Apple's iPad
Molly Galloway, Staff Writer
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Technology
Apple's new iPad tablet computer, a new third category of mobile device that is neither smart phone nor laptop, was introduced by Founder and CEO Steve Jobs on Wednesday, Jan. 27.
The iPad will start selling in two months at $499, surprisingly below what some analysts were expecting, according to CBS.
With the recent unveiling of the iPad, Amazon's Kindle may appear to be in some trouble, but according to experts, the two devices are very different. The Kindle, along with the Sony E-reader, are optimized for reading and are fundamentally purchased by customers for a revolutionary reading experience. The iPad is better suited for mobile entertainment and if the price of Kindle drops significantly, both devices may be able to coexist, according to an article from CNN.com.
Other experts disagree, saying that the iPad is in direct competition with Amazon's Kindle and other e-book readers. The iPad's advantage over the similarly priced Kindle is that it provides a multitude of multimedia functions in addition to e-book reading. The revenue-generating capacity of the e-book market looks significant, with early estimates for the Kindle 2 last year suggesting that the device had generated over $100 million in revenue in about two months after its launch in February, according to an article in Business World. Apple will be aiming higher with the iPad, which should also deliver a useful improvement to its other content stores, according to an article from Business World.
Senior Buddy Dailey said he was shocked by the price of the iPad and is curious about the possible success of the product.
"I was expecting the price to be significantly steeper for the iPad. I bet they will be really popular like the Ipod when it first came out, but I wonder how practical they really are," Dailey said.
Apple has released an iPad Software Developer Kit to encourage developers to create applications specifically designed for the device's larger screen. Apple has accelerated development with its new iWork suite that allows one to use the iPad for word processing, spreadsheets and to create and show presentations, according to CBS.
Jobs announced that versions of the iPad will run on AT&T's wireless network. AT&T is the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the United States, and iPhone customers have complained about a lack of reliable service in areas such as San Francisco and New York City, as well as poor connectivity in various parts of the country. On the other hand, those that purchase the iPad will have a choice of a "non-AT&T" iPad, one that runs on Wi-Fi only, as well as one that runs on both Wi-Fi and AT&T's network, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Junior Joy Thompson has expressed interest in purchasing a Macintosh computer, but she is skeptical about the iPad.
"It just reminds me of a giant iPod touch and you can't run multiple programs on it. What is so special about it? I also really wish that they had named it something else because the name implies something totally different," Thompson said.
The iPad is like the iPod Touch, but larger: aluminum-backed, a half-inch thin, with a 10-inch screen surrounded by a shiny black border. There is a standard iPod/iPhone connector and a single Home button at the bottom. It weighs 1.5 pounds and has a touch screen with a diagonal reaching 9.7 inches. It comes with 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes of flash memory storage and has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity built in, according to the Apple website.
The iPad will start selling in two months at $499, surprisingly below what some analysts were expecting, according to CBS.
With the recent unveiling of the iPad, Amazon's Kindle may appear to be in some trouble, but according to experts, the two devices are very different. The Kindle, along with the Sony E-reader, are optimized for reading and are fundamentally purchased by customers for a revolutionary reading experience. The iPad is better suited for mobile entertainment and if the price of Kindle drops significantly, both devices may be able to coexist, according to an article from CNN.com.
Other experts disagree, saying that the iPad is in direct competition with Amazon's Kindle and other e-book readers. The iPad's advantage over the similarly priced Kindle is that it provides a multitude of multimedia functions in addition to e-book reading. The revenue-generating capacity of the e-book market looks significant, with early estimates for the Kindle 2 last year suggesting that the device had generated over $100 million in revenue in about two months after its launch in February, according to an article in Business World. Apple will be aiming higher with the iPad, which should also deliver a useful improvement to its other content stores, according to an article from Business World.
Senior Buddy Dailey said he was shocked by the price of the iPad and is curious about the possible success of the product.
"I was expecting the price to be significantly steeper for the iPad. I bet they will be really popular like the Ipod when it first came out, but I wonder how practical they really are," Dailey said.
Apple has released an iPad Software Developer Kit to encourage developers to create applications specifically designed for the device's larger screen. Apple has accelerated development with its new iWork suite that allows one to use the iPad for word processing, spreadsheets and to create and show presentations, according to CBS.
Jobs announced that versions of the iPad will run on AT&T's wireless network. AT&T is the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the United States, and iPhone customers have complained about a lack of reliable service in areas such as San Francisco and New York City, as well as poor connectivity in various parts of the country. On the other hand, those that purchase the iPad will have a choice of a "non-AT&T" iPad, one that runs on Wi-Fi only, as well as one that runs on both Wi-Fi and AT&T's network, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Junior Joy Thompson has expressed interest in purchasing a Macintosh computer, but she is skeptical about the iPad.
"It just reminds me of a giant iPod touch and you can't run multiple programs on it. What is so special about it? I also really wish that they had named it something else because the name implies something totally different," Thompson said.
The iPad is like the iPod Touch, but larger: aluminum-backed, a half-inch thin, with a 10-inch screen surrounded by a shiny black border. There is a standard iPod/iPhone connector and a single Home button at the bottom. It weighs 1.5 pounds and has a touch screen with a diagonal reaching 9.7 inches. It comes with 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes of flash memory storage and has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity built in, according to the Apple website.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
iPad Touch
posted 2/20/10 @ 6:56 PM EST
Finnaly, this device is going to be the best way to surf the web!
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