John Suder

Apple has just unveiled their new tablet device, and it’s called..the iPad. Personally, I think it’s an unfortunate choice of name (besides the obvious “feminine product” name comparisons, what will Bostonians call it? They already call iPods “iPads”:).

Steve Jobs called it a “third-category” device. Basically, what we have is a great couch-surfing device/reader (think of it as a GIANT iPod Touch). Many people were disappointed as to what this device didn’t have: No microphone or camera, no Flash support, no USB connection. However, as a first-generation device, it’s impressive. It runs all 140,000 iPhone apps natively and features a retooled version of Works just for the iPad. Besides being a great entertainment device, the iPad will further accelerate the adoption of eBook readers (I can certainly see this being used in a school environment). An on-screen drawing app called ‘Brushes’ was shown briefly, which I think is a natural for any tablet device and any artist would love it. I’m eager to see what types of drawing apps will be developed around the platform.

The pricing is attractive for those looking into netbooks; early adopters will be the usual Apple fanboys, but even at the lower tier model (16GB, Wifi, No 3G Wireless), $499, (plus the data plans) is a steep price to pay for a casual device. Of course, we all said that when the iPhone came out – the big difference is that a mobile phone is something you keep with you (almost) always – a device like this requires some forethought as to use, storage and travel.

A quick rundown of the iPad specifications:
0.5 inches thick
Weight: 1.5 Pounds
16-64GB Storage (Flash memory)
9.7-inch IPS display
1 GHz Apple A4 chip (built in-house?)
Battery Life: 10 hours
Full-capacitive multi-touchRuns iPhone Apps natively
802.11n, WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.
Built in 3G Wireless

Also features an accelerometer, compass, a speaker, microphone and a 30-pin connector.
USB Sync.

Book downloads from the iBooks store will run $7.99 – $14.99

New version of iWork just for the iPad.

Huge onscreen keyboard

Full-size keyboard dock

Data Plans with AT&T
250MB per month – $14.99

Unlimited data  – $60 per month

Free use of AT&T WiFi hotspots

iPad 3G models are unlocked

The Cons
No Flash support
No camera
No microphone
No USB slot
You can’t bend it like paper:)

Pricing
16GB
WiFi $499
WiFi + 3G $629

32 GB
WiFi $599
WiFi + 3G $729

64 GB
WiFi $699
WiFi + 3G $829

Availability
Within 60 days