Apple iPad launch day roundup: everything you need to know
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted January 28th 2010 11:22AM
posted January 28th 2010 11:22AM
The long rumored (and we mean long rumored) Apple tablet has finally arrived. Is the iPad as "magical" as the company hopes? Perhaps not, but there is a lot to this story beyond the obvious: A4 chip? Micro SIM? What's the deal with Flash? Since we know you're looking for the straight dope on the big reveal, and since this is what Engadget does best, we've thoughtfully compiled the last twenty-four hours worth of coverage in something we like to call a "list." Now sit back, put your feet up, and take it all in.
The liveblog
Impressions / hands-on coverage
- Apple iPad first hands-on! (update: video!)
- Apple's iPad keyboard dock, case and other accessories get the hands-on treatment
- Editorial: Engadget on the Apple iPad
- The Apple iPad: starting at $499
- Apple reveals iBookstore and app for the iPad
- Apple announces iWork for iPad
- Apple iPad 3G service plans on AT&T, $30 for unlimited data
- iPad has optional keyboard dock, camera connection kit and Apple-designed case
- Apple iPad event video now online
- iPad powered by custom 1GHz Apple A4 chip
- Apple's iPad keeping Adobe Flash away from your couch
- iPad can run all iPhone apps unmodified, new iPhone SDK out today lets developers tweak apps for iPad use
- iPad vs. iPhone... fight!
- iPad vs. iPhone: what does 3G cost you?
- Apple iPad tech specs: rumor vs. reality scorecard
- iPad or Kindle: will our wallets decide?
- iPhone SDK calls out nonexistent iPad cam, confirms split views and popovers are iPad-specific
- Apple iPad's 'Micro SIM' explained
- Apple iPad's user interface in pictures
- iPad won't handle GSM voice calls -- or will it?
- Apple's A4 is an ARM-based system-on-a-chip a la Tegra 2?
- iPad iBooks will be US only at launch?
Anyone thought about a webcam accessory that can be plugged in? I know is not the best but it might work.
I felt the same way a lot of people on here feel about the ipads arrival. Then i looked at the apple website and read more about what it does do.
When you stop and break it all down the ipad was placed inbetween an iphone and a macbook, it's not supposed to really be this multitasking all in one computer it's just a bridge between the two. And with the usb camera adapter and other adapters they will make down the line you can possibly get your webcam chats on skype by release date. So calm down, get it, don't get it, the ipad is what it is, a book reading, video watching, itunes and app device, that lets you do alittle real work with iwork.
Hopefully this summary of all things iPad will be the last engadget post on this overhyped device for the rest of the week.
One thing about this, is that now that the iPad has been revealed, and is what many feared it to be (an overgrown iPod Touch), the door has been left WIDE open for Microsoft's Courier, if that company has the guts to actually produce it.
Why oh why NO SD card slot!! Jeez Apple, it's a no brainer! What's going to make the iPad useful is all the stuff you have left out (like some others here have commented). For me, an SD card slot is essential in what I would want from this kind of device; so I can download photos off my camera, view them on your fancy iPad screen then email them or upload to iDisk or google, like a lot of people will want to do - IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE TO FIGURE THAT ONE OUT!! Basically I've still got to lug me Macbook around for photos, so what gap is the iPad meant to fill in my life? Apple, you have not really thought it through, but based it on how successful the iPhone/Touch has been.
GPS, and an iSight camera would have been nice touch as well along with GSM voice with standard sim slot not your fancy new micro sim so we can't use a standard sim card!!
Basically the iPad is a fancy gadget/toy, not a "must have" useful tool. I'm not saying I won't get one, just saying it could have been much more that what it is. I like the way it's based on the iPhone OS - always on and easy to use on the go, plus the way iPhone apps will work on it! It's almost the perfect device, but shame you left some of the most important hardware bits out that would have made it perfect!
@thesharkhunter There is an SD card connector for it. There's also GPS. And, although there is no built-in camera, you can pull your videos and images off of a camera via a cable.
http://www.apple.com/ipad/ Look at the bottom at the camera connection kit, also explains the SD card reader.
