Apple Sold 300K IPads On Day One

Apple Says It Sold 300K IPads On Day One


PALO ALTO, Calif. - People lined up Saturday morning at Apple stores all over the Bay Area to get their hands the new iPad, and the customers at the Palo Alto store got an extra bonus: a visit from the company's CEO Steve Jobs, KTVU-TV reported.
The influential tech mogul made a quick visit to the Palo Alto store -- often referred to as the "mothership" in part because it’s near Jobs’ home -- and delighted Apple fans, some of whom had waited outside the store overnight to buy the gadget.
The iPad is a new type of touch-screen device that blends features of the iPhone, electronic book readers and tablet computers.
The iPad has been described by Jobs as "magical" and fans are praising the gadget.
"It's going to change your life. It's going to change everybody's life," said Kathy Corby, who bought the iPad.
But critics say the iPad is not a revolution but simply an oversized iPod touch.
Corby acknowledged the comparison but said, "What's bad about that?"
On Monday, Apple said it sold more than 300,000 iPads on Saturday.
Sales included preorders of the iPad
Prices start at $499 for iPads that connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi. Apple will sell costlier iPads with cellular data connections later this month.

Hackers are taking advantage of iPad craze

While Apple has built a reputation for protecting its users from viruses that tend to plague the competition, the latest announcement of the coming release of the iPad is not helping to keep that reputation in tact.

According an AFP report, there is much opportunity for hackers and scammers to jump on the iPad bandwagon and lure curious Apple fans into booby-trapped websites that offer false promises of information about the new tablet computer.

Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, revealed the latest device last Wednesday. The new tablet will feature touch screen capabilities and resembles and oversized iPhone (News - Alert). Shipping worldwide is set to begin in March.

“Even before the first user could buy the latest and upcoming Apple technology, the iPad, cybercriminals are already making profit from its popularity,” said Carolyn Guevarra of computer security firm Trend Micro, in the AFP report.

Much speculation and anticipation was mounting all over cyberspace and throughout the industry as we waited for Apple’s latest creation to be revealed. Once the iPad was introduced, the intense online debate began over the strengths and weaknesses of the device.

“Sadly, this is just the kind of opportunity fraudsters like to exploit by poisoning search terms,” Symantec security expert Candid Wueest told AFP on Friday. “We can also expect to see iPad-related spam and phishing attacks hitting consumers hard over the coming weeks. We’d advise the curious to be on their guard.”

Online searches are affected by hackers and criminals who seek to rig websites with words that are likely to be used as query terms to assure prominent ranking on results pages. Those who search for iPad insights interact with links on trick pages and then their computers are infected with scareware software that tries to get them to pay to fix computer virus problems that don’t truly exist.

While the process is a scam, it is a highly profitable one. The sites actually started capturing unsuspecting visitors the same day Apple announced their creation. This malicious business is truly thriving. Unfortunately for the rest of us – online criminals routinely take advantage of hot topics to lure individuals to trick websites and rake in millions.

Apple and its new iPad have been under extreme scrutiny as industry experts are hoping for a breakthrough and many see the iPad as full of strikes against it. One of the emerging obstacles is the claim by Fujitsu that it actually launched its own “iPad” in 2002. The battle over the name is still ongoing.

iPad: Advantage & Disadvantage

Now that the word is out, let’s all just settle down and reflect a bit on what Apple has told us, and showed us about the new iPad. Most rumors about this thing have proven to be accurate. Why? Because this was the only obvious direction for Apple, if it really wanted to build the tablet. Sure, some of you wanted to see more from the iPad (Softpedia included), but we’re getting a good deal for that $499  price tag. Or so it seems.

· You get WiFi-only with the base model, yes. But, the Apple iPad isn’t really for geeks, is it now? Most people will be happy to get Internet access at home, via occasional hot spots here and there, the coffee shops and pubs they regularly go to, etc., so I don’t think Internet will be such a big problem for these people. And those who want the Internet at their fingertips all the time can just go for the more expensive models, get an unlimited data plan while they’re at it, and still spend less for more. Even though there’s still a good couple of months (maybe more) before we get to hold this thing in our hands, the iPad makes a lot of sense for all kinds of people, particularly for those who are not computer experts. And that’s Apple’s customer, right there. A monkey could use this thing!

