Apple's Steve Jobs Announces the "iPad"

[Greg Tito]

Apple's Steve Jobs Announces the "iPad"

Like Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai, Steve Jobs descended on the geeks of San Francisco bearing the iPad, a bigger version of the iTouch.

The much anticipated tablet computer from Apple has some pretty impressive specs. It weighs 1.5 pounds, boasts a 9.7 inch multitouch (duh) screen and an "Apple A4" processor. The 1 ghz Apple A4 chip was custom made for the iPad using the proprietary P.A. Semi technology. Apple claims the iPad will get 10 hours of battery life when actively used or a month on standby. The iPad has a 3G connectivity deal with AT&T for $14.99/month limited to 250 MB, or unlimited for $29.99, or you can opt for pure wireless internet or Bluetooth. The iPad is priced at $499 for a 16GB, 32GB for $599, and $699 64GB, but if you want 3G capability, you have to pay $130 for it. The most expensive model then would be $829, a 64GB with 3G. The iPad will ship in 60 days, with the 3G versions coming in 90.

The iPad has a soft touch keyboard built-in which Steve Jobs says is "super responsive, super precise." More from Jobs, "[The iPad is] way better than a laptop, way better then a phone. You can turn it any way you want. To see the whole page is phenomenal."

The iPad runs all iPhone or iTouch apps (in a window or at double-size) but Apple also announced a version of their office suite, iWork, for the new device. A new SDk was released today so that third party developers can update their apps to take advantage of the bigger screen, or write new apps altogether.

Games on the iPad are alive and well, with Apple showing off the iPhone versions of Gameloft's FPS N.O.V.A and an updated EA's Need for Speed: Shift. With the new SDK out today, it's only a matter of time before game designers take advantage of the iPad.

The killer app of the iPad is iBooks, which is poised to turn other electronic readers into Kindling. With deals with major publishing houses like Simon and Schuster and Penguin, many people will turn to downloading iBooks for $12.99 to $14.99.

Source: NYTimes [http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/27/ipad-plays-all-iphone-games-and-apps/]

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[L33tsauce_Marty]

Looks really, really boring. Kind of looks goofy to carry around too.

 

[edgeofblade]

I hear the Apple iPad runs at 30 Giga-mehs and if you don't change to one with more storage before you go to bed, it will leak.

 

[ZeroDotZero]

Well, I love my iPod. I want an iPad, but I can see how some of the games will fail on it.

 

[era81]

Apple is going to release an oc version called the maxi-pad.

 

[bouncymike999]

this is alot funnier to me because there was a madtv skit making fun if them called the ipad it was a music playing tampon

 

[-IT-]

Pointless and overpriced, looks like applefans have something new to wank over . . .

 

[Loves2spooge]

Sounds and looks like shit!

 

[Sneaky-Pie]

Meh, netbooks have better specs and are still cheaper.

 

[Nerf Ninja]

Why on earth would anyone pay that much for a downloaded book? I don't get this whole concept that they think they can charge the same price as a physical copy.

On the subject of the iPad (Hate the name) it's a case of ooh nah.

 

[Epitome]

Wtf is the point of this pos? Its the definition of impractical.

 

[Fayathon]

I'll take my laptop over this any day, especially with it being a third the price, and having an actual keyboard.

 

[Jared]

Well, I suppose if your a real iGeek you can get ne...otherwise its just a nice toy for people who can afford one

 

[Jon Etheridge]

iPad? Really?

While I'm not going to pretend I wouldn't like to see this thing in action that is the most ridiculous name since the Wii.

iPad... sounds like something you'd find down the women's hygiene isle at Wal Mart.

 

[Trotgar]

Looks interesting to me, but I already have an iPod Touch so I won't get this, at least in near future.

 

[AceDiamond]

Well, I suppose if your a real iGeek you can get ne...otherwise its just a nice toy for people who can afford one

Even the iGeeks think it's not that awesome, which should tell you something.

Namely that the Apple iPad is going to suck more than their ill-fated attempt at a gaming console.

Seriously? 64GB of memory? At maximum? And none of the configurations cost as much or less than a netbook? Could someone please explain to me any possible appeal of being screwed over by blindly following a company like this?

I'm really glad Apple didn't invent the modern Netbook, cause if they had the entire idea would've been dead just as fast as the time they tried to invent the Netbook.

 

[BloodyThoughts]

Hmmmmm, if there is something that is "INotebook" than it can be useful, but it just looks silly. It might work but I am not getting it for 500$.

 

[Twad]

iPad? iDontcare.
They are going to market 17 different versions of if in lite-jumbo-in all thecolors of the rainbow, in different formats in the next month. Then repeat the same process with a different i-somthing gizmo two months later.

 

[DaxStrife]

Well, it sounds like a nice step in the direction of all those future floaty computers we've been told about since the '50s, but it's still an Apple product. The only way they could get me excited about it is if it came with "Half-Life 2 Episode 3" installed.