@sodaboy581 Cool!! Thanks mate, u just made my day! So it's going to have a camera connection kit, that's good enough for me. It's now a useful gadget and I can warrant the spend. :)
still as craptastic as it was yesterday.
in my opinion this should have been a touchscreen netbook running a a possible hybrid oprimised version of snow leopard utilising an atom processor with built in ssd memory and camera/wifi/mini sim speakers usb etc etc etc, but ohhh nooooo we had to be difficult and let our egos get in the way we needed an even bigger iphone to reflect our ever groing apple egos
pleshhhhhhhhhh
Adobe Flash is a dead end technology. Too many geeks haven't figured that out, yet. HTML 5 is replacing the need for flash, and Apple knows it. They do not need to add this legacy technology to their state of the art products.
There has been an amazing realization of this in the news recently. Youtube and other video sites are now doing HTML streaming. They have gotten the message.
I just wish web developers would stop developing sites that require plug-ins to accomplish even simple tasks. Most sites that use Flash would have better appeal if they stopped using it. It is time for the new paradigm, the old one has passed.
RIP Flash!
@kclassen This is pretty much almost true... But Flash isn't dead end, it's simply too advanced for the web right now.
Flash is cool. You can do so much with it, but its simply too much to put on the web right now. I develop a lot of stuff using flash but more and more web pages are using HTML. One resounding reason is the fact its easily picked up by search engines, and search engine comparability is VERY important. The next is that not everyone can use flash. Its very memory intensive and some of the fancier flash web content requires decent grunt and internet. Sure, broadband is pretty much in every home, but internet speeds are not on par with say japan and their crazy speeds.
But I still think Flash support would be oh so nice on that touch screen.
note: writing all blogs utilising an iphone hence shit spelling apologies
The 1024 x 768 resolution isn't "HD" (note they were careful not to say "high definition"). I want 1280 x 720. The lack of camera for video calling (even just on WiFi) is sad (on Dell notebooks, the option to add a camera is just $20, so I don't think they would have blown the price point putting the orientation-aware user-facing camera in). The 3G is probably why there's no camera (video calling on unlimited 3G plan would not make AT&T happy). No Flash = not an authentic Web browsing experience. Apple once again shows how canny they are in terms of holding back features to get people to re-buy the device.
How long before someone makes a Hackinpad?
Or a KIRF comes out that has more features and half the price and actually works better?
@christhepcguy - As long as they don't use the N450 processor with the 3150 graphics making a hackintosh tablet has a very high likelihood.
With all of the coverage for the iPad I'm surprised no one on the site has made the comparisons to netbooks. This is Apple's entry into the small computer space (vs. large phone space). Multitasking is big, but people may not notice for only $499.
You can find a more in depth comparison here: http://www.netbookreports.com/2010/01/what-effect-will-the-apple-ipad-have-on-netbooks/
24 iPad posts since it launched....and it's kind of lame. 1 or 2 would have been fine, and let tuaw.com take care of the rabid fanboy bs. Engadget you can do better.
To be honest I love apple products and usually stick up for them. They (in my opinion) have the best phone on the market, best mobile OS, best PC in terms of desktop and laptop, and best OS in snow leopard, not to mention the best app store around (atleast in terms of numbers) I had a huge feeling that the tablet or Ipad would be a bit of a letdown and it was. You know apple is not going to cannibilize it's iMac, macbook, and mac mini market is developing a suitable and cheaper replacement. It was a mystake to position this as a netbook killer tho. It is much more of a kindle alternative. There is no way they could of lived up to the rumors with this device but like I said this was a huge letdown. Do I think there eventually will be a market? Yes a little but nothing more than an niche product indeed. I just don't see how someone like me would need one in already having a 3Gs, MacBook pro, and mac mini. Maybe it will change when devopers get their hands on it and more companies make things like the journal and the concept of sports illustrated i saw awhile back. Now if I could get my college text books on this thing and carry this rather than a whole backpack of books per semester then I would probably find a need. But to just sit on my couch with a bigger screened iPod touch would be silly. Not to mention bringing this thing in public would look pretty silly in my opinion. Like i said we should of seen this coming in apples call the other day their sole purpose was to hold on to the cash flow they have on hand and continue to sell sell sell. They where not going to sell a full featured tablet running snow leopard at a much lowered price. It just wasn't going to happen.
