After nearly a decade of rumors and speculation, Apple's finally unveiled the iPad. It's a half-inch thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds, with a 9.7-inch capacitive touchscreen IPS LCD display, and it's running a
custom 1GHz Apple "A4" chip developed by the P.A. Semi team, with a 10-hour battery life and a month of standby. It'll come in 16, 32, and 64GB sizes, and it's got the expected connectivity: very little. There's a 30-pin Dock connector, a speaker, a microphone, Bluetooth, 802.11n WiFi and optional 3G, as well as an accelerometer and a compass. There's also a
keyboard dock, which connects underneath in the portrait orientation, support for up to 1024x768 VGA out and 480p composite out through new dock adapter cables, and a camera attachment kit that lets you import photos from your camera over USB or directly through an SD reader. The device is managed by iTunes, just like the iPhone -- you sync everything over to your Mac. As expected, it can
run iPhone apps -- either pixel-for-pixel in a window, or pixel-doubled fullscreen -- but developers can also target the new screen size using the updated iPhone OS SDK, which is available today. The 3G version
runs on AT&T and comes with new data plans: 250MB for $14.99 and an unlimited plan for $29.99 a month contract-free. Activations are handled on the iPad, so you can activate and cancel whenever you want. Every iPad is unlocked and comes with a GSM "micro-SIM," so you can use it abroad, but there aren't any international deals in place right now -- Steve says they'll be back "this summer" with news on that front.
It starts at $499 for 16GB, 32GB for $599, and $699 64GB. Adding 3G costs a $130 per model, so the most expensive model (64GB / 3G) is $829. The WiFi-only model will ship in 60 days, and the 3G models will come in 90.
Hey, check out our first hands-on right here, and here's all our additional coverage:
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Apple iPad first hands-on!
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posted January 27th 2010 2:19PM
The iPad: Helping confuse Bostonians with the iPod since 2010
Lose the bezel and change the name....they I'll buy one. Come on! Did you do any market research before building it? iPad?? hahahah!!!!
It just looks like an oversize novelty iPod touch.
Also, if they come out with an improved version, would they call it the max-iPad? (couldn't resist).
meh.. Basically an ebook that'll entertain you when your bored with reading. iPass.
@Seven
obviously meant you're..
wow so much stress on the site right now, can barely get in a comment!
@Seven
Haha seems like Engadget is drowning in its own hype!
Ehh. I guess if you're a big time Apple fan and you want all your stuff to match, or you have some extra cash to blow, or your iMac laptop is falling apart, it might be worthwhile to try. Doesn't really inspire me to switch platforms, though. I'm looking at something I saw weeks ago that was plastered all over CES, but with some sort of hybrid MacOS/iPhoneOS and an Apple logo. See, products like the Air and iPhone were enough to get people to switch to Apple because they didn't seem all that different from what they were used to, and seemed "nicer". This should have a niche, eventually, with the art community, but otherwise, I could care less about it. I'm still plenty happy with my MSi Wnd netbook.
obviosuly meant you're*
what a failure? Why would you want to cary around a huge screen that dose exactly as iPhone or iTouch do? I'll just use my iTouch to check my email.
looks like the iDud to me.
just wifi? no flash? regular LCD screen not so good for being an ereader.
just a big ipod touch.
iPod and iPad - cue a billion incidents of people mis-speaking/mis-hearing, confusing the two; and millions of lost manhours as a result.
I expect better of Apple.
max-iPad
@coffeeisgood
Is my iPod Touch now going to be called a Mini-Pad?
@coffeeisgood
Don't you mean a min-iPad?
@coffeeisgood
Don't you mean a min-iPad?
@Seven
obviously meant you're*
The device looks neat, but that means Apple expects you to carry your iPhone and also the iTampon......oops, iPad on the road?
If I was going to bring along the iPad wouldn't it make better sense to carry a laptop, whether it be a MacBook, VAIO or a Thinkpad?
I just can't figure out when is it to be used. Remember the Palm Fooleo....I mean Foleo?
Anyway, I am sure the Apple Fans will snap it up. Besides, I am sure the iPad will act as a pretty decent photo frame.
That has to be the first Apple device that is truly ugly. I am really surprised.
Yes that bezel is huge! I think that Microsoft's idea will blow this out of the water. It is all still speculation and rumor at this point but the Microsoft Courier looks awesome!
http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet
obviously Apple had the Na'vi in mind when they designed the iPad
@Everyone who is commenting on the large bezel.
