PALIN MITENK BLOG

Revolution: Apple chief executive Officer Steve Jobs unveils the company's latest product - the iPad



- 'Magical and revolutionary product' bridges gap between laptop and mobiles

- Prices start at $499 (£308) in the US for a 16GB version with WiFi

- Powered by a 1GHz Apple A4 chip, and has 16GB to 64GB of flash storage

- New device is half an inch thick, with 9.7in display and weighs 1.5lb

- Ten hours of battery life if watched continuously and one month of standby charge

- WiFi version available worldwide in 60 days with 3G following a month later

- Apple could run into trademark problems with Fujitsu, who previously filed a claim to the name 'iPad'

Apple tonight unveiled the new generation device dubbed by some gadget aficionados as the 'Jesus Tablet' and named it the...iPad.

Details were revealed by company chief Steve Jobs amid astonishing frenzy at an event in San Francisco.

The name raised some eyebrows amid complaints it was not as impressive as the iSlate or iTablet, which many people had speculated would be chosen.


Groundbreaking: The device will have its own applications (music store, left) and will also have special apps from other companies including the New York Times (right). Jobs: 'We're very excited about this'


Apple may also run into some problems with Fujitsu Ltd., who filed a trademark application for the name 'iPad' in 2003, according to the Web site of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Apple now has until February 28 to submit evidence to the Patent and Trademark Office that is it the rightful owner of the iPad name in the U.S. The company has already filed successful applications to hold the trademark in Canada, Europe and Hong Kong.

At first glance, the iPad with its touchscreen looks like a bigger and more square version of the iTouch and iPhone, which has sold millions around the globe.

Apple has presented the iPad - which will start retailing at $499 (£308) in the US - as filling a gap in the market between smartphones and netbooks, which are effectively small laptops.


The iPad will have a wi-fi connection to the internet, while some higher spec versions will also link to the web via the 3G mobile phone network.

This will allow users to download video, music, books and newspapers while on the go rather than being tied down to wi-fi internet hot spots in the home or town centres.

Mr Jobs demonstrated the device with images of newspapers and books.

The company believes that, in future, people will read their magazines and newspapers on an iPad screen rather than traditional newsprint.

The device will go head to head with electronic book devices such as Amazon's Kindle and similar products from Sony and British firm Interead.

Each device would be able to download and carry around a virtual library of thousands of books.

It was also announced that the New York Times had created a customised application for the iPad.

The size of the device means the publication appears very similar to the actual paper.


Price range: The basic iPad will be $499 with a top-of-the-range model with WiFi, 3G and 64GB retailing at $829


iBooks: The new app will allow users to browse an online bookshelf (left) and use the iPad as an eReader


Apple is also launching an iBooks service that is intended to do for the electronic downloading of books that iTunes did for music.

The convenience of music downloads is enjoyed by millions, however it also led to the virtual death of high street music stores.

Bricks and mortar book stores may have reason to fear the development.
It also has boasts office applications such as spreadsheets and a word processor for businessmen on the move.


The iPad connects to the internet via a wi-fi link to a home PC or the wi-fi hot spots found in town centres. A second higher spec version has the added benefit of connecting to the web via the mobile phone network.
There are three memory levels - 16gigabyte, 32gb or 64gb - under each of these two formats.

Users who want to connect to the web via the 3G mobile phone network will pay a monthly fee on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Reviews of the iPad have been vastly mixed. Some technology experts praised the innovation behind the product, with Rob Hearn from Pocketgamer.co.uk insisting: 'The iPad is a characteristically sexy bit of consumer electronics, and at $499 it's cheap enough to sell.'

However, others have highlighted the similarity between the iPad and its predecessor the iPhone.

Simon Osborne-Walker from Stuff Magazine labelled the product 'a bit disappointing' while Joshua Topolsky of Engadget.com said: 'It's a real disappointment. All this power and very little you can do with it at once'

The San Francisco audience were treated with a quote from the August Wall Street Journal saying: 'Last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.'

