iPod becomes iPad

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At a press conference in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs finally unveiled his worst kept secret, the iPad tablet computer. Much of its development had been leaked over the past few months, but now we know what the device really looks like: it is basically a half inch thick tablet consisting of a 9.7 inch LED backlit display with multi-touch capacity, running the latest version of the iPhone operating system and built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. According to Jobs, the New York Times and five of the largest book publishers, including Penguin and HarperCollins, have signed up to provide e-content.

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• Steve Jobs, Apple CEO with Apple iPad recently launched at a press conference in San Francisco

The device weighs 1.5 pounds and is powered by a proprietary 1GHz processor. It will be available with 16, 32, or 64 GB storage capabilities. It doesn’t have a web camera nor USB connectivity, but includes Apple’s proprietary 30-pin dock connector, an accelerometer, a compass, a microphone, and speakers. A physical keyboard with an integrated iPhone dock has been available for a few weeks already. The iPad comes with the iBooks e-book reader application which supports the ePubs digital publishing standard. Other apps that come pre-loaded on the device include a full suite of office software, iWorks, as well as a mobile Safari browser, Apple calendar, address book, notes and email apps, Google Maps, Media Player, Photo Viewer, iTunes Store, and App Store to download third-party applications. The iPhone applications are centered on-screen at their original 480×320 resolution, or can be run in a magnified mode to fit the entire screen. The built-in battery is said to have a capacity of up to 10 hours. The first WiFi models will be available by March 2010, with 3G units to follow a month later. Prices range from US$ 500 to US$ 850.
 
The iPad can be considered a multifunctional touchpad computer rather than an e-book reader. It is backlit, which makes it more difficult to read than Amazon’s Kindle with its e-Ink technology specifically designed to minimise eye strain. Thus, as far as e-readers are concerned, the Kindle is likely to stay ahead of the market for a while, as long as it keeps developing both content-wise and by adding web functionalities. Amazon sold 2.5 million Kindles so far, and is said to have a market share of 55 percent. Forecasts estimate that, worldwide, some 6 million e-readers will be sold in 2010. For the time being, Kindle’s main competitors are Sony, which recently released two new models, the Reader Pocket Edition and the Reader Touch Edition, and Barnes & Noble, which launched its new Nook Reader. The first Indian e-reader is to be launched by DC Books shortly.
 
Of course, Apple’s slick design does make the e-readers look outdated, and the iPad offers functionalities these may take a long time to make up for. But it looks like the iPad is meant to be adopted for, primarily, other reasons than reading books or newspapers, so for more than casual reading, the Kindle and other e-readers will still find their own audience, for the time being.

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