$499 iPad: Awesome Over-Sized iPhone At An Undersized Price

Giles Turnbull ()

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Photos courtesy of Gizmodo

Phew. It’s all over. And a new era has begun.

Ladies and gentlemen: Say hello to iPad. It will cost you $499. Even the most expensive model is $829. The WiFi version ships in late March, the 3G in April

Here’s an overview of everything we know so far.

The …. is a “magical and revolutionary new product,” according to Steve Jobs. He would say that. But he’s right.

Apple is a mobile device company now, the largest in the world, says Steve. “That’s what we do.”

The PowerBook was the first modern laptop computer, back in 1991. In 2007, Apple reinvented the phone.

Netbooks, though, aren’t better at anything. Remember when Apple said it couldn’t compete at that price? It was because they couldn’t create something that they’d be proud of.

So instead, they’ve made the iPad.

And yes, it looks – and behaves – rather like a huge iPhone. But there’s much more to it than that.

You want a keyboard? You got one. You got two, in fact. Either a built-in software keyboard, or a plug-in hardware accessory.

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Photos courtesy of Gizmodo

What else do you want? You want a gorgeous, huge, web browsing, photo-displaying, movie-watching screen? Yup, you got that too.

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Photos courtesy of Gizmodo

The UI looks just like the UI we’re all accustomed to. The iPhone icons are there, only spaced further apart, taking advantage of the extra space. There’s a very OS X-like Dock at the bottom of the screen.

Connectivity: we still have wires, sadly. Everything syncs with your main computer over a cable, just like your iPhone does. If you want 3G data, you can get that too: on demand, no contract, just prepay when you need it. It’ll cost you $14.99 for 250MB/month (euw), or $29.99 for unlimited data. In the US, AT&T is providing the link. Internationally – well, they’re working on it. And the iPad sells unlocked.

Right up against the Kindle, the iPad comes with an app called iBooks. It includes a Store – of course – and it looks an awful lot like some of the ebook readers we’ve already seen for iPhone/iPod.

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Photos courtesy of Gizmodo

It also comes with a completely re-invented version of iWork. It’s got Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, all of it re-made for your fingers. The Numbers UI is the nicest-looking spreadsheet you’ve ever seen. Each app costs $9.99.

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The iPad runs on an ARM-based 1GHz chip called the A4. Storage is 16, 32 or 64GB of Flash memory. It has 802.11n wifi, Bluetooth, a speaker, mic, accelerometer, and a compass. The iPad is 0.5 inches thin, weighs 1.5 pounds, and has a 9.7-inch (diagonal) IPS multitouch screen.

Steve says it will last for 10 hours on a battery charge. Freee-oww.

There are 100,000 apps on the App Store and every single one of them will run on the iPad straight away. Either at iPhone size or pixel-doubled up to fill the screen.

And of course, developers who want to create apps from scratch, apps that take advantage of that huge screen, can make use of the brand new SDK which is out today.

What isn’t included?

A camera. Video-out. (How you going to present those iWork presentations?) An SD slot. Or even any slots of any kind.

Some first impressions:

  1. They’ve kept it simple. It looks like a huge iPhone for a reason: people know exactly how the iPhone looks and works, and this will be a very natural progression. It will feel comfortable, easy: but also exciting, because it’s a bigger, more expansive experience. This is more of the same, only evolved.
  2. This is the new MacBook. It’s cheap, it does most things that most people need for most of their daily computing. This is it.
  3. The 3G data link: OK, so 250MB/month is puny, but this time there is no contract. You buy connectivity when you need it – just for one trip, one business meeting, one vacation. You’re not tied in. Apple gets it.
  4. The price: this is the key. This is Apple answering all those critics who have kept saying its products are overpriced. At $499, these puppies are going to fly off the shelves in vast quantities.

Oh, and one more thing: this is just version 1. Wait a year. If you think the waiting is over, you’re mistaken. It’s only just begun.

32 comments »

About the author

gilest

Giles Turnbull is a freelance writer in England. He writes for the Press Association and The Morning News. He has a website you can ignore and a Twitter account you needn't follow.

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Posted in Apple Tablet, News, Tablet, Top stories |

  • thanx_al

    I am underimpressed with this. How can I justify this if I have an iPod Touch and a Macbook Pro? It is too small for heavy work and too large for the gym/running. I’m not sure Apple has created an ecosystem (real need) for this. I’ll wait until I see it in person, but I’m not salivating.

  • KE

    I didn’t hear anything about GPS. Is there a GPS chip for the navigation apps?

