Check out the iPad
Yes, it's the newest shining star to come out of "über-cool" world of Apple... the
iPad. In case you've been living under a rock this week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed the company's newest product on Wednesday. A lightweight, slim, and portable touch screen slab has everyone buzzing and will be available for all to use this March. It's a state-of-the-art device that gives all forms of entertainment, news and print media a chance to move their content into the digital age.
The gadget has a 9.7-inch, high-resolution screen and comes at merely half an inch thick and weighs under 1.5 pounds. It's an iPhone or iTouch on steroids and runs just about all of the 140,000 apps available at the App Store as well. The iPad without 3G arrives in about 60 days and models with cellular are due about a month later. The device lets you surf the web, play games, watch movies, listen to music and access email along with reading electronic newspapers and books. It basically puts the Amazon Kindle to shame, being much more versatile and competitive in price.
Speaking of price... that was one of the biggest shocks at Wednesday's big reveal; $499 for a 16-gigabyte model. The iPhone cost equaled that when it first came out. And with Amazon's single-purpose Kindle costing around $260, the iPad may prove to be a game changer.
Along with being versatile and all around "magical", it looks pretty dang cool, too. Its sleek and smooth hardware makes it attractive and the soft or virtual keyboard allows for a clean workspace (although you can connect a physical keyboard if you need it).
But almost just as important as what it can do is what it can't. Apple customers may still have some concerns. The iWork software suite is still in the works, which will include Pages word processor, Numbers spreadsheet and Keynote presentation. Adobe Flash videos are not accessible on the iPad (so long, Hulu and Dailymotion), and there's no memory card slot or USB port for uploading photos or videos. And while it is a step in the right direction (smaller than a laptop, bigger than an iPhone), it doesn't quite have the ability to replace either one. So will people really carry all three? We'll have to wait and see about that.
No matter what the downfalls may be, I think the iPad will prove to be pretty popular... even with HP, Intel and Dell coming out with similar models in the near future. Apple users are loyal and love all the new flashy gadgets. I'm a Mac user myself and I have to say I'm intrigued. It combines so many media capabilities that will surely impact books, newspapers, magazines, gamers and others in ways we've never seen. I don't think Apple even knows quite how it will evolve yet. But we're all excited to see where things are headed.
Tara Young, Marketing Coordinator
Unified360