(Seriously, does anyone have a monkey around, and would be willing to do some tests when this thing is out? Let us know. We’ll write about it.)

· Yes, Apple also ties the 3G model to a microSIM card that limits your choices for preferred carriers. AT&T is the only carrier confirmed to support the iPad in the US. The company is also one of the few that offers that pesky, tiny SIM card, which many people still wonder why it was even necessary to invent.

· Battery life. Apple says ten hours. Softpedia says, “Not likely” and, “Would you like to put your money where your mouth is?” That’s how sure we are the iPad will not live up to its name, from a battery life standpoint, just like the iPhone. Your regular iPhone user - who browses the web, downloads an app or two, sends emails and listens to music on their iPhone, every day - will tell you that he or she needs to recharge that baby once every 24 hours. Apple claims up to seven hours of video playback on the iPhone 3G, and ten hours on the 3GS. These figures don’t reflect our experience with any of the iPhones we’ve employed. Sure enough, graphics-intensive apps - like racing games, for instance - will drain the iPad’s lithium-polymer battery before you can even reach for the charger. Of course, this is one take on the matter, based on experience with other Apple portables. We truly hope we’re wrong here. On the other hand, the device really belongs in a bag, or on a tabletop, so it’s bound to either have a plug nearby, or always be close to its charger.

Shape, size and weight are likely winning features of the Apple iPad
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· I don’t think we even need to go into the whole size-and-weight thing, not to mention the design. Apple has always done well from both these standpoints, and will surely continue to do so with every upgrade / new product to come. You don’t need to turn the iPad around to see the sleek Apple logo on that finely finished aluminum casing to know you’re looking at a product designed at One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California.

· But there are more aspects that can be considered drawbacks. Here’s one: for the love of God, doesn’t Apple see the importance of multi-tasking on such a device? Also, no camera? Not even one? We get that video conferencing was too much to ask from a 500-dollar Apple portable, not to mention the difficulties AT&T is encountering with its 3G network, but there are some things that simply need to be part of a device like the iPad. And one of those things is a camera. If a webcam was too much to ask for, then the ability to take a picture with the thing, include it in one of those fancy Keynote slideshows and email it to your loved ones really sounds like a key feature Apple missed out on.

· According to those who’ve had a go with it (following the end of Steve Jobs’ keynote address yesterday), the device is extremely snappy. No surprise there - it’s powered by Apple’s own chip. That should translate into many years of flawless operability, but also limitations, so we’ve got a good and a bad inside the 1GHz A4 silicon. Perhaps there’s also some hope for that ten-hour battery life thanks to the A4.

· Oh, how could we forget about the screen? Is that thing gorgeous, or what? It sure makes the iPad look like the device to watch video on (in bed, drinking your morning coffee, etc.). The increased real estate clearly provides tons of benefits for any activity, including using some third-party apps like Brushes. When the iPad is out, Brushes will be there to complement that glossy 9.7-inch display, its developer has confirmed, and we bet there will be quite a few artists taking things to a whole-new level, thanks to the iPad.

· “iPad”...hmm. We think Apple could have done a little better here as well. Of course, with no better suggestions for a name, we’re not going to weigh in on this too much. We just thought the company had it in it to come up with something better than the obvious name “iPad.”

iPad does away with some apparently lacking features by connecting to various accessories
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It connects to a lot of neat accessories, like the iPad Keyboard Dock, which only enhances the tablet experience, combining Multi-Touch with traditional controls - a dream come true, for many Apple fans. The accessory combines a dock for charging your iPad with a full-size keyboard. Featuring a rear 30-pin connector, it lets you connect to an electrical outlet using the USB Power Adapter, sync to your computer, and use other accessories like the Camera Connection Kit.

· The storage capacities are OK. 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive for $499, $599, and $699, respectively (WiFi-only models). However, 16 gigs may not be enough for regular use in the nearby future. Apps will get bigger, as developers try to take advantage of the increased number of pixels, video automatically gets bigger for the iPad as well, etc. Hopefully, this will not prove to be a drawback. So far, storage sounds good.