  • Venture82

    @thanx_al: Why the hell would you want this at the gym/running? Especially if you have an iPod Touch?

  • TG

    GPS on 3G models

  • andreas minuchin

    they did it! i never thought they would do it but they did it! oh please, my english is not very great but i have a very large happy that this has been released; it does not get any hotter than this! oh god, oh god, i cannot tell you how i feel right now, my mind is very messy. i love you so much steve job! i love you so much apple! please so not ever go away…..

  • JD

    Has everything an iPhone has… except the phone. Still need one of those. Only audience I can see is college/HS students. Sell their textbooks on iTunes and it’s everything they need in their backpack. Apple makes money from book sales and it’s easier than carrying around 5 books, some notebooks and a laptop for the student.

  • sbi

    1. No camera at all? What can it add to the cost? $50? Because everything else has one, now iPad looks like it’s lacking.

    2. I’m a little surprised there isn’t a CHEAPER price via contract, like subsidized iPhone. Maybe Apple just wanted simple billing too. However, 6 models to choose from already screwed the simplicity a bit. Just think of all the PC babies/whiners that would have to shut their mouths if an iPad was also available for $299 with contract.

    3. Hey AT&T, pay attention! This is your chance to make some $$$. Offer a COMBINED iPhone-iPad data plan for $40. Make your customers happy. You know they won’t be using the iPhone for data at all, if their iPad is nearby.

  • http://www.markcrummett.com Mark Crummett

    Let the hating begin! No matter that this is an astonishing bit of technology. All anyone who isn’t predisposed to like it will focus on is “no camera, no slots. What? No transporter/food replicator/direct neural interface? Lame. Just another Apple toy.” I’m glad you mentioned that yes, this is only version 1. Like it or not, Apple has changed the world. Again.

  • Alex

    Sorry Steve, I’ll be sticking with my Macbook .

  • thanx_al

    @venture82. The point is this… there is no solid reason to get an iPad if you already have an iPod and a Macbook. The iPod/Phone does the mobile things really well and the Macbook does the work things really well. The iPad is a blend so there is no real new ecosystem created.

  • SPK

    All that hype for nothing. I use to love apple but i hate the way everthing looks like ……not an iphone but an ipod touch now this big ass ipod/e book whatever the mockups u guys had on b4 were 100x better than this piece of crap. only good thing is price but would i pay that much instead of just ordering a subscription maybe if i was rich but im not so as donnie brasco would say “forget about it” i have my nexus phone cause it looks like an actual phone but hey i still have one apple product worth keeping my macbook pro

  • Dylan

    The appeal for me is an e-machine I can use on trips or around the house, laying in bed, on the couch. Something to read/ browse the internet that’s cheaper than a full price laptop.

  • Piledriver

    My iPhone thinks “Ipad” is a typo. LOL.

  • Bailey Kessing

    OK. It is amazing and the price is great. I can’t believe the price! I definitely do think that the lack of video chat is a missed chance, but otherwise it seems perfect. Who will buy? ALL students from high school on (no books!!!!!) and my 90yo mother who just needs email, web, address book and calendar.

  • http://www.conscienciacritica.com WetLight

    I have an iPhone with At&T but no macbook, so i will definetelly buy this baby. I would love to have a bundle discount from AT&T so i can 3G both my iPhone and iPad!!

  • Marci

    AT&T = dealbreaker. They sucked for phone, they suck for WiFi hot spots, and no way am I dropping $500 and having to depend on them for 3G coverage!

    The 250 MB limit will be perfect, because you’ll never be connected enough to transfer that much data!

  • kendo

    Will 3G have SMS/MMS?

  • Chuck

    My Dell mini 9 running OS X w/64gig SDD looks at this iPad and laughs.

  • jr

    “How can I justify this if I have an iPod Touch and a Macbook Pro.” Answer: you probably can’t. But for the millions of people out there who are ready to buy a netbook and/or eReader… the iPad is going to be very, very attractive. Generation 2 will probably get a camera so just be patient if that’s a must have. Of course, oddly, the iPod Touch doesn’t even have a camera yet. Magazines would be stupid not to offer issues on this… there will probably be a number of them signed up by the time this ships. It would be awesome if AT&T surprised us in March and subsized this on contract for an even better price. And where in the heck is Verizon? Either they are really hard nosed or Apple decided to introduce this first and make them sweat before returning to the negotiating table again. Despite the few shortcomings it has this device is amazing. The iPad is going to FLY off the shelves!

  • KenseiDave

    Ok. It’s intriguing. But it doesn’t really off anything my current devices don’t offer. I know it’s combining them into one device. But I will still need my iPhone to make calls and i will still need my netbook/MacBook pro to do serious computing. I have my kindle for ebooks. So, this device is just duplicating functionality I already have.

