The iPad Revealed (Updated)
Today is the big day when Apple reveals its least surprising, most-leaked product ever, the Newton Message Pad – whoops, sorry – I meant the iPad. It looks very pretty (note: the keyboard dock is an artists impression, I think):
Seems like (non-surprise again) more than a large iPhone and less than a laptop. It’s just over a centimeter thick, weighs 700g, and has a 9.7-inch LCD screen (with 1024 by 768 resolution). There is no hard drive and it has a 1gHz CPU (the iPhone 3G S runs on a 600mHz CPU). A battery life of 10 hours is claimed.
Thankfully, it will actually have app versions of iWork to run, making it considerably more useful than an iPhone.
To me, this is the clincher. I could use this machine to fully replace my laptop – as long as I have a full-size computer (laptop or iMac) at home. If you want only one computer in your life, then you are probably better off with a macbook.
The iPad is going into direct competition with Amazon and the Kindle with a book-reading app and a new iBookstore. I suspect that the app will made reading a book far more intuitive and “book like” than any other ebook software. Just swishing a page across with your finger will enhance the experience of reading – finger-lickers will have to refrain. Although MacGraw-Hill are not mentioned in the publishers list that Steve Jobs revealed today, they have already let the cat out of the bag that they will be supporting the iPad. This means a lot of your text books may be available for the iPad.
Why would you want to buy a black and white toy, the Kindle, that only reads books when, for the same price, you can have a real computer?
”Perhaps the only surprise is the price. US$489 for the 16GB version, US$599 for 32GB and US$699 for 64GB. 3G connectivity costs an extra US$130. This is certainly cheaper than the US$1000 that CNet was bandying about (but it was never going to be quite that expensive) but quite close to the $600 postulated by Apple Insider particularly when you add 3G. Add the fact that they are likely to drop in price substantially by the end of the year (if the iPhone story is anything to go by) and the 16GB model (without 3G) will probably be hovering only $50-100 above the smaller Kindle (currently US$259). If textbooks are available and cheaper, it may well be that the cost of the 16GB iPad may be recouped, or nearly recouped, in book savings. If that happens, expect every university student in the world wanting one (the MacDaughters are already drooling on my shoulders – down girls, down!). Unless the Kindle drops sub US$100, I suspect they will rapidly lose out to the iPad. Why would you want to buy a black and white toy, the Kindle, that only reads books when, for $200 more, you can have a real computer?
Now for the important question. Does the MacDoctor want one?
Does a baby go “goo”?
UPDATE:
The Keyboard dock is real. There are also plenty of eye catching pictures on Apple’s site
UPDATE 2:
I forgot that the Kindle DX, with the same screen size as the iPad, is US$489 – the same price as the bottom end iPad. I reiterate – Why would you want to buy a black and white toy, the Kindle, that only reads books when, for the same price , you can have a real computer?
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- Is it the future, or another rehashed failed idea from the past? « Something should go here, maybe later. — [...] MacDoctor (who appears to be drolling over his keyboard) makes a good point. I forgot that the Kindle DX, ...
Jan 28 10 12:56 pm
In my article on the iPad (linked on my name), I pointed to examples of e-books that are cheaper than their print version by about 20%. (They’re PDFs, though, from memory.) It’s fairly common for computer programmers to have references, etc., on their laptops, not in print form. (Bit of either way on that one, since they already have laptops…) It’d be a bit of a squeeze to fully recover the cost I think unless you have a small digital mountain of books, but I’m sure it’d be enough to swing some buyers!
Jan 28 10 3:30 pm
You are right about the PDF reference manuals. I have a number of them on my laptop. I was thinking specifically of students who, over the course of a 3 year degree probably spend about $2-3000 on average for books (less for BA students, more for hard sciences). If books are offered at 20% additional discount for an eBook over a hard copy, it is not unreasonable to suggest the cost of the iPad may be fully or nearly fully discounted. Especially when you factor in falling prices of the iPad and the inevitable 10-15% student discount price for it.
Add the fact that you have an excellent note-taking vehicle and that you could waste an extraordinary amount of time on Youtube, and I think you have a winner.
Jan 28 10 10:09 pm
My example was for the computer programmer setting that I was writing about. The computer books I was referring to are $US30-35 each in print format. You’re only saving $US7 per book compared to print, etc.
I don’t think student textbooks are that much more expensive in the US either ($US40-50?, perhaps less?). I guess over 3 yrs you might just squeak home. It’d be more the other factors I suspect with the savings just being an excuse to pitch to old man
Jan 28 10 11:03 pm
Even if you only cover a modest part of the cost of the iPad, Grant, it will still make the machine very affordable to most students and pitch the price at or below a netbook. I know which computer I would rather have, and I suspect I will have the majority of students agreeing with me. Expect the iPad to take universities by storm.
Jan 28 10 11:30 pm
You write as if I’m disagreeing with you. Suggest you read again
(You seem to want to accept that the numbers don’t make it “free”, but then have missed that my last sentence says it’s unlikely to matter.)
Jan 28 10 11:36 pm
You’re right on both counts. MacDaughters assure me that what really counts is how far up my back they can shove my arm.
Jan 28 10 5:36 pm
Yep, its what I’ve been waiting for. Keep the big screen computer at home, keep my small cheap phone for text and calls.
iPad for everyday work use.
Hooray
Jan 29 10 12:30 pm
At first glance it looks like a big iPhone without the, um, phone … does anyone else think it is strange that tablets seem set to be sold through telcos? Do we also expect the thing to be locked to a particular provider (I mean besides Apple) where our new iPad can only connect through ? Is this even more money last to data-roaming charges?
However, there is some concern that Apple plan to do to books what they did to music.
DRM in music is pretty much a dead issue – however it is alive and kicking for books and movies. To be fair, it wasn’t the disaster for music that was hyped – if only through consumer resistance (also called “rampant piracy” and “sharing with your friends”) – but still…
FSF Defective By Design team has a petition in the hope that apple can be persuaded to drop DRM on books before it is too late. As if that would happen – but at least signing up demonstrates a mandate.
Getting an unlocked tablet looks to be impossible, even with the upandcoming Android tablets. I can see how same people would figure: “If I’m going to be in prison, I may as well make it a comfortable prison.”
Feb 7 10 12:58 am
hmm