We could go on forever about the things we believe are good with the Apple iPad, and those that are not so good. Basically, the iPad seems to combine Apple’s best features with many of its restrictions. But we're going to save our energy for when it ships. In the meanwhile, why don’t you help us see what everyone thinks about this thing, what are the key points Apple has nailed, or failed to get right, and so on. Use the comments at will. With enough feedback from you, we'll be able to do another piece, based entirely on your comments.

Making Money with iPad Applications

Anyone who wants to make money developing apps for the Apple iPad had better be prepared to move fast.

Like the iPhone, the iPad will enable start-ups large and small to ride on the back of a brand new platform where no rival is yet all-powerful.

I saw the evolution of the iPhone apps market close-up, due to my day job, yet by the time I actually considered making iPhone apps to generate a side income for myself, the risk versus reward balance had shifted:

    * There were tens of thousands of competing apps
    * The charts were saturated
    * It was almost impossible to get new content noticed
    * Average price points had collapsed

The same will happen even quicker with the iPad, since iPhone apps work on the device and also many people around the world are aware of the potential market thanks to the iPhone’s success.

Below are five thoughts on getting ahead of this crowd.

If after reading you’ve got any further ideas or tips on making money developing for the iPad, please add them in the comments below!
Five tips on making money on the iPad

The development of the marketplace for iPad apps and other revenue streams won’t follow exactly the same path we saw for iPhone and iTunes.

Those pioneering digital marketplaces have set many of the ground rules, so anyone making content for the iPad already knows roughly what to expect.

Yet I do believe these established stores offer clues as to how will the opportunity to make money via the iPad will shift over time.

1. Get in early with your iPad app

If you’ve got a great idea for an app that specifically targets the iPad – using its big screen and powerful processor – don’t hang about.

Get your app written fast, and get it out there.

This is vital if you’re a one or two-man start-up, let alone a full-blown developer. The opportunity to compete toe-to-toe with bigger rivals fell away fast as competition increased on the iPhone.

This will be even more important on iPad, where you’re already competing with 140,000 iPhone apps.

Yes, there are still tiny teams making thousands of dollars every day with new apps on iPhone, but they are very much the exception to the rule. Most apps make very little, and we never hear about them.

Don’t be fooled by the rare success stories, and remember my interview with an iPhone app developer who took too long over his app and arrived third in a very niche market. Be quicker!

    * If you’re going to try to make money by developing for iPad, start yesterday (someone did). Don’t delay another day!

2. Forget high price points

Apple and other established players may talk about premium priced products on the iPad, but in reality pricing power will likely fall away as quickly as it did on the iPhone.

When iPhone first launched, video games companies salivated over the opportunity to sell cheap-to-develop games for $10 to $20.

That window lasted about six weeks – most games cost 99 cents / 59p now.

Create an app with a potential audience that’s big enough to support your product and make a decent profit at a very low price point, unless you’re product is very niche.

    * If you can charge more to start with, consider it a bonus.

3. Novelty apps will sell well early on

Some of the first iPhone app successes were Frat boy affairs that made your iPhone fart, turn into a pint of beer or become a lightsaber.

I’m pretty sure Steve Jobs wasn’t thinking about iFart when he dreamed up the iPhone, and I’m sure he has higher ideals for the iPad.

But in the first days of the iPad’s life when the device is still a novelty, so will be some of its most successful apps.

Don’t just replicate what worked on iPhone – you’re already competing with those apps, since they run on the iPad, too.

Instead, think about using iPad’s larger screen and other features, and also its living room credentials.

    * A talking picture frame? An app that turns the iPad into a fake mirror? Or a Whoopee cushion? Something dumb will make it big.

4. Consider advertising and other revenue streams

It took a while for the iPhone app crowd to move towards advertising, despite the fact it’s the business model that’s been shown repeatedly to work best with digital content.

Even Apple has now embraced mobile advertising, buying the mobile ad provider Quattro Wireless for $275 million in early January 2010.

If you can build your App in such a way as to deliver a compelling advertising proposition – a big audience and a decent but not intrusive ad presence – you can get on the ‘freemium’ bandwagon from day one.

Also, something that’s still fairly new to iPhone but that I expect to make waves faster on the iPad is micro-transactions. This is pretty much built into the iPad proposition, since you can sell content via iTunes and the new iBook store, as well the micro-transaction support now built into the iPhone operating system.

