This was an ongoing blog post as the event unfolded. At the end of it you will find my analysis of the iPad.
iPad
.5 inches thin, 1.5 pounds — 9.7 inch IPS display
The 1GHz Apple A4 chip
10 hour battery life, over a month of standby
16, 32, 64GB flash storage
802.11n Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR
Speaker, Microphone, 30 pin connector
Support current iPhone/iPod touch apps
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iBooks app for e-book collection on iPad
Kindle you officially have something to worry about now!
iWork for iPad
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Keynote
Pages
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Numbers
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Pages, Keynote, Numbers $9.99 each for iPad
iTunes syncs iPad with computer like iPhone, iPod
$14.99 250MB a month or Unlimited data $29.99 with AT&T, NO CONTRACT pay as you go.
iPad starting at $499!!
WiFi or 3G model so you don’t have to get a data plan to use it.
Syncs with physical keyboard
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Barnes & Noble Nook is dead when this thing hits the market! Kindle has a challenge on it’s hands.
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Thoughts:
I really like how Apple has positioned this device between the iPhone and the MacBook. Starting it out at $499 for a 16GB model with no data plan required for it is smart! This model will be the most popular I think for the person that just wants to browse the web at a coffee shop, in a recliner or laying up in bed. It also allows you to put quite a bunch of e-Books on it too. Also with a 10 hour battery life, this makes for a long airplane flight friendly device for book reading or music and movie watching and with more airlines offering WiFi, even web browsing. This is also a great device if you want to show your spouse something online without having to drag your laptop over to where they are. It’s also a great gift for a spouse who does a lot of light email and web browsing but doesn’t want to invest in a $1000 laptop and having to worry about plugging it in and finding an outlet for it.
What it’s not meant for:
This is not a production laptop replacement. If you do a lot of heavy blogging, data entry, work proposals,etc. then the MacBook or MacBook Pro or iMac (or PC laptop/desktop),is still your better option. Also this is not an iPod replacement either. Simply put it’s form factor is not something you take to the gym and workout with.
Other areas of use:
Based on it’s size and all this could be a good device in industry for inventory management and POS checkout device. The 30 pin connector allows for devices that can swipe credit cards and other things.
The Bottom Line:
This thing is going to sell a megaton of units! It will be out in late March which means plenty of time for dads and grads gift in May and June. BTW, my birthday is in June and I hope to be a dad by Fathers Day (hint hint). I see the 16GB as the most popular model and the 32 & 64GB being bought by the folks that want their entire iTunes library on it. Myself I would get by with the 16GB. My iPhone has my iTunes library on it already. It is big enough to hold my entire iPhoto library and then some. I see Apple stock going to $300 a share easily.