Am I the only one who wonders why Engadget hasn't started a Poll to see what people think?
afraid of the result?
One question that I have not yet sen the answer to: I already have a mobile with a data plan. Will this thing tether thus saving me the added expense of buying the 3G model?
It would seem that the fanboys say that it will either all be fixed in later releases or that its fine now for email, movies, and web pages.
First off, you mean to tell me that the Apple sheep are OK with Jobs selling them something that really is just a big beta test? Oh yeah, they sheep played along with the numerous iPhone revisions that took 2 years to get right. ROFL!
Second, what movies are you going to watch on this thing? Its not even 16:9? And why do I have a home theater in my house with a 60" HDTV, a blu ray player, and a bazllion watt sound system? And if I am traveling, I need my laptop anyway, so why bring another device just to watch movies? The onboad storage is pathetic enough that you will be lucky to hold any movies on it....and of course you HAVE to purchase them through iTunes. ROFLx2!!
And if people aren't getting paying for content subscriptions now, WHY will they get them if they get an iPad?
It would seem the fanboys are actually INVENTING reasons to get an iPad!! Suddenly spending $600 for a woefully outfitted tablet just to order a $11 ebook totally makes sense!!! DUH!!!!
And by the way, my Dell Mini 9 does EVERYTHING this iPad can do plus it has 2GB of RAM, a camera, 4 USB ports, AND A KEYBOARD!! And I only paid $325 for it ;)
The Nintendo Wii doesn't not have HD graphics nor a fully realized online component. Obviously it's going to be a failure. Same goes with the iPad. No USB? No Flash? Who are the f'ng kidding? Don't they realize that we've already bought much more capable tablets, as demonstrated by the astounding sales figures for them?
Disappointed. This is not a netbook replacement...more like an iPod Touch replacement. The argument that netbooks are slow is ridiculous. If you're talking 1st & 2nd gen netbooks then yes that may be true. But today's ION powered dualcore Atom netbooks run rings around an iPad. The thing that bothers me the most is no multitasking and no Flash. I don't care what any of you say but my iPhone telling me that I can't watch a crappy video with some small lego piece symbol is bullshit. If those 2 glaring omissions can be rectified I'll buy it the 2nd or 3rd time around because I ain't no sucker...
what a pointless device. save and get a macbook for a couple hundred more. i have an ipad but it is able to fit in my pocket and is called an iphone or for some an itouch. should of made a netbook.
what a pointless device. save and get a macbook for a couple hundred more. i have an ipad but it is able to fit in my pocket and is called an iphone or for some an itouch. should of made a netbook.
it should be running os x not iphone firmware
i know why there weren't any leaks before the launch.. folks at apple were clearly embarrassed to reveal the specs.
I'm also disappointed. I understand the fact apple didn't go all out on this device because they want to add a 2$ camera in the next revision, and add multitasking 2 years down the line, but as a base device it needs to have at least 2 or 3 functions that different from the touch or iphone. Right now all it has is a bigger screen...
A major issue with this is that u can't save files to teh memory, whereas a netbook u can. Also, think abotu this thing as a media player. It does NOT run WMV, does NOT run avi divx, so the only way to view videos is to convert them through a lengthy process and copy them via itunes. Goodl uck getting ur porn collection on this thing....
Now i'm gonna go get an iPad for my girl, it's that time of the month again
Just a thought...what if AT&T would allow the iPhone to tether. Connect it to the iPad for 3G connectivity. Might just be some other advantages also, but compared to most of the posters here I'm not real bright, so I won't try to speculate further...
Hey guys, you forgot a link:
http://www.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=NASDAQ:AAPL
As colbert says jokingly: The market has spoken.
The iTampon, best connotation ever!
But no camera, no USB? Way to cash in on Apple fan bois....
Gosh, finally someone gets some news out about this iPad!
The iPad is CRAP, period!
I think the problem here is that Apple is expected to come up with only game-changers after the iPhone. Stir that in with the outrageous speculation and the bold statements made at the launch and out pops a wave of disappointments.
There is no question I'm a Apple fan: MacBook Pro for work, iMac at home, iPhone, AppleTV, .mac subscriber. I also have a few iPhone apps with my name on them.
Oh and I use a Kindle which will go into the drawer or on Ebay when the iPad hits the stores.