This is a riskier avenue to explore than advertising, because while micro-transactions are huge in South East Asia, they’ve yet to be fully embraced in the West (although some Facebook apps have had success in squeezing money out of the model).

    * Don’t think you have to sell your app. That may be the right approach, but digital media has a tendency to go free – whether officially or through piracy – so it could be a better idea to try to anticipate that from day one with the iPad.

5. Don’t expect iPad to save big media

Of all the pre-announcement speculation, the idea the iPad was going to ease the plight of existing newspapers and magazines in the digital world was the least convincing.

iTunes has been selling digital music successfully for a decade, but you try finding someone in the record industry who says that has led to business as usual. Quite the opposite.

iPad means more disruption to those business.

I sometimes still buy a newspaper because it’s so easy to read on the sofa, in the garden, or on a train.

But with the spread of truly portable readers, this near-to-last advantage of paper is diminished, too.

While I might conceivably buy a digital newspaper to read on my iPad, I’m equally likely to access free websites in the garden or on the train, and not bother with the paid-for media at all.

What does that leave as the market for the magazine industry – reading in the bath?

    * If you’re a small guy, think about how the iPad will help you fight News International and Conde Naste. And if you’re the latter… well, nobody is going to line their kitty litter tray with a tablet computer for a while.

How to make money with Ipad

How to Make Money on the iPad

Sure, it's been mocked as a super-sized iPod or a laptop sans keyboard, but Apple's forthcoming iPad is also a brand new tablet platform with a diverse audience and few rivals. That means that programmers, merchants, designers, and just about anybody with an existing business is probably asking themselves, Is there a way my business can make money on the iPad? Nobody knows for sure—but if you dive in right away with a fresh idea, the launch of the iPad could be lucrative for you.

When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad in January, it was clear that it would be a cool tool for playing games, reading e-books, and video viewing, but also a portable web browser and work tool. With upgraded iWork productivity apps, crisp 9.7-inch screen, fast processor, WiFi, and portability, the iPad could act as a workstation, a magazine, a handheld TV, a digital communications device – and plenty more.

The super-sized touch screen makes all the difference, says Trip Hawkins, a former Apple marketing director turned Silicon Valley entrepreneur who founded Electronic Arts and now runs Digital Chocolate. "You can see how there's a lot of people, including some businesses, and some students, who don't need a full PC. I see the tablet as being the ultimate browser experience. The big screen makes it better for viewing than a mobile phone, and opens up a lot of possibilities."

The iPad is a mash-up of everything that little iPod Touch in your pocket does combined with a streamlined version of a laptop's functionality. And there's a low barrier to entry for consumers: the tablet's starting price is $499. If that sounds like the future of computing to you, perhaps it is. We've assembled a guide to navigating the new market it has the potential to open.

Remember back to the first iPhones, and the advent of the iTunes App Store in 2007? An array of apps was available from the start, and those that provided either a useful function or simple fun, soared – and stayed popular once they appeared on top-10 or Apple's featured apps lists.

Of course, that market got saturated, and fast. And the same will likely occur with iPad tools and apps – and even faster, because the existing ocean of apps is already available for the iPad. Developing and designing iPad-honed apps is perhaps the most obvious way to make money in the new platform – already developers and software companies are salivating at the Apple customers' consistent willingness to pony up a few bucks to add value to their device by downloading a new app. to get apps. If you're diving in to that demand, experts recommend getting a quick start.

Retronyms, a San Francisco-based software-design company that scored big by creating and offering their voice-capture app, Recorder, in time for the iPhone's debut, is working hard to have a product ready in time for the iPad's launch. Founder Zach Saul's advice to designers goes beyond thinking fast: Think, in a word, different. "We believe that music is one of the best uses for iPad, so that's different, and can be exciting," he says. "The ones that will have a GPS will have a cellular network, so you can imagine making some really big, beautiful, location-aware games for them, too."

Early on in the game, of course, Apple's secrecy is an issue for large and small designers alike. Even though Apple hassaid it is starting to accept submissions from iPad developers who want to get into the App Store before the iPad’s release, almost none of those developers will get their paws on an actual iPad before its launch, which means no real beta testing will be possible. Even media retail giants Amazon and Barnes & Noble, each with sizeable developer teams working on iPad products, haven't been given an iPad to test on, the New York Times reports.

