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Apple iPad: The definitive guide (so far)
By now you've probably read more on Apple's iPad then you ever dreamed possible. In the last few days we've covered a lot of angles on the tablet and compiled a lot of data. Still, we felt that we hadn't given you clear hands-on impressions and collected the myriad details about the device in one, easy-to-reach place. So we've decided to bundle all of that info into a single feature, joining our first-hand encounters with the iPad together with all of the data and details you should be aware of -- including specs, plans, release schedules, pics, and video. So read on for everything we know (so far) about Cupertino's first tablet! %Gallery-84060%
Apple iPad launch day roundup: everything you need to know
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 Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event 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 Product announcements 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 In-depth / details 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?
Editorial: Engadget on the Apple iPad
As you can probably imagine, Engadget HQ has been boiling over with heated discussion of Apple's new iPad today. Love it or hate it (and a lot of you seem to hate it), it's hard not to see it as a pretty bold statement of what Apple thinks general-purpose computing should look like in the future: a giant iPhone. As you can imagine, that's a provocative vision, and it's simply not possible to try and condense the opinions of the staff into one Grand Unified Theory of the iPad -- so we're going to do what we did for the Kindle DX and the Droid, and let everyone speak for themselves. Let's kick it off with the three people who've actually seen and used this thing: Josh, Ross, and Joystiq's Chris Grant.
Apple iPad event video now online
Sure, you lived through every harrowing moment live with your friends from Engadget, but if you're dying for that direct dose of RDF, the video from Apple's iPad event is now live and streaming away. You know what would be perfect for watching this? A giant iPod touch. Think about it. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple iPad tech specs: rumor vs. reality scorecard
Remember that history of Apple tablet rumors we concocted for you just the other day? Well, we're here to take score now, folks. As you can see from the handy (and magical) chart below, Taiwan Economic News came pretty close to nailing the iPad's specs back September: built-in HSDPA, custom P.A. Semi system on a chip (with the fancy new name Apple A4), 9.6-inch size, February unveiling, and hey -- they were pretty close on that $799 - $999 pricing too. And while iLounge was wrong about some things, they certainly hit this one out of the park: "It's a big iPhone, but it's not a big iPhone." We're going to let you dig into the chart here for yourselves to see who got what right -- and who was terribly, terribly wrong. Here are just a few of the no-shows today, however -- no camera, no multitasking, no phone, no Verizon, no iPhone OS 4.0, and no Flash anywhere to be seen. There were also no MacBook Pro spec bumps in sight, and no iLife to be found. Well, let's just try to be happy with what we did get, okay? The chart is after the break.
Apple iPad first hands-on! (update: video!)
Here it is folks, the Apple iPad. The screen is gorgeous, tilting is responsive, and the thing is super thin. Still, if you've used the iPhone before -- and you can see the two devices side-by-side here -- there's not a lot of surprises here so far. Here are some initial thoughts on the iPad: It's not light. It feels pretty weighty in your hand. The screen is stunning, and it's 1024 x 768. Feels just like a huge iPhone in your hands. The speed of the CPU is something to be marveled at. It is blazingly fast from what we can tell. Webpages loaded up super fast, and scrolling was without a hiccup. Moving into and out of apps was a breeze. Everything flew. There's no multitasking at all. It's a real disappointment. All this power and very little you can do with it at once. No multitasking means no streaming Pandora when you're working in Pages... you can figure it out. It's a real setback for this device. The ebook implementation is about as close as you can get to reading without a stack of bound paper in your hand. The visual stuff really helps flesh out the experience. It may be just for show, but it counts here. No camera. None, nada. Zip. No video conferencing here folks. Hell, it doesn't have an SMS app! It's running iPhone OS 3.2. The keyboard is good, not great. Not quite as responsive as it looked in the demos. No Flash confirmed. So Hulu is out for you, folks! Update: We've got video, head after the break to check it out! %Gallery-84055% %Gallery-84092%
iPad vs. iPhone... fight!