In principal, I don't like the idea of one company controlling too much, but for me the user experience is so great I don't care. Oh, I forgot something on my iMac and I'm at work. No problem, Back to my Mac saves my bacon. I'm watching something on my iPhone at the gym, workout is done, come home, dock my iPhone turn on the Apple TV and pick up the program where I left off. I need access to some document that's on my iDisk and I'm not near a computer, iPhone and iDisk app to the rescue. The list goes on and on. Yes, label me a "fanboy," fine. Then please tell me where else I can find such a seamless experience? Perhaps I'm the exception but in my world all that integration is stuff I use daily.
Yes, I would have like a OLED screen, font facing camera and a USB port too.
Multitasking? Well, iPhone OS and 150k apps are built around the principal of 1 app running in a sandbox. There are many obvious and perhaps not so obvious reason for it. In some ways is makes the user experience better and in some ways worse. To say that lack of Multitasking is a mistake, I believe is wrong. On a device where battery life is fundamental, I agree with Apple's decision. Otherwise, someone is going to write some popular app that is polling GPS or some server every 200 milliseconds and then we'll hear everyone bashing the battery life.
Flash? Has anyone ever noticed the fan kicking on for no apparent reason on your laptop? Hint: it's that stupid little Flash ad in your browser. Flash is a PIG. Yes, some newer graphics chips have hardware support for Flash video, but Flash itself is a huge resource hog. I'll admit it's hyper-annoying when I pull up a Flash-only page on the iPhone, but I'm more annoyed at the site owner for not having a html version than I am at Apple for not putting Flash on my phone. Flash will probably cede it dominance to HTML 5 anyway.
Price? I just cannot believe there are complaints on this front. Yeah, it creeps toward the expensive on the 3g side, but everyone speculated $800+ so the $500 starting price seems cheap to me.
Is there room for something in the middle of an iPhone or iPod touch and a MacBook? The market will decide, but as that device I don't see where the iPad falls short. To me it's a replacement for my Kindle, a great way to show off pictures, watch a movies in a hotel room or on a plane and finally puts the "should I bring my laptop?" question to rest. Web browsing, email and video on the iPhone falls short for me. If I'm going out of town for the weekend (without work to do) I'm certainly now leaving my laptop and kindle behind and packing the iPad. Yes, I sound like a iPad ad, but I guess I'm the target market! I don't have some secret crush on Steve Jobs, I'm just a fan of seamless integration and Apple has hit it out of the park compared to anyone else at this point.
The missed opportunity of Apple.
After the hype, the iPad seems to be nothing more than an iPod Touch plus. But the thing about tablets is, that they could fill a space and serve a market. The biggest trouble for all of us is not accessing media content but sharing and syncing it. How do you share quickly a 30mb file- with a stick? not very elegant.....And the cloud is still too slow...
If you think of any scifi movie that uses tablet like things (ie Avatar or Minority Report) they´re always used to take information from one place to another, to look at information in a different place, work on something together. Apple could have done this, being maybe the only company in the world that offeres everything, the hardware and the software.....I think people don´t want another browsing and shopping device but one that links in a way to your desktop at home and at work, to your iphone, to your laptop and finally to other people- We all use more than one computer, sometimes even at the same time... The apps shown were very good but not impressive to send out the right message...
The iPad could have been a magical device but is nothing more than a very good ebook reader....I trully hope Apple gets it right in iPad 2.0
I am so not impressed.. Apple didn't surprise me this time. I loved the MacBook Air and iPhone breakthrough, but this was kind of... disappointing. I hope that the second generation of this product will include a 1. faster processor (A8-Cortex>Apple A4) 2. Better hardware design 2. More customizable OS. 3. Camera 4. Surprise me apple ;)
Engadget more and more is looking like an Apple blog sigh
WHO HAD HANDS ON LOOK AT THE iPad?!?!
I want to know if anyone had a hands on look at how to access a wifi network(connection) from the iPad. Is it exactly like the iPhone/iPod touch settings? Interested to know because if it is exactly the same I will be tethering from my iPhone via MyWi and just purchasing the cheaper model without 3G. I refuse to pay ATT 2 times. They don't derseRve another dime but that's the sacrifice I have to make to have an Apple product.