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Video selection screen on the iPad. Credit: CNET
It walks and talks like an iPod touch — only it has a much larger screen, which will entice you to do more with it.
At least that seems to be the hopes of Apple and Steve Jobs, who announced the much-anticipated iPad Tablet today in San Francisco.
The iPad, which features a capacitive 9.7-inch touchscreen, will be available in prices ranging from $499 to $829 depending on storage size and Wi-Fi/3G wireless networking capability.
The 16-, 32- and 64-GB models with built in Wi-Fi will be $499, $599 and $699, respectively, while 3G of the same sizes are $629, $729 and $829 (not including data plans).
Look for Wi-Fi models to start shipping in 60 days and 3G models in 90 days, according to CNET.
The iPad appears to have all the functionality of an iPod touch, with the same slick navigation, access to open-architecture applications, touch keypad and more. Only the iPad has a 9.7-inch screen, which obviously makes activities like web browsing and e-reading much more palatable.
Jobs wondered if there was room for “a third device” in people’s homes and hands.
“In order to create a new category of devices, they have to be really good at doing some important things. That includes web browsing, e-mail, photos, watching video, listening to music, playing games, and reading e-books. Some people have thought that’s a Netbook, The problem is Netbooks aren’t better at anything. They’re just cheap laptops. We think we have something better.”
Activities demonstrated throughout the announcement included high-resolution video from YouTube and MLB.com, a Facebook app, Internet browsing, e-reading from The New York Times and a virtual bookshelf, gaming applications and more. Familiar iPod touch functionality like swipe scrolling and portrait/landscape were also shown.
Because of the larger screen — and for Jobs we certainly won’t call it a netbook — the iPad does more to mimic Mac-like functionality than an iPod touch. Applications such as iTunes and iPhoto interface like they would on your iMac or PowerBook, and you can download and watch movies and TV shows similarly.
But, of course, the rub is that this device is sleeker and slicker. It’s only 0.5-inch thin and weighs 1.5 pounds.
We’ve seen cool color touchpanels from Crestron, AMX, Control4, and Savant, to name a few of the big home control companies that act as mini-hubs. As a tabletop and portable controller (and we know control apps abound for iPod touch to use with your home systems and as a remote control), this could be a more mainstream entry to easily commanding your home’s A/V and other systems.
Apple must be thinking the same thing.
Here are some more images, credit to CNET:
Perfect for home control when combined with any home automation hardware. Our iPhone app, CF iViewer, will be released for iPad as soon as we can get hold of one for testing (60-90 days, sigh). Then you can use the iPad with our CommandFusion software to control a variety of home automation systems on the market.
The 4:3 aspect ratio is a little disappointing. I was hoping for 16:10 or there abouts.
i was only talking about the GPS ,Steve , - don’t get your knickers in a knot ,just because one gadget does not fulfil all your needs. personally i would prefer a decent stand alone camera , to one that is bundled in with a thousand other components.
This should be used as a cyber S-napkin.
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I think Apple misfired on the marketing a little here. They should have presented this as a next-gen eReader, or an eReader “but more”, or an eReader on steroids, or something, rather than a netbook competitor.
It may one day be preferred over netbooks, but its not there yet. My son has a netbook and just doesn’t use it. The screen is dim and dull. He’d rather ask to borrow his mother’s regular laptop.
Prediction 1: This is getting a similar reaction the iPhone first had. “But it doesn’t do this and it doesn’t have that”, but once people saw it, they really liked it. Those select few who were there and actually played with it are digging it. And it’s v1.0. I’m betting this thing is closer to iPhone level of success rather than closer to AppleTV level of bust.
Prediction 2: This is where newspapers end up. It’s established print media has seen its hay-day, and although newspapers will always be around, they’re on a slow burn for sure. The NYT on the Kindle kind of stinks as it’s too hard to navigate. Early buzz is the Times looked great on the iPad.
As far as price, the Kindle started at $399 with a black and white screen and one function. I think the price point of $499 is pretty impressive.
For what it’s worth, I’m more of a PC than an Apple fanboi.