http://www.timesofearth.com/Business/?NT=4&nid=16691 SAN FRANCISCO – Steve Jobs, Apple Inc’s chief executive, has unveiled the most anticipated Apple product for years – the “iPad” tablet.
The device launched at an Apple Special Event in San Francisco on Wednesday,
aims to define a new category of wireless device that will play video, games, music, and offer the new ability to read “iBooks”.
“It’s so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a
smart phone,” Jobs said.
Jobs, who returned to the helm last year after a liver transplant, is hoping to sell consumers on the value of tablet computing after numerous technology
companies had failed to do so in recent years.
Called the “iPad,” the device is Apple’s biggest product launch since the iPhone three years ago, and arguably rivals the smartphone as the most anticipated in Apple’s history.
After months of feverish speculation on the internet and among investors, Jobs took the stage at a jam-packed theatre and began detailing the device’s basic features.
The iPad has a near life-sized touch keyboard and supports Web browsing. It comes with a built-in calendar and address book, Jobs said.
Technology enthusiasts had expected to see the sleek, full-colour, 10-inch gadget with a touchscreen interface and wireless connectivity, designed for playing all sorts of media from videos to games to electronic books and newspapers.
Presenting the iBook store, Jobs told the audience: “It looks like a bookshelf and there’s a button to a store. It’s an iBook Store to allow you to discover, purchase, and download e-books right on your iPad.”
Despite the buzz surrounding the launch and Apple’s storied golden touch on consumer electronics, the tablet is not necessarily an easy sell, analysts say.
Consumer appetite for a gadget that sits somewhere between a smartphone and a laptop has yet to be proven, though plenty of devices such as Amazon’s Kindle e-reader are vying for that market.
As iPod sales wane, Apple is looking for another growth engine and hopes to find one in the tablet. But the move is not without risk. Consumers have never warmed to tablet computers, despite many previous attempts by other companies.
A 16GB wifi-enabled iPad will set customers back $499, while an iPad with wifi with 3G connectivity will cost $829, Jobs announced.
In an online poll on reuters.com, 37 per cent of more than 1,000 respondents said they would pay $500-$699 for the tablet.
Nearly 30 per cent weren’t interested, while 20 per cent said they would pay $700-$899.
A keyboard dock is available for the 0.5 inch-thin device, which weighs only 1.5 pounds and has a battery that lasts 10 hours.
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February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
@ bassguitarFTW68: …
@ bassguitarFTW68: It’s too big to comfortably carry with you and not as functional as a laptop. Any way you look at it, the ipad is one of the most worthless peices of technology to come along in a long time. Nobody in their right mind is going to carry one around, and if it just sits in your house, you might as well have a laptop… or a desktop for that matter.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
So if you upgrade …
So if you upgrade it to maximum performance, will it be called a MaxiPad?
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
@TheInfiniteSeries
…
@TheInfiniteSeries
lol k
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
HOLY SHIT. tHiS is …
HOLY SHIT. tHiS is MINNND BLOWWING
steve jobs just totaly my brain in the .
it’s an incredible experience.
this is so much more than a macbook. anyone that disagrees can lick their moms BOLLZ and put it in a slide show, and then you know what….
put it in landscape form.
i just turned my macbook sideways and it didn’t do crap!
it must be made out ostupid
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
@TheInfiniteSeries …
@TheInfiniteSeries they can get a job but no way a garbage man will ever be able to afford this and just think what the world would look like without garbage men
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
I heard the …
I heard the rechargeable battery can not be replaced, is that TRUE?!?
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
sounds to me like …
sounds to me like it is just for web browsing…. if its better then a laptop, can u play games like cod4, 5 mw2? oh and.. ur worth millions of dollars and ur belt is amazing… is it invisible?
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
Like my 160gb ipod …
Like my 160gb ipod classic, only had 140gb….
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
To whoever wants to …
To whoever wants to come commenting on the lack of a camera, usb port(s), or any other little thing that rubbed you the wrong way… this product was not meant to be a desktop replacement!!! this is more of a social device for quick browsing, playing music, sharing photos with guests, among other things. This is a great product and I’m sure it will impress anyone who walks in your home and sees this sitting on your coffee table.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
This is awesome and …
This is awesome and all you apple-haters can suck on it! Most people are only against apple cuz they can’t afford one! Get a job you losers!
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
This is gayer than …
This is gayer than the friggin’ Segway.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
YAY no usb, no …
YAY no usb, no flash, no camera, looks retarted, if you drop it BROKEN : ( Stupidest thing steve jobs has done!
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
You know whats sad. …
You know whats sad…people will go out and pay the 500 or whatever bucks for this just cause its an apple product…and like the first Iphones they will find out they were stupid for doing it…Apple is a joke…everything they come out with is just more and more of a joke to get dumb peoples money.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
where do u get a …
where do u get a free ipad ?
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
a diff size in Gigs …
a diff size in Gigs wont really effect weight.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
iPad? really? I can …
iPad? really? I can see the marketing now: available to suit your “flow”; light 16gb, medium 32gb, heavy 64gb… and that bezel is thicker than a black star freebasing viagra. no me gusta the maxiPhone.
xD
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
Get the new apple …
Get the new apple iPad at f r e e i p a d i n fo . Ne t
Just enter in your zip code.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
GREAT!!!
GREAT!!!
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
Its missing things. …
Its missing things. Sure, its a connection between the Computer and the Telephone…but not everyone has AT&T, AND its not as reliable. You cant multitask on the iPad, you cannot take pictures. Hell, even the MacBook can take pictures.
I say that its great for on the go use, but I wouldnt be using that in the Office, or send my child to College with it. So, Try again Apple, Ive put my faith in your products before, just not THIS product.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
awesome man itz grt …
awesome man itz grt… one more step of advancement in technology …………
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
Incredible devise – …
Incredible devise – This is the missing link between the computer-the telephone-and the entertainment center!!!!
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
meh
meh
February 18th, 2010 at 1:24 am
first =) crappy …
first =) crappy device!