With more than 200,000 app designers already registered with Apple, and 150,000 apps already out in the marketplace (some firms estimate there will be 300,000 out by the end of 2010), you'll not only have to be out in front, but stay visible.

If you're already in the field of creating apps, you're in luck. Most existing iPhone apps will run on the iPad – either in a smaller window (1x) or stretched to fit the bigger screen (at least 2x). But upgrading to make your existing app function in a fresh way that better fits a larger display can mean lots of different things to different developers.

Hawkins, the head of game design studio Digital Choolate, suggests that designers should think big – and think interactive. "To really make that the best use of the iPad, you're going to want to update your color palate depth and frame rate and graphic capabilities," he says. Digital Chocolate is working on optimizing Roller-Coaster Rush, one of its best-selling iPhone products, for the iPad. That's because it is an immersive, 3D experience – and with sharper graphics, Digital Chocolate is banking on it being a big seller for the bigger screen.

Games with a simpler premise, but great game mechanics might not need tweaking for iPad use. If it's already addictive, the screen size won't change anything, Hawkins says. Companies with a strong Web presence might also think about freshening up graphics, because one of the iPad's best consumer features is swift and smooth browsing, thanks to the new Apple chip: "It’s called the A4, and it screams," Jobs said.

Whatever sector your business is in, think both near and far about how adding features that are iPod ready can engage consumers. The iPad has great potential to be a coffee-table family device, while at the same time it will be used as a highly portable business tool. Customers could take it on a road trip, or just on a walk around the neighborhood, so consider both sit-down fun and location-aware services that expand on your existing business.

If you're designing new apps for the iPad - whether they're iPhone compatible or not - you'll want to make sure they get the visibility they need to sell, because visibility is vital to profitability. Getting into the App Store's top 100 – much less top 10 – list is of course the best way to see sales soar. If that's just not happening for you, start small. Build an audience from the ground-up.

"It's not necessarily the day that comes out that it needs to have blockbuster sales," says Greg Trefry, a gaming expert and iPhone app creator who is considering modifications that would work with the iPad, says. "Think about what audience you're going after, and how that person interacts with their device." Some key tips:

• Generate pre-release buzz. Have a website up and running before your app even launches. Make sure information is available for any interested parties. Existing social networking you or your company use can be beneficial in generating buzz, too.

• Do your own marketing, or enlist help. Craft a press release, or have all relevant information, including your contact info, available online. Create a list of blogs and websites that might be interested in reviewing your app, and ping them to spark interest. Be casual but informative – confident but never pushy. If being your own PR person sounds like a drag, enlist a tech PR firm that specializes in product releases on a contract basis.

• Plan for tie-ins or cross-app promotion. If you have existing apps, building in promotions for a new product is a simple way to get its name out to customers who already like your work. In-game advertising isn't a quick-fix to boost sales, though; it's more of a way to create a longer tail for your product's sales. Separately, think about other companies who aren't direct competitors you could form a mutually beneficial relationship with once you launch.

• Create an infrastructure that will support momentum and future growth. Consider what will keep customers coming back as well as what will attract new ones. Are there promotional tie-ins or giveaways that can help attract new interest on your website and in the App Store? What level of connectivity with buyers are you expecting and can you maintain? Trefry stays in touch with his app's fans on Twitter and Facebook, and since hearing input from them modified Gigaputt for use on the iPod Touch. "From social games on Facebook to iPhone games, there's no longer the old-school concept of putting it out there and then it's done," he says. "Now it's all about interacting with your fans, and making appropriate updates based on feedback."

If your business is more main-street than virtual world, finding a way to profit off of Apple's latest innovation isn't impossible, though it might just be indirect.

Customer transactions. The tablet device has a crisp display that could transform transactions in casual retail settings. Imagine instead of cranking a monitor around to show a customer a transaction, just handing them a device smaller than a notebook to check out. Just use existing software – or create your own app that runs your business's customer interface.

Show and tell. If you're giving a presentation – or even just participating in a meeting – and need graphics or artwork or a website to take center stage for a moment, but lack a projector, what could be more handy? Or, if you need to show a quick video to more than one co-worker, let's just say a tiny phone screen is going to look unprofessional pretty soon. It's also ideal for displaying photos – so, if you're a wedding photographer meeting with a client, for example, showing off your work using the iPad as a portable portfolio screen can add another level of clarity and credibility.

