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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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Apple's "iPad" Tablet Device Is Here
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Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs took the wraps off the "iPad" tablet on Wednesday. The wireless device plays video, games and other media.
The "iPad" is powered by an 1Ghz Apple A4 chip developed by the P.A. Semi team, and will be available in versions with 16GB~64GB flash memory storage on-board. It has a 9.7-inch touchscreen IPS LCD display with awide 178 degree viewing angle, touch keyboard and supports Web browsing. It is half-inch thick, weighs 1.5 pounds comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology. It also comes with a built-in calendar and address book.
Jobs said the iPad will also be better for reading books, playing games and watching video than either a laptop or a smart phone.
"iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price," said Steve Jobs. "iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before."
Connectivity options inlcude just a 30-pin Dock connector, a microphone, a speaker, Bluetooth, and 802.11n WiFi. It also an accelerometer and a compass. The device can also run existing iPhone apps as well as new apps tailored for the iPad's screen size, developed using the updated iPhone SDK 3.2 beta, which is also available today.
With an interface that very reminiscent of the iPhone, the device comes with new versions of iPhoto, iTunes and a Map app auto-locate installed.
Other features:
- The Multi-Touch screen on iPad lets users see web pages one whole page at a time.
- iPad will work with all the popular email providers, including MobileMe, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, and AOL.
- iPad is also a new way to enjoy and share photos. For example, the new Photos app displays the photos in an album as though they were in a stack. Just tap or pinch to open the stack, and the whole album opens up. Then users can flip through their pictures, zoom in or out, or watch a slideshow. The iPad can also be used as a digital photo frame while it iPad is docked or charging. And there are lots of ways to import photos: users can sync them from their computer, download them from an email, or import them directly from their camera using the Apple Camera Connection Kit.
- The iBooks app allows users to buy everything from classics to bestsellers from the built-in iBookstore. Once someone has bought a book, it's displayed on his/fer Bookshelf.
- The Home Screen gives users one-tap access to everything on iPad. It can be customized by adding favorite apps and websites, or using photos for the background.
- Spotlight Search allows users to search across iPad, and all of its built-in apps.
iPad comes in two versions - one with Wi-Fi and the other with both Wi-Fi and 3G. iPad includes the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi, and the 3G versions support speeds up to 7.2 Mbps on HSDPA networks. Apple and AT&T announced 3G pre-paid data plans for iPad with on-device activation and management. Prices for the device start from $499. Consumers will have to pay another $130 for third-generation (3G) wireless capability. The tablet will use AT&T's mobile data services, with the carrier charging $29.99 for unlimited monthly access, or $14.99 for up to 250 megabytes of data a month. Wi-Fi models shipping are expected to ship in late March and 3G models will ship in April.
Apple also introduced a new version of iWork for iPad, the first desktop-class productivity suite designed specifically for Multi-Touch. With Pages, Keynote and Numbers users can create beautifully formatted documents, presentations with animations and transitions, and spreadsheets with charts, functions and formulas. The three apps will be available separately through the App Store for $9.99 each.
Technical 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
Capacity
* 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive
Battery and Power
* Built-in 25Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
* Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
* Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system
Processor
* 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip
Sensors
* Accelerometer
* Ambient light sensor
Input and Output
* Dock connector
* 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
* Built-in speakers
* Microphone
* SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model only)
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)
Audio Playback
* Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
* Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
* User-configurable maximum volume limit
TV and Video
* Support for 1024 x 768 with Dock Connector to VGA adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Composite A/V Cable, 576i and 480i with Apple Composite A/V Cable
* H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
Mail attachment support
* Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)
Mail attachment support
* Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)
Languages
* Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian
* Keyboard support for English (US) English (UK), French (France, Canada), German, Japanese (QWERTY), Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Russian
* Dictionary support for English (US), English (UK), French, French (Canadian), French (Swiss), German, Japanese, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin), Russian
Accessibility
* Support for playback of closed-captioned content
* VoiceOver screen reader
* Full-screen zoom magnification
* White on black
* Mono audio
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