It's possible they made the bezel that large so its easier to hold without accidentally touching the screen.
And yes, it is more ugly than it would be without the large black HORRIBLE border. But it might make it easier to hold and use. I guess we will never know what it will be like without the large bezel.
If apple can give us a OLED version all will be forgiven. =P
@Quad5Ny
Shiny black is ok for tv bezels and laptop lids - you aren't expected to grip them as part of normal use. If Apple intended the bezel for gripping, and they are so great as designing hardware, why did they make it shiny black?
Ok netbooks are ugly and runs windows 7 or linux they are cheaper too but can run adobe flash content, The ipad is sleek very precious thing but it is a super ipod touch with big screen but... can´t run flash??, so what is the point to have a safari thing with big screen???? I have an ipod touch 3gen I can´t understand why apple not allow to flash content run on my ipod... but is fine i can read email run games and play music on the bus, for the rest of my stuff i run my lap top pc yeap with windows 7, I not see the meaning to compare this ipad with a netbook, with a netbook i can surf the web with flash player, there are a lot of pages that uses flash, with a net book i can surf my hard drive to open files with different app, on the ipad also in my ipod i will can´t, I can´t have my pdf file an open it with what ever app i want to open my pdf, so there is a very high limitation on the ipod, but still usable to have fun... not serious work, with my netbook i can get my job done, i cannot see why steve compares the ipad with a netbook!!!, they need to get an ipad running macos X to enter on the netbook market not ad ipod with big screen, I like mac's I whant a macbook pro, but this ipad is nosense
@gustavius
That's a really long sentence...
Is this a joke? Seriously, it looks like someone photoshopped a big ass iphone into his hands. Hahaha, with all the anticipation I think we were all expecting soooo much more.
Give me a Windows 7 Tablet, with MS OneNote and full Outlook capabilities anyday. It'll run circles around that thing in terms of functionality. MS OneNote is the ONLY app that matters when you are trying to productive with a tablet.
@Luxury Guy
You mean a tablet that is actually useful? Heresy!
I just hate that this device is so advanced, but Apple is greedy enough to not offer removable flash storage. It just pisses me off! Charge me an extra $100, I don't care, but I will never buy this device without removable storage.
Wow. That thing is full of FAIL. Contrary to what Jobs says, that a small netbook with no keyboard and better battery life. No thanks.
Amazon has nothing to worry about.
When its that time of the month Steve uses a iPad
Guys after seeing that news paper in iTab with animated video with in it i feel like seeing Harry Porter
How many times are you going to say wow? It's getting ridicilous. Are you a... apple fanboy perhaps?
"Wow, the layout is just like a standard paper".
"Wow, nice. Embedded video inside of articles that can be played." Just like a website.. omfg! inside an app! innovation!
CNN is streaming...
http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=stream1&hpt=T1
NEXT!
Is it me or have they not stated what exactly the screen resolution is?
Where's the webcam ?
Cydia... hackers... real non-proprietary programs!!!
I'm quite an Apple fanboy but this is a f$%#n F A I L
@c w j
So why not rubberise the bezel then? If it is for practicality?
That shiny black will look 'orible if you don't constantly wipe it down.
Sooooooo much hype for a large iPhone. Thanks, I'll pass...
@fractalbit
NONONONO!!!!!
It's a large iPhone... that can't even make calls!
Biggest. Disappointment. Ever.
If I can't run Photoshop or other 'real' apps it will never replace my laptop.
@DizWhiz
it isn't supposed to. it is supposed to supplement a laptop/desktop. it is for when having all that power isn't needed.
Sweet idea. It is too big. I'm looking for something that will fit my back pocket. Need to be able to write on it too.
It's a big ipod touch, are we supposed to carry this around (in our laptop bags)? Why not just bring the laptop?
Is the next innovative product going to be a tiny ipod touch? Then one 3/4 size? This has been very over hyped!
It's hilarious to see some of the comments of disappointment - what were some of you guys expecting? This is a tablet. Tablets have *always* been the answer to a question no one's asking. The fact that this one happens to have Apple's name on it doesn't change that.
You still can't put more than 4 icons per row, I guess you gotta Jailbreak it to put MOAR icons.
They lost me when it didn't have a lite version of Snow Leopard, a dvd drive or support flash. Not to mention the absorbent pricing of $1000+ for just 64 gigs. I remember when Apple thought 40gigs of storage was sufficient for the ATV. Why does Apple think that storage space isn't that important??
MS should release the courier just to shit all over this.
omg soo bad
They should have called it iBezel.