Alterna-laptop. Cheaper than most laptops, an iPad could be an option for on-the-go employees for whom you need to supply hardware. For documents, spreadsheets and presentations, iWorks for the iPad will be less than $10.

It might not save the publishing business, but the iPad is already providing a littlebit of a lift to the troubled industry. Some of the biggest news that came before Apple's announcement of the iPad was that the New York Times was negotiating a platform deal with Apple and, like a handful of other companies, was given a two-week window to prep a display for Jobs' iPad presentation. And now it's common knowledge that both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble are creating apps to streamline purchasing and reading of electronic books even though both companies sell e-reading devices of their own.

“We have actually developed a tablet-based interface that redesigns the core screen and the reading experience,” Ian Freed, vice president for Kindle at Amazon, told the New York Times. “Our team had some fun with it.”

The advent of this new platform, doesn't just mean the big dogs get to have all the fun. There's plenty of room for innovation, nowhere more so than in the realm of media. Say you run a photography journal. The gray Kindle would be a mismatch for your publication. But with the help of an app or subscription service created by a clever web developer, your publication could find a whole new audience on the iPad. And don't forget to think multimedia: Just as your website needn't be just courier font text with hyperlinks, your book needn't just be flip-pages anymore.

Or, if you host a cooking video blog, think about taking it to the next level – and don't forget to identify a revenue stream, either in a subscription charge, app fee or advertising down the road.

Also, don't forget about the power of content creation. Instead of adding your voice to the online cacophony, why not be an enabler? Existing blogging software might not be ideal on the iPad – but what about a new system that allows streamlined posting? And with the Brushes app getting so much buzz, if you're interested in art media, why not think along those creative lines?

When you go to the iTunes App Store, you'll notice that in the top-seller chart of paid apps, at least 50 percent of the top-10 titles are games. Games are a thriving niche of iPhone apps, and with the iPad's larger screen and tough-and-tilt navigation, it's going to be an even brighter market for game designers. Again, some game companies are already altering their graphics and game designs for the larger screen, but for others, simplicity is still key, Hawkins of Digital Chocolate says.

"A game with good quality game mechanics doesn't really benefit that much from throwing a lot of great graphics at it," Hawkins says.

The downside: Forget about Flash. In demos, the iPad didn't seem to include Flash viewing capability. Jobs seemed to indicate he was holding out on Flash in order to maintain the integrity of the user’s experience due to its buggy nature, but it also will have the effect of steering game design through Apple's App Store. For game designers, that means designing games that pass Apple's standards and testing.

Despite a lot of developers bemoaning the approval process, Saul says of his Retronyms apps: "We haven't had any trouble getting apps approved and included, but our work is very non-controversial, entertaining and fun. The approval process seems like a confrontational thing, but every time we've had an app rejected, there's been something wrong with it and they've given us a bit of free testing and helped us solve a problem, so it's very helpful."

And despite that heavy load of thousands of new apps submitted weekly, app creators tell Inc.com it's not usually a lengthy wait to get a thumbs-up.

"It actually wasn't that bad a process," Trefry says of submitting his game Gigaputt for approval. It was approved in three days. "You just have to do your contract with them, and it's pretty clear."

Apple Unveils iPad

           

In what everybody already saw coming for weeks (months) now, Apple has just unveiled its latest product, a tablet called the iPad. Basically a bigger version of the iPhone, Steve Jobs presented the iPad during a press event in San Francisco. The most interesting news? It's powered by... An Apple processor, called the A4. The most shocking news? The price.


The best way to describe the iPad is to simply take your iPhone, and stretch is on all sides until it has a 9.7" multitouch display, and replace the plastic back with a brushed aluminium one. Oddly enough, the iPad has a truly massive bezel, which really hinders the aesthetic appeal of the device (at least, that's my opinion).


Hardware-wise, it all gets a little more interesting. It's powered by a 1Ghz Apple A4 chip (P.A.Semi, no doubt), and has a battery life of ten hours, and a month's worth of standby time. It has very little in the way of ports (dock connectors), but comes with WiFi and BlueTooth (some models have 3G). It has the usual accelerometer and compass, and comes with either 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of storage space.


