Apple is almost certainly going to launch a tablet today. It won’t be the first tablet PC to hit the streets. As I mentioned yesterday, companies have been pumping out handheld, touchscreen devices for decades. But the Apple Tablet is probably the most hyped product of the last two years and it should be extraordinarily interesting to see if it (or any product, for that matter) can live up to the hype.
One of the most interesting elements for me is the fact that all signs point to the Apple Tablet running a version of the iPhone operating system. On the one hand, that’s great news because there are over 100,000 apps for the platform that should run smoothly out of the box. And the OS was designed from the ground up to be touchscreen-friendly. And one of the biggest complaints people have had about tablet PCs running Windows XP, Vista, and 7 is that they’re essentially running a desktop OS designed for a mouse and keyboard. Sure, you can slap on some handwriting recognition software and support for a stylus, fingertips, and even multitouch gestures. But the basic paradigm of folders, icons, a start menu, and so forth weren’t designed…
Do you want to buy?
the Ipad spec:
* CPU: 1GHz Apple A4 ARM-based processor
* Display: 9.7 inch IPS multitouch display, 1024 x 768 pixels with 132 ppi
* Storage: 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB
* Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, optional 3G
* Dimensions: 9.56″ x 7.47″ x 0.5″
* Weight: 1.5 pounds (1.6 pounds with 3G modem)
* Battery: 25Whr with up to 10 hours of web surfing, video, or music playback
* Other features: Accelerometer and compass
* Apps: Runs all iPhone apps plus new iPad apps including games, iTunes, iBooks, New York Times reader and others
* Video support: H.264 video up to 720p
* Input: On-screen keyboard that looks like a giant iPhone keyboard
* Optional accessories including a keyboard dock, camera connection kit, and a case that doubles as a kick-stand
* Accessibility: Closed-captioning playback, VoiceOver screen reader, full-screen zoom magnification
* Environmental cred: Arsenic-free glass, BFR-free, mercury-free LCD, PVC-free, recyclable aluminum and glass enclosure
The most intriguing aspect is probably the pricing. The base model with WiFi and 16GB of storage sells for $499. You can double the storage for $499, and the 64GB WiFi only model costs $699. For $130 more you can get the 3G enabled version, with prices ranging from $629 to $829.
What’s probably most impressive is…