    Will be great for students though.

    I like it. But I think I will be waiting (like I did for the iPhone), for iteration 2 in a year’s time.

  • Lia

    Hmmm, it does all that an iPod does for 2x the price and it won’t fit it into any pocket.
    If we buy all the gadgets that Apple would have us *need* we’d need icarts to carry it all. Sadly I can see people buy this and not pay next months mortgage or the insurance or the doctor bills
    Geeze we’ve become a “I GOT TO HAVE” society. And we got to have cause it’s shiny and Apple. It wouldn’t matter if it did nothing at all. People would buy it.

    And seriously, iPad? Give me a break. Comes in regular, super and Maxi iPads?
    What’s next iTampon?

  • http://www.toxicspark.com Andrew Macdonald

    “This is the new MacBook. It’s cheap, it does most things that most people need for most of their daily computing. This is it.”

    I completely disagree. The Macbook can do sooooo much more than this. I was DEFO going to be buying one of these before it was even announced, based purely on the hype and rumours. But this leaves a lot to be desired.

    It cant multi-task. You cant have more than one app open at the same time on the screen. No camera. No video out. No usb in. Apple have completely under-delivered with this product.

    While i think the pricing is just where it should be, it doesnt have any killer-apps or must-have features to justify buying one. I already have an iPhone, a Macbook, 2 iMac’s. There is simply no need for this device.

    I agree that this device is perfect for reading, but again, it has no other must-have features. The first mac was hugely successful because of the Visi-Calc software. This doesnt have any MUST-HAVE’s to justify buying one.

    Sorry Apple, I love you but you have disappointed me with this product. Looking forward to the next upgrade though, when hopefully all the above features will be looked at.

  • TXCiclista

    Underwhelming at best. I’m waiting for version 2.0 of the world’s first internet-enabled tampon.

  • shaunathan

    So many of you seem to not read before you type. you see AT&T and throw up the cross sign with the fingers and hiss. While you were hissing you missed that Steve-o said this baby shipped UNLOCKED

    That’s UN-LOCKED.

    I’ll be buying my iPad with 3g and signing up with verizon. No dealbreakers for those who READ.

  • FineTunes

    Although it would not replace my 17″ MBP-UB, I might consider it when it is in 2G or 3G, by then it will be that much more awesome and my MPB will be a little older — maybe time for an upgrade? I’ve been a Mac User since about 1984-1985 — remember the Mac Plus. I remember when Steve left Apple and there was a time when people were writing of Apple’s demise. Feels great that Apple is doing so well I’ve always liked their products. Although I have had to recently to switch to Windows so I could use Office 2007– however I run it through Fusion 2. Can’t give up my Mac — they will have to pry it from my cold dead hands.

  • http://www.zazzle.com/hottopics/gifts?cg=196533222698704793 Michael McDonald

    Forget the new iPad! Check out these new iGlasses! They are hot!

    http://www.zazzle.com/hottopics/gifts?cg=196533222698704793

  • Presto117

    what isn’t included? how about a friggin’ flash player? or multitasking? is it really that hard for apple to do? this should be their solution to netbooks, not some huge joke in the eyes of the gadget community. this had so much potential. imagine if it had usb ports that would let you plug in a cd drive, upload music to it, and you could sync your iPod with it? that’d be great, at least. that’d be something. and apparently all reports lean towards “the screen size is too awkward to enjoy any quality video on”. i love my MacBook Pro, but… no thanks, steve. maybe when v. 2 comes around. give me multitasking, a flash player, and hell, just for the fun of it – make it a decent drawing tablet that can be used both independently and with a computer and the whole of the graphics design community will be at your knees and you know it.

  • Matt

    Seems like video-out is included via the dock connector:

    From the tech specs page…

    TV and video
    Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite Cable

  • http://gilest.org Giles Turnbull

    Matt: you’re right, thanks for adding the update that I should have added but forgot about. It was a busy evening :/

    I’m very pleased to see video-out. It makes the iPad an excellent tool for roving business people who do lots of presentations. They manage their presentations while on the move, using a $10 copy of iWork. Then just plug the iPad into the nearest VGA port when they reach their destination.

  • david

    I wonder if you could run vista on it ? X)

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  • jasinsomniac

    Hey there,

    This is my first time here so I’m just writing a quick post to say hi. Hopefully there’s some good discussions here – looks okay so far. Anyhow, I’ll keep this short so that only a few short seconds of your life are wasted reading it. :)