It runs most iPhone applications unmodified, but what about screen size, you wonder? Well, the iPad can either run iPhone applications in their "native" resolution (i.e., a small iPhone-sized window in the middle of the screen, the rest black), or you can tap the 2x button, which will double the pixels, cover the screen, and enter a low-resolution mode. A new SDK is released today, too, so that applications can be modified to run "natively" on the bigger screen.


One such application was a special New York Times application which looks stunning. Videos are embedded within what looks like real newspaper articles, and photos can be maximised in pop-ups. Looks really slick.


Text input is handled by a larger variant of the iPhone's keyboard, so be prepared to hold the tablet with one hand while typing with the other. A very unimaginative solution, and one that just doesn't look very comfortable.


What Apple itself showed off software-wise didn't really impress me at all, in all honesty. Everything looks a bit goofy, because basically what they've done is taken the iPhone interface and blow up all the widgets. On top of that, some of the applications have a Microsoft Bob-kind of vibe to them - like the Contacts application looking like a real-world address book. The ghastly wood theme (from Garageband) makes its comeback too in the calendar application.


The home screen has the highest goofiness factor, since it's filled with the same amount of icons as on an iPhone, and those icons are not even resized, leaving massive whitespace in between. It just looks... Rushed, cobbled together. Very un-Apple.


Usually, Apple shows 3rd parties how it's done, but with the iPad it feels as if the 3rd party stuff that was demonstrated was far better adapted to the iPad than Apple's own stuff. Of course, the usual disclaimers apply when it comes to UI: proper judgement can only be made after usage, so take all this with a grain of salt.


E-books are of course an important aspect of the iPad, so Apple showed off something called iBooks. You can buy, read, and organise your e-books in an interface which is more or less an exact copy of Delicious Library. The store currently carries books from Penguin, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachette book group. Surprisingly good news: it uses the open ePub format!


Apple has also created a version of iWork for the iPad (USD 9.99 per iWorks applications). In other words, they've created iPad-specific interfaces for Numbers, Pages, and Keynote, which obviously rely on the multitouch functionality to work. These interfaces, too, sport some truly obnoxious chrome colour and pattern choices.


As said, there's 3G support in there too, and Apple has negotiated a special deal with At&T (yes, At&T only): USD 14.99 per month for 250MB of data, USD 29.99 per month for unlimited data, and both options include free use of AT&T's WiFi hotpsots. These are pre-paid; you can cancel any time you wish. International deals will be in place by June, but since all 3G iPads are unlocked and support micro SIMs, you can get them to work anywhere.


And here's the big shocker. The big whoop-di-doo. The big surprise that really made a lot of people's eyes pop out, and kind of renders some of the above complaints moot: the price. Apple will sell the cheapest iPad for only USD 499 - which will have 16GB, and no 3G.






The first iPads, the ones without 3G, will start shipping in 60 days; the 3G models will follow 30 days later. There are several accessories as well, such as a regular dock, and even a full-size regular keyboard.


There are of course also a number of things it doesn't do: it doesn't have a camera (front nor back), it doesn't do multitasking, and it's a completely closed ecosystem, like the iPhone. This renders it useless for my personal needs, as if I were to ever buy a tablet, I'd need the ability to install additional codecs and such so I can play my collection of TV shows and films stored on my media centre.


In conclusion, apart from the price, there's very little here that impressed me. From the keynote it simply didn't become clear to me what, exactly, the iPad has to offer over other tablets; text input is still cumbersome, the bezel is massive, and, of course, it comes with problems other, Windows/Linux based tablets do not have: a closed environment, no way of expanding functionality, and so on.


That in and of itself isn't a problem; usually, Apple's takes on products come with attention to detail and polish which justifies buying them over competitor's products. However, I find current tablets inherently useless, and seeing as the iPad doesn't seem to add any additional functionality to the tablet spectrum, I just can't come up with a reason to buy one...


...if it wasn't for the price, of course. USD 499 for the 16GB 3G-less model is one heck of an aggressive price point.


But, my talk is all pointless. I'm a geek (as evidenced by the fact I want Jobs to get on with it so I resume playing Mass Effect 2), and I'm not the target consumer for the iPad. The thing will sell like hotcakes - as Jobs said during the keynote, the iPad is "our most advanced technology in a magical & revolutionary device at an unbelievable price."