At last, the moment you've all been waiting for! Two minimalistic slate-style devices, together at last. Check out our full hands-on for the rest of this holy war.
iPad has optional keyboard dock, camera connection kit and Apple-designed case
This whole time we've been wondering how we'll really get any typing done on Apple's new iPad, and at last we have the answer: an optional keyboard dock! No word on price yet, or whether this will be available at launch -- we'd say "eat your heart out, netbooks" but we won't, because they shouldn't. In even better news, however, the device will also work with standard Bluetooth keyboards like Apple's own wireless QWERTY slabs. Additionally, Apple will be selling a "camera connection kit" to allow you to plug your camera in over USB or use an SD card to import pictures. Finally, there's an Apple-built case for the device that protects the screen, but also doubles as a stand in two different orientations. Not enough for you? We've got hands-on right here. %Gallery-84046% %Gallery-84062%
The Apple iPad: starting at $499
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: Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event iPad powered by custom 1GHz Apple A4 chip iPad can run all iPhone apps unmodified, new iPhone SDK out today lets developers tweak apps for iPad use Apple's iPad keeping Adobe Flash away from your couch 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 iPad vs. iPhone... fight! Apple iPad first hands-on! iPad vs. iPhone: what does 3G cost you? %Gallery-84060% %Gallery-84025% %Gallery-84062%
Apple iPad 3G service plans on AT&T, $30 for unlimited data
In a direct blow to everyone else with a netbook and an unlimited data plan, AT&T has scored a deal to offer unlimited 3G data on 3G-capable versions of the iPad for $29.99 a month (then again, this is the same as an iPhone plan, and you're getting iPhone-level capability here). A 250MB plan, meanwhile, will be available for half that at $14.99 a month. Activation can happen right on the device -- no store visits or calls are necessary -- and there's no contract involved. The device is fully unlocked, so if you absolutely want to, you're welcome to take it to any other GSM carrier of your choice (assuming you can find a SIM that works -- Apple's talking up a new "micro SIM" for it). International users, stay tuned: Apple expects to have deals in place for you by June of this year. %Gallery-84044%
Apple announces iWork for iPad
Well, it looks like it's not all just fun and games for Apple's new iPad -- the company has also just announced an edition of its iWork software suite for the device. That, of course, includes versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote that have been "completely reimagined for iPad," which will be available individually for $9.99 apiece, and are each basically what you'd expect from iPad versions of the desktop applications. It's iWork you can touch, if you will. Don't miss our hands-on coverage! %Gallery-84037%
Apple reveals iBook Store and app for the iPad
Put this down as something else rumored that's come to fruition today. Apple's just announced iBooks, an e-reader app and bookstore (called iBookstore) for the iPad, using the ePub format. We're seeing prices around $12.99 to $14.99 so far... looks pretty slick! We're sure Jeff Bezos and Co. are none too pleased to see this one, but we'll have to see for ourselves what reading's like on a non-E Ink screen. There's a gallery after the break. Be sure to hit up our hands-on right here!
Apple's iPad keeping Adobe Flash away from your couch
Apple's freshly announced iPad is a lot of things to a lot of people, but it appears that it's not going to be the device that proves the appropriateness of Adobe Flash for enjoying rich media device on a mobile device. Better luck next time, Adobe!
iPad can run all iPhone apps unmodified, new iPhone SDK out today lets developers tweak apps for iPad use
It looks like a "big iPhone," and apparently it acts like one too: the iPad can run traditional iPhone apps completely unmodified, and can even zoom them up to full screen. Additionally, a new iPhone SDK is out today to allow developers to tweak their apps for the specifics of the iPad. Of course, Apple has rebuilt its apps from the ground up for the iPad, and developers can do the same with the SDK. Check out our hands-on with the iPad here. %Gallery-84031%
iPad powered by custom 1GHz Apple A4 chip
Look out Intel and friends, Apple is using its own P.A. Semi technology for a custom 1GHz "Apple A4" chip in the iPad. Apple claims to get 10 hours of battery life out of this sucker, along with a month of standby. Update: we got a picture of the processor courtesy of the iFixit Twitter feed. The chip was apparently manufactured in September of last year! Also, we've got hands-on with the iPad for your external fixations.
Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event
Will the Apple tablet finally, really be unveiled? We're at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco (see above) patiently waiting to get inside and get this thing underway! Keep reading after the break for the minute by minute coverage!
Our live coverage of the Apple 'latest creation' event starts tomorrow at 10:00AM PT / 1:00PM ET
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Apple is supposedly set to introduce a tablet device (AKA the Apple Tablet, iSlate, etc.) at its latest event that will change the lives of every man, woman, and child on the planet. Sure, it could just be a fresh version of iLife and an 8GB iPhone 3GS, but we kinda doubt that. If you know what's best for you, you'll tune in for our minute-by-minute, live coverage of the event. There won't be a better seat in the house... well, except for wherever Steve Jobs is sitting. The show gets going on Wednesday, January 27th at 10AM PT. You can follow updates on Twitter or Facebook as well. Here's the URL where you should park your browser, and below are starting times around the globe: 08:00AM - Hawaii 10:00AM - Pacific 11:00AM - Mountain 12:00PM - Central 01:00PM - Eastern 06:00PM - London 07:00PM - Paris 09:00PM - Moscow 03:00AM - Tokyo (January 28th)
Poll: So... what's the Apple tablet going to be called?
Okay, we're pretty sure Apple's going to announce a tablet tomorrow, and now we're pretty sure it'll be running some version of the iPhone OS. (Thanks, McGraw-Hill CEO Terry McGraw!) But the one thing we don't have any inkling about -- even after nearly 10 years of rumors -- is what this thing is going to be called. Sure, there are some trademark applications floating around, and even some crowd favorites, but arguably the single biggest surprise coming tomorrow is what Steve Jobs has decided to officially name his mythical tablet. Honestly, we have no idea -- so we're putting it to you. Let's run down the main contenders: iTablet: The most obvious name, but Amtek's had the US trademark since 2006 and has been selling the various actual devices like the iTablet T221 (pictured above) under the brand for a while. Of course, trademark issues have clouded Apple product launches before, so anything's possible. iSlate: Popped up in some trademark and domain name filings a while back and then applied for in the US by a shady company called Slate Computing, LLC that only seems to exist on paper. The registration can't be granted until the USPTO receives an example of the name being used in commerce, and that hasn't happened yet. iPad: The least likely, and only because Apple's had the most to directly do with it. Fujitsu sold a Windows CE-based iPad retail handheld for a few years, but let the trademark application lapse until June of this year. When the USPTO published the application for review by other mark holders, Apple stepped in and filed an opposition, presumably because "iPad" sounds too much like "iPod." That's the only real claim Apple has, as far as we can see -- it can't just oppose the registration because Steve wants to call it the "iPad" really bad. And if he does, all he's got to do is pay Fujitsu some of the billions in cash Apple has lying around -- so why tip his hand with the USPTO filing? Slate: The NYT's Bill Keller referred to it as "the impending Apple slate." Maybe he meant it as a proper noun? Canvas: Panic's Cabel Sasser tweeted this after the paint-spattered "latest creation" invite went out. It's certainly nice, but there's no evidence that it's real at all. Tablet: The Apple Tablet. Might as well at this point, right? So -- what's it going to be? %Poll-40577%
The Apple Tablet: a complete history, supposedly
