After months of waiting and rumors, it’s official: The Apple iPad is the real thing. The device, announced earlier today by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, is designed to fill the perceived gap between the smartphone and the laptop.
With literally thousands of articles and blog posts being written about Apple’s new device, it’s easy to experience information overload. Everything, starting from it’s features, specifications, pricing was scattered. That’s why I planned to prepare a short-handy guide for those who do not know much about the iPad.
Technical Specifications
Here’s what Apple tells us about the iPad:
- SCREEN: 9.7-inch IPS LCD screen. The LCD provides the backlighting, but most of the technology is IPS, or In-plane switching. This gives it a stronger viewing angle than most screens.
- RESOLUTION: 1024×768 pixels (132 pixels per inch)
- SIZE: 0.5 inches thin.
- DIMENSIONS: 9.5 inches x 7.5 inches x 0.5 inches
- WEIGHT: 1.5 pounds (1.6 pounds for 3G)
- CHIP: 1 GHz Apple A4 chip. They went in-house instead of going to Intel.
- MEMORY: Three models with 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB solid state hard drives.
- INCLUSIONS: Accelerometer, Microphone, 30-pin connector, Compass, full capacitive multi-touch, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G access on higher-end models
- BATTERY LIFE: 10 hours at full blast. On standby, it will last over a month.
Summary: It’s thin, it’s light and it’s fast.
Interface
The interface should be familiar to you; it looks a lot like the iPhone OS interface. In fact, it’s essentially a custom version of the iPhone 3.2 OS. Primary apps are housed at the bottom and you swipe left and right through your home screens to find apps. Steve Jobs even mentioned that it would be easy for people to pick up on the interface because so many people (7.5 million) have either an iPhone or an iPod touch.
There is a new SDK for developers to build apps specifically for the iPad, but all iPhone apps run in the iPad. iPhone apps can run either in their native resolutions or in a “double pixel mode” for full-screen use. Most of the apps we’ve seen run very well in double pixel mode. Developers will be able to modify their apps using the new SDK to optimize them for the iPad, though.
Most everything else is just like the iPhone, but larger. The keyboard is larger, although we have yet to see whether typing is more efficient via your thumbs or with all 10 digits.
Connectivity
Apple’s tablet comes in two models, based on their connectivity. Both versions have Wi-Fi connectivity, which is to be expected. However, the higher-end model also comes with 3G access — for $130 more, you can have a 3G-enabled tablet.
If you want the 3G model, you have to use it currently on AT&T: it’s the official launch partner of the iPad. Luckily though, you don’t have to sign a contract to use the 3G connection. Instead, you prepay for however many months of 3G access you desire. It costs $14.99 for 250 MB of data per month, while you’ll need to fork over $29.99 monthly for an unlimited plan. You can cancel any time without any termination fee.
The iPad utilizes microGSM, meaning that it’s not specifically bound to AT&T. Thus, you can expect it to work on international carriers sometime in June or July. That doesn’t mean you can just stick in a T-Mobile or Verizon card though: Verizon and Sprint use the incompatible CDMA 3G format, while the iPad’s 3G modem doesn’t support T-Mobile’s 3G frequency.
Pricing
As you can see from the image above, it comes in two editions: Wi-Fi enabled or Wi-Fi + 3G capable. There are also three sizes: 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. Thus, the cheapest (Wi-Fi, 16 GB) costs only $499, while the most expensive iPad, the 64 GB model with 3G, costs $829.
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Here’s the rundown, in order of price:
- $499: 16 GB, Wi-Fi only
– $599: 32 GB, Wi-Fi only
– $629: 16 GB, Wi-Fi and 3G
– $699: 64 GB, Wi-Fi only
– $729: 32 GB, Wi-Fi and 3G
– $829: 64 GB, Wi-Fi and 3G
In addition, you have to take into account the cost of 3G services. The iPad has 3G through AT&T alone currently, but there is no contract, meaning you can prepay or cancel at any time. For 250 MB of data a month, it costs $14.99 per month, while unlimited data is $29.99. It’s quite a good deal in our estimation, especially since you can cancel your contract at any time and you get access to any AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot for free (e.g. Starbucks).
Availability
The iPad, while it doesn’t have an official launch day, should land in stores at the end of March, 60 days or so from today or so.
Only the Wi-Fi versions will be in stores at that time, though. If you want a 3G version, you have to wait until April.
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