Apple iPad Just Tried To Assassinate the Computer

Only way to interpret the launch of the iPad? Apple has declared the PC dead. Well-crafted but closed devices are their future of consumer computing. And if no one else can match the iPad experience, they may be right.

“In many ways this defines our vision, our sense of what’s next.” – Jonathan Ive

PCs will be around as expert devices for the long haul, but it’s clear that Apple, coasting on the deserved success of the iPhone, sees simple, closed internet devices as the future of computing. (Or at the very least, portable computing.) And for the average consumer, it could be.

It’s the “internet device” vision of a decade ago all over again, except now Apple can offer what is arguably the best user experience for internet and media consumption combined with a very reasonable (for a brand new gadget) price.

It may not be good for you, because you’re an internet dork who wants to do heavy video editing or run Photoshop. (Or, you know, multitask.) But for the average person off the street walking into a Best Buy, their laptop money may now be going to an iPad.

What happens when they find the iPad is all they needed in the first place? They never buy a laptop again.

In the meantime, here are a few things to think about for we full-time dorks.

Does it kill netbooks?

If there’s anything that you can take home from today’s announcement of the iPad it’s this: from here on out the battle between physical keyboards and touchscreen ones has moved beyond smartphones and into every other area of computing. Get ready to hear someone say “I touchtype just fine on a soft keyboard on my PC” very soon.

I’d be lying if I said the giant bezel doesn’t ward me off a bit, even if I understand why it’s necessary to be there. But it isn’t as sexy as it could be, all things considered.

But a 1.5-pound device with a (theoretical) 10-hour battery life? Done and done. Heck, I’ll haul two.

Yet I will buy the dock! Perhaps, even if I am frustrated to no end that they are not simply supporting the Bluetooth keyboard. But I suppose that is that—this really is what Apple imagines the future of laptops to be.

Belay that! A couple of you have pointed out that the Bluetooth keyboard is in fact supported! I am a’flutter.

But it’s a lot more likely I’ll carry around an iPad than a netbook.

What about the add-on keyboard, though? I sort of love it, but it is so very un-Apple to have a keyboard attachment. And all the dongles. And only a VGA output, not DisplayPort! It seems like the iPad came from an alternate dimension.

Productivity

If typing on the iPad’s soft keyboard is even slightly faster or more comfortable than typing on an iPhone, they could have a productivity winner here. But I sort of doubt it’s going to be comfortable enough to use for hours of typing at a time.

For emailing, attachment browsing, and the like, though, I think it’ll be a pretty powerful little device. Its form factor is perfect for pulling out of a little executive bag to check mail or show off a PDF to a coworker.

The new cloud-based iWork looks amusing, but who really wants to switch from Office to iWork? Email and other web-based tech is still the most portable solution. On the other hand, a functional iWork is what convinces your CTO that you can use the iPad to display Powerpoints.

Screen Aspect Ratio

There was never going to be a perfect size, especially since movies are widescreen, but a single page of a magazine or book is decidedly not. Yet the aspect ratio, which is something close to 4:3 (if not exactly), surrounds widescreen movies with a lot of black, especially when you include the bezel. I would expect future iPad models to lengthen ever so slightly, but not much.

3G Access

250MB for $15 a month; unlimited for $30. No contracts. Unlocked SIM slot. Completely reasonable.

Of course, it uses AT&T, so if you’re in NYC or San Francisco you’re screwed. But it also means you could switch in other carriers’ SIM cards if you like.

And the free Wi-Fi access in an AT&T hotspot—presumably only if you’ve paid for some AT&T access—won’t hurt.

That the iPad is unlocked, though, also means that T-Mobile could potentially roll in with a 3G option for even less money.

Pornography

It’s simple: You can hold something that weighs 1.5 pounds in one hand.

Relaxation

A few have mentioned how sitting down with an iPad may feel casual, less prone to send one into “work-mode”. I can buy that—but that will also serve to delineate use-cases between laptops and iPads, making the iPad seem more like a toy.

Reading

Don’t call it a Kindle killer. Books on iPad will probably be more expensive than Kindle’s titles, at least at first. And there’s nothing about the iPad’s screen that will make it better for reading than, say, a laptop. But having a dedicated iBooks store? That’s good for everybody, including iPhone and iPod touch users.

And for anything color—comics, children’s books, magazines—the iPad will destroy what e-paper can do.

Multitouch

Here is the thing to know: When it comes to multitouch, consider the iPad the harbinger of all the interface tricks that will be coming to iMac and MacBooks in the relatively near future.

VoIP

It has a microphone. There’s no reason to think it won’t be able to do VoIP.

All in all, I think they’ve got a category-straddling winner here, but it’s a bit of a gangly pseudopodal mutant at the same time. It doesn’t kill the laptop or the PC quite yet, but you can at least see how Apple intends to choke the life out of those markets.

Don’t like that? Better get to work on a better tablet.

Apple iPad first hands-on! (update: video!)

Here it is folks, the Apple iPad. The screen is gorgeous, tilting is responsive, and the thing is super thin. Still, if you’ve used the iPhone before — and you can see the two devices side-by-side here — there’s not a lot of surprises here so far. Here are some initial thoughts on the iPad:

  • It’s not light. It feels pretty weighty in your hand.
  • The screen is stunning, and it’s 1024 x 768. Feels just like a huge iPhone in your hands.
  • The speed of the CPU is something to be marveled at. It is blazingly fast from what we can tell. Webpages loaded up super fast, and scrolling was without a hiccup