It's no secret to us (or our readers) that Apple's products tend to generate what some might consider insane amounts of interest for weeks, months, and even years before they're launched or even announced. Whether you love the company or hate its guts, you can't deny that Apple is particularly prone to being fodder for the rumor mill. It comes in all forms: leaked photos (be they real, fake, or merely imaginative fan creations), analyst speculation based on "what if" scenarios for investors, "insider" reports from Asian supply chains, and a fair amount of conjecture via the press, both mainstream and blog alike. Here at Engadget, we've always been pretty proud of our ability to decode fact from fiction, and we try not to add too much noise to the echo chamber in which the gadget world seems to sometimes live. That said, we do cover plenty of rumors -- and the Apple Tablet (in its many rumored form factors) may just be the biggest and most twisted of them all. Apple's been kicking around the idea of a tablet since at least... oh, 1983. From real, physical prototypes to out-there ideas such as the Knowledge Navigator -- the company (who did not, alas, invent the idea of a tablet PC) has, somewhat unsurprisingly, seen fit to investigate the possibility for almost as long as it's been around. For one reason or another, though, they've never actually produced a device which saw the light of retail day (well, besides the Newton). Perhaps that's part of the fascination that Apple fans have with the product -- it's been rumored so long, and seemed on the verge of actual arrival so many times that it's become a Holy Grail of sorts for the tech community. The rumor timeline 2004 - 2006: The early years 2007 - 2008: Backburner 2009: The heat is (back) on 2010: The year we make contact? Wrap-up Follow the saga Evidence that any tablet actually existed or would come to retail, however, has always been slim at best. In the entire lifespan of Engadget, not one viable photo of a real-looking prototype has ever emerged, and not one source within Apple itself has ever really hinted that it was at work on such a product. Oh sure, there have been dozens -- possibly hundreds -- of people "familiar with the matter," but almost no one who would or could go on record to talk about the tablet, and in the end, it's always seemed like a non-starter. The Apple Tablet rumor started in earnest around 2002 -- before Engadget was even around. By the time we arrived to the party, the idea that Apple might be working on a tablet or slate PC was pretty firmly entrenched into the psyche of the avid gadget geek, but again, perilously little evidence existed to support the idea, or shall we say... the hope? And here we are, in January of 2010, on the verge of yet another expiration date for the rumored launch of an Apple Tablet (though let's be honest -- this thing is starting to feel pretty real). We thought now might be as good a time as any to take a look back -- back through the rumor timeline of one of the gadget world's longest-standing, and seemingly best-loved unicorns. Join us for the ride, won't you?
Apple rumor roundup: 'the day before' edition
We'll just come right out and say it: we couldn't possibly be happier to see that January 27, 2010 is tomorrow. Shortly after 10AM on the left coast, Stevie J himself will finally put a hush to the rumors that have been swirling constantly over the past fortnight or so (and we'll be there live to cover it). Till then, however, we've got one more round of scuttlebutt to serve up. Kicking things off is a New York Times report that explains in some level of detail what exactly the supposed Apple tablet will feature in terms of specifications. To quote: "It will run all the applications of the iPhone and iPod Touch, have a persistent wireless connection over 3G cellphone networks and Wi-Fi, and will be built with a 10-inch color display, allowing newspapers, magazines and book publishers to deliver their products with an eye to the design that had grabbed readers in print." We shall see. Moving on, we've got even more whispers that publishers -- with the NYT mentioned specifically -- around the globe have been getting wind of this thing as the suits in Cupertino attempt to nail down content deals. Broadcast Engineering even has a piece that straight-up states that Apple was "was in New York City last week showing the tablet to media companies as a new way to sell books, newspapers and other reading material through its iTunes online store." Still not convinced? NetbookNews has an apparently ongoing article about the authenticity / non-authenticity of a Media Markt tweet that "accidentally" leaked a supposed €899 price point for the device, while Hot Hardware switches things up and reports that AT&T will lose its iPhone exclusivity during tomorrow's event. Oh, and the very first hands-on review of the Apple tablet is also live (courtesy of Mosspuppet), while yet another hotly contested image has arisen to perch atop these very words. Phew.
