Steve Jobs just unveiled the iPad on stage and much as expected its runs the iPhons OS 4.0 (guessing) and the design of the tablet though is to my surprise just a oversized iPhone itself. While I hear people going WOW about this, frankly there is nothing really magical about the Apple tablet. No groundbreaking hardware and something like the Lenovo Hybrid was better innovation IMO.
And the problem of carrying a tablet shaped device and typing on it on the go still remains. A 5″ iPhone (or a 4.3″ atleast) would have pleased me much more. Though we are still hearing more from Steve’s keynote, lets see
Update:
So we have perhaps heard it all and the magic is certainly there. Its not the kind of x-factor iPhone had, and perhaps thats disappoints many. But then the $499 starting price is something – WOW. I guess the Apple tablet story is best described by the one liners on Twitter. But affordability and software is what Apple is selling. Your choice, take it or leave it.
Specifications of the iPad:
- Apple A4 chip – 1GHz
- 9.7″ multitouch display
- 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive
- Supports 140k App store apps
- Special iPad apps using new SDK possible
- No Camera
- Wifi or 3G + WiFi versions
- 0.5″ thick
- sells Unlocked, 3.5mm audio jack, accelerometer
- Weight: 790 gms 3G model, 680 gms Wifi model
- 10 Hr battery life, 1 month standby (25Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery)
The iPad will start shipping in 60 days and international plans will come out by June. In US it still relies on AT&T for data and this clearly makes me sad. No Apple Maps either, it ties Google Maps, YouTube, Amazon’s iBooks and more. But the pricing still rocks!
Not even halfway through the presentation yet, you may be right, but a bit premature
@nate referring to the hardware
Totally agree, this is really nothing special and is not going to appeal to anyone except for the Apple gadget freaks. The considerable border around the edge of the screen really makes it look like a beta version, why waste that space?
If they bring out a 2nd generation that is smaller, due to the lack of border, then it may be a useful device for surfing at home or watching TV in any room etc. … but still more of a gadget than a useful device that the world is in need of.
the price! aha
Okay so the price is the deal maker for sure! This just became much more useful at just $500
yeah!
@nate: a lil premature, but still relevant to the hardware as i said.
thx
This one is running OS 3.2 still. Two really bad things?
1. No Camera
2. No background apps
where’s my t-shirt??
Nice pointer Mihir, not to forget the missing Flash? or did they announce Flash?
@moksh -aapka number bhi aayega
i think the pricing of iPad has been very meticulously thought at..they knew iPad would give an experience of only a bigger iPhone and nothing much better really..so to create a “new category of devices between iPhone n netbooks”..they had target new users (like me!) to sell iPad..they knew regular users of iPhone n MACs wont be attracted at all by it..so the pricing has been kept the way it is..to reach to a much newer class customers..and sine they said that international plans coming in June..who knows apple now looks to target south-east asia (majorly India) for sales..and here ppl wont buy a 30K+ phone..except very select upper class of users..iPad will give better than netbook..so ppl thinking of netboks can surely think in direction of buying an iPad..so that opens up a completely new market for Apple..however, i dont think even this will until Apple looks to expand its geographical coverage..like south-east..see I am again yearning for them to have an offical steve jobs launch here..with a completely indianized version of iPad..(maybe Jobs could surprise everyone by speaking some Hindi..:P)
I do believe that Apple has revolutionized the use of touchscreens in cellphones, and facilitating the use and development of open-source applications “Apps” has truly cemented the iPhone’s legacy in cellphone history. But, I would sooner call Steve Jobs a marketing genius than a technological genius.
Have you seen the media conference where they introduced this horrible thing? His cronies applauded an cheered every tiny and otherwise normal thing he did! That’s marketing for ya… Tablet PCs & Slate Tablet PCs have been out for a while, how is this thing new? That’s marketing for ya… Apple has such a dismal market share in everything they do (globally) but make it look as if they run the show! That’s marketing for ya… They can sell $75 million in revenue for a product no one has personally seen or used! That’s marketing for ya… They can sell you the same product a year later by adding a compass feature (?), voice dialing capabilites (something all other phones already have), and adding the almighty letter “S” to 3G! That’s marketing for ya…