of new fans, then the iPhone did the same. This will do it moreso.

I suggest people who don't like it, don't think it is good enough, or just don't understand it (or won't understand it), don't fret, don't get wound up, it's only a portable computing device. Your life will go on, as will the lives of the millions who buy this new gadget, you don't have to worry about it. And of course your Netbooks, Nokias, Ubuntus and HTCs will satisfy you completely, so it's win win really, you have yours, and others will have their iPads.

Nice one. I remember the uproar when people complained about the original iPod 'only' having 4gb!

 

[Superphil]

Oh, and it's quite well priced too, nowhere near as much as some people were predicting.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I can't believe anyone gets worked up on either side of the fence. Is anyone else apathetic about this?