The Jesus Pad has landed and as predicted it’s the only thing people can talk about. Some of the early rumors were correct; actually a lot of the rumors were correct it is going to be called the “iPad,” really Apple? That is the best you can do for a name? How about “jPad” or “sPad?” The iPad will feature a 9.7 screen that’s capable of 1280 by 780 displays that will rotate just like the iPhone. In terms of looks, it’s pretty much exactly what everyone suspected, it’s a gigantic iPod Touch. Look at Steve Job’s tiny hands as he holds this big ass iPad, reminds me of the Burger King commercial.
Apple is claiming the battery will last an impressive 10 hours of active use even if you are watching video and up to 30 days in standby mode. The iPad will weigh approximately 1.5 pounds and doesn’t include Multi-tasking, no flash support and no camera.
The iPad price starts at $499 for a 16GB model. A 32GB model will cost $599, a 64GB model $699. These prices are for Wi-Fi only devices. A Wi-Fi and 3G enabled iPad will cost $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32 GB, and $829 for 64 GB. If I purchased one I’d most likely go for the outrageously expensive 64 GB version – I always like to have more space than I need.
Wireless service will be provided through AT&T on the 3G Models. AT&T can’t even handle iPhone traffic, how are they going to handle data usage from iPad users? The service will cost $30 a month for unlimited service. What I haven’t been able to find out is if this is real unlimited service or AT&T’s definition of “unlimited,” which is the 5 GB cap. If it’s the cap, there’s no way in heck I would purchase this thing. Considering doing any type of video streaming, video downloads etc. will make you go over the cap right away – thus making the whole point of having a multimedia device pointless.
All current iPhone Apps will work on the iPad in a small window or you can scale the app to fit the iPad. Developers will have a chance to use the new SDK (released today) to create apps specifically for the iPad.
To battle Amazon, Apple is launching it’s own ebook service called iBook – Apple, ditch the dumb “i” names already! The interface is really slick, but it’s a complete rip-off of the Classics App already available in the iTunes Store. Everyone will be paying the “apple tax” as books will cost $12.99 and up by comparison Kindle books generally top out at $9.99. One company tried to sell a book for $13.00 and the Kindle community raised their voices until the company dropped the price. The Apple community just accepts that they are charged more for everything. The iPhone has a Kindle App, so I would just continue to use all my Kindle Books on the iPad and skip the Apple Tax all together. There in lies the rub; I would use an iPad primarily as a color Kindle eReader.
Watch the Promo Video
The last news item is Apple is releasing a version of iWork for the iPad as well. If you don’t want to use the touch screen keyboard you’ll be able to use an Apple Keyboard with it via an attachment. Who wants to carry around this tablet and a keyboard?
I have to admit I am impressed with the iPad but I don’t think Apple answered my question of who is this device for? I already own a Macbook, 16-Gig iPhone, and 54 Gig iPod Touch, a Kindle, PSP, and DS what exactly would I need this device for – especially at this price point? Presumably the people who would get this probably already own MacBooks, so this is a device for people just want to look cool and hip.