Mr Jobs said: 'We want to kick of 2010 by introducing a magical and revolutionary product.

'All of us use laptops and smartphones... the question has arisen; is there room for something in the middle.

'We've wondered for years as well. In order to create that category, they have to be far better at doing some key tasks... better than the laptop, better than the smartphone.

'We think we've got something that is better. And we call it the iPad.'


Hands on: Journalists get to try out some of the iPads (left) while Steve Jobs demonstrates the slimness of the half inch thick gadget (right)


Publishing phenomenon: Jobs on stage in front of an image of the iPad


Mr Jobs, who appeared in his trademark jeans and black turtleneck, demonstrated the device live on stage, browsing YouTube, Google maps, its built-in iTunes store and even played Disney's Pixar's animated film Up.

'It's so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone,' he said.

The device is half an inch thick, making it thinner than any netbook, and weighs 1.5pounds(680g) while the screen is 9.7inches across the diagonal.

Mr Jobs said: 'We've been able to achieve 10 hours of battery life. I can take a flight from San Francisco to Tokyo and watch video the whole time. And it has over a month of standby time.'

The operation of the iPad is virtually identical to the iPhone and iTouch


Easy access: The type-pad is almost the same size as a traditional Qwerty keyboard


Mr Jobs said: 'We think we've got the goods. We think we've done it. Another thing we're excited about is that there's already 75m people who know how to use this because of how many iPhones and iPod touches we've shipped.

'It's very thin - you can change the homescreen to whatever you want. What this device does is extraordinary. You can browse the web with it. It's the best web experience you've ever had.'

In terms of software, the iPad has a built-in internet browser and iTunes store allowing the downloading of music, TV shows and blockbuster movies such as Star Trek or Up.

People will also be able to download any of the hundreds of applications developed for the iPhone and iTouch.

A number of 'shoot em up' computer games have been developed for the iPad which can be controlled through a multi-touch technology.

Thanks to the larger interface of the iPad, video games which were previously available on the iPhone will now come with extra features specifically designed for the iPad.

The EA game Need for Speed Shift, a game which sees the user undertake car races with fellow drivers, will come complete with on-screen pedals, a gear stick and a facility to allow the user to look behind him by touching the rear view mirror in its iPad version.


Users will be able to play a wide variety of video games on the iPad, including motoring games


There are also apps available for keen baseball players, who will be able to live out their love for the game on the screen


Jim Sloane, lead technology partner at business advisory firm Deloitte, said the iPad - and other upcoming tablet devices - could have a detrimental impact on the traditional eReader's market.

He said: 'The rise of the net tablet could impact other segments, such as growth of the nascent eReader market. For every million net tablets sold there could be a corresponding impact on eReaders.'

However, British eReader manufacturer Interead, who produces the Cool-er device, disagreed.

Neil Jones, chief executive of Interead, said: 'I have no doubt that the launch of Apple's new device will have a great impact on the technology industry.

'However, we don't believe it will bring about the demise of the 'traditional' eReader. Having a brand as strong as Apple's behind eReading can only be a good thing; it will raise the awareness and popularity of eReaders among consumers.'


iPad users will also be able to watch films on the device, which they can purchase from the iTunes store


The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), the global association of the mobile media industry, described the new Apple device as a milestone.

Chairman Andrew Bud said: 'The launch of the iPad tangibly demonstrates how mobile entertainment is rapidly evolving beyond the smartphone.

'This new format is a key milestone in positioning the mobile connected device at the centre of consumers' content experience.

Some 220million Apple iPods have been sold around the world to date, a staggering 73.8 per cent of all MP3 players. Twenty million of these are its iTouch media player.

The company has also sold an amazing 30million iPhones in just two years. There are more than 100,000 software applications for the phones, while consumers have made two billion downloads.

The company's iTunes music and video download store is the number one seller of music in the world. Some 8.5billion songs have been purchased via a staggering 100 million accounts.


source: dailymail