Long-rumored to be set for the $1000 price point, the iPad was either going to be an evolutionary device built upon the framework of the iPhone and iPod Touch, or a regressive, stripped-down tablet version of a MacBook. Once the rumors began that the device would run a version of the iPhone OS, it became apparent that the hardware would certainly be the former. Thankfully, those rumors were confirmed at today’s Apple event held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
The simple description of the iPad hardware is that it resembles an oversized iPod Touch with more width to it while only slightly thicker (.17”), an incredible feat of design in itself. The iPad is 9.56” h x 7.47” w x .5” d and weighs in at a light 1.5 pounds (1.6 pounds with 3G modem). The black border around the screen is perfectly designed for holding it without unnecessarily invading the viewable screen. The brushed aluminum back is standard, familiar Apple design.
When powered on it is a stunning piece of technology. Driving iPhone OS 3.2 is Apple’s own 1 GHz A4 chip, “a custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip”, per Apple’s tech sheet. This chip enables the iPad to display 1024×768 HD video resolution at 132 pixels per inch. The device also supports video out, though it does not support any HD output. As should be expected with any device from Apple, a wide array of audio and video codecs are supported. To store all the content Apple wants to sell to you for use on the iPad, there are three different flash drives available for the device: 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB.
All models of the iPad come with built-in WiFi, with support for 802.11 a/b/g/n. Additionally, for a premium of $130 the iPad is available with a 3G modem supporting UMTS/HSDPA and GSM/EDGE for areas where 3G is unavailable. As with the iPhone and iPod Touch, the iPad also sports Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology. Rounding out the tech specs are the now-ubiquitous accelerometer, a 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack, ambient light sensor and a lithium-polymer battery that supposedly provides up to 10 hours of usage and up to 30 days of stand-by time.
The iPad is priced well below the $1000 price point that had long been predicted. Here is the complete pricing breakdown:
After all of those features and the great pricing it is a bit easy to forget that there are some significant hardware features missing. There is no SD card slot and no USB or Firewire port, but perhaps the most significant missing piece that seems like a no-brainer is an iSight camera. How it did not make it into the final hardware spec is beyond imagining; it would be a cheap, small, and light piece of hardware to add and would instantly increase the iPad’s usability three-fold. Perhaps this is just typical Apple iterative hardware release scheduling at work, i.e. we will see a next generation iPad with iSight, but it certainly is puzzling.
Of course the final analysis of the iPad product cannot be made until it has been released to the public and has had time to germinate in the real world. The hardware specs certainly support the possibility that this is a revolutionary product, but whether the iPad becomes the next “it” gadget for Apple or not will rely more importantly on the next OS release and, most importantly, application development.
[via engadget]
January 28th, 2010 at 8:29 am
Good summary; it is hard to fathom how an iSight cam did not make it to the final released version.
This device would complement my work pc (sadly we have pc’s) on business travels, but without a camera I’ll not be able to video-chat with family etc. The lack of iSight is, unfortunately, a product killer for me. Guess I’ll have to wait for the next version…
January 28th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
I tend to agree, but I wouldn’t call it a product killer. For me, I rarely use the iSight in my MBP. I think I might have used it 2-3 times in the last 6-8 months.
Maybe I just need to get out more.
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January 28th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
Josh, I agree that it isn’t a product killer, but it certainly is a product enhancer, particularly for the demographics Apple seems to be targeting with the features they were pimping yesterday.
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January 28th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Of all the people who have told me that they were going to get a new computer soon, when i recommend the MacBook, they say they want to surf the net and e-mail and look at pictures.
They don’t realize the hassle free experience that Mac can provide for those very things. Being surrounded by adverts for $399 netbooks and $499 laptops, they have a complete aversion to the price of an apple.
While an iPad will not likely replace the home computer (unless the MacBook Air superdrive will work to rip CD’s into iTunes and play DVD’s -not likely) this device sounds like the perfect beast for someones 74 year old mother to use. And it is sitting at a price that the average consumer can look at and justify – The most expensive iPod is $399 USD , the visually stunning iPad is only $100 more for a bigger, easier to read screen and enhanced functionality.
My take on the hardware: The iPad is an Ipod touch on steroids. Apple has left out the camera and not included a mic just for the fact that it is a machine that should compliment the iphone and not compete with it. The iPad’s iWork programs that the phone wont run and the camera (and of course the phone part ) on the iPhone separate the two devices enough that students and business persons loyal to Apple are likely to get both.
If tethering is supported, perhaps – and its a big perhaps – the iphone can be spun around and used as a bluetooth camera for iChat while the program is running.
Will the Rowmote app or any similar app running on the iPhone be able to control the iPad during a Keynote presentation instead of having to walk around with the iPad in hand while physically connected to a projector by a cable and an adaptor?
That would be handy in a Keynote presentation.
I currently have an iPod touch and when Bell rolls (hopefully) 4G into Saskatchewan after it has focusing on Vancouver, I will be getting an iPhone as soon as possible.
I see the iPad as the at home solution for quickly checking e-mail of the internet at home or, when paired with apple’s diminutive and optional bluetooth keyboard and an upright stand/case, an ultra portable device to take to classes or work. The MBP can stay at home for the short jaunts then and not get lost or damaged in transit.
Unless i sell or lose the iPod somewhere i don’t have a big inclination to get the iPad but it fits a niche for a lot of people who wouldn’t get mac hardware.
You are very right, the final analysis of the iPad cannot be made until it has been released to the public but it just might be an iPod touch killer as well as a netbook killer.
January 28th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
How did I forget the microphone?!? Thanks for the reply–very thorough and very much in line with my thinking, too. I had a short debate with someone yesterday about whether it would be an iPod Touch killer; I’m curious about how much the extreme portability of the Touch will play into the future of the two devices as I am not yet convinced that the younger crowd is willing to tote around a device the size of a notebook as a replacement for the Touch. Time will tell on all of these points.
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January 28th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Look for lone remaining 32GB “iPod Touch Classic” Model in a year.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Just a brief comment on the business user aspect (which is a slightly narrow but probably important customer segment): I think that relying on such users to buy both an iPhone and an iPad greatly narrows the appeal in this segment.
To qualify this, many companies provide computers (largely pc’s in my experience) and phones (small ones with relatively superior battery capacity than the iphone); in this segment the iPad needs to compete on weight, ease of use and features. Reading the news paper, watching videos in the air, chatting when waiting, etc. That’s the things one would like to do but not something to bother with booting up the laptop for… At least in my experience anyway.
Otherwise, I really like the granny-appeal you suggest.
March 5th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Unbelivable nice post , write more and thank you !
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March 8th, 2010 at 3:35 am
I’m always searching for things about information that I do not know about. It is not an easy task to look for things that you don’t know about, because what do you look for? ;) This was the type of thing I love to read about on something new to me. Awsome read! Thank you.
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January 28th, 2010 at 6:04 am
Macgasm.net: iPad Hardware Roundup: Long-rumored to be set for the $1000 price point, the iPad was either going… http://bit.ly/9DihkU #fb
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January 28th, 2010 at 11:28 am
My iPad Hardware Roundup – http://www.macgasm.net/2010/01/28/ipad-hardware-roundup/ #fb
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January 28th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
iPad Hardware Roundup | Macgasm: While an iPad will not likely replace the home computer (unless the MacBook Air s… http://bit.ly/dieBNE
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
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