Apple introduced the iPad tablet system, offering a 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768 screen and 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB capacities. Having a customized 1 GHz "Apple A4" computer chip, the iPad weighs in at 1.5 lbs . and is .5-inch thin. The iPad will likely be listed at $499, $599, and $699 for the different capability versions with no 3G, and also $629, $729, and $829 with 3G. Wi-Fi only choices are scheduled to ship in Sixty days, with 3G-capable device shipping in Three months days. A movie preview is also available.
In terms of common online connectivity, the iPad gives Wi-Fi (802.11n) and Bluetooth 2.1 EDR, with 3G styles also supplying mobile data online connectivity. All of iPad versions come with an accelerometer, compass, loudspeakers, a microphone, plus a 30-pin dock connector. The iPad offers a claimed 10 hours of battery life for seeing video, with A calendar month of standby battery life.
Models with 3G are going to be unlocked and also can use GSM micro SIMs. Inside U.S., AT&T will provide a pair of data plan choices ? $14.99 for up to 250 MB per 30 days and $29.99 per 30 days for limitless data. No 2 year contract is necessary for either choice, and free of cost use of AT&T's Wi-Fi hot spots is included. Data bundles for iPad customers beyond the U.S. will by in place by June.
The iPad will present standard applications for personal info management, which includes an
book and calendar, as well as email, Safari, Google Maps, as well as Notes. A unique version of iTunes is also on board to deliver an optimized searching experience on the device's 9.7-inch monitor.
Add-ons will also be intended for the iPad, this includes a dock which includes a physical keyboard that'll provide the iPad in portrait positioning and also a case with a built-in stand for video watching. Price ranges on these add-ons were not presented. The iPad also supports Bluetooth keyboards.
Many demos showed unmodified apple iphone apps working on the iPad at original resolution and scaled up to take advantage of the iPad's enhanced monitor real estate. In accordance with Scott Forstall throughout his time on stage, the iPad can run "virtually every" iphone app with no customization, with an on-screen button to scale an app's quality up and down as preferred. apple iphone users will not require to re-purchase apps to load them on to an iPad.
The event was also filled with demos, featuring Gameloft's N.O.V.A., an art iphone app referred to as Brushes, Electronic Art's Need for Speed Shift, and video within a Major League Baseball app.
As anticipated from recently available rumors regarding Apple's negotiations in the past few days with key portable media publications, the New York Times was available to demo a dedicated New York Times application, informing they were proud to "pioneer the next generation of digital journalism." The app provides an extended view of the paper's content with in-line video watching and synchronization capacity with the apple iphone app.
Jobs then revealed the iBooks application, referencing Amazon's Kindle and describing that they desired to "stand on their shoulders and go somewhat further." The iBooks application has a store - the iBookstore - having content material from Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachette Book Group. iBooks uses the open ePub standard and offers tables of contents as well as instinctive page navigation on the iPad, and the ability to view in portrait and horizontal orientations because of the built-in accelerometer. Jobs pointed out True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy, describing its $14.99 price tag in the iBooks store.
New iPad-specific versions of iWork software also made an appearance on the occasion, together with demos of Keynote, Pages, and Numbers by Phil Schiller for the iPad. Schiller pointed out specific on-screen keyboards as well as drop-down menus to focus it's ease of use of those apps within the iPad. The iWork apps will cost $9.99 each.
At the end of the event, Jobs referred to the iPad as the company's "most advanced technology inside a magical and groundbreaking unit at a fantastic cost." He also pointed out that there are over 125 million iTunes accounts with bank cards and that using the iPad will be second-nature for the more than 75 million apple iphone and iPod touch customers.
Developers can gain access to the new iphone SDK 3.2 today, providing tools for building iPad programs including specifications, sample code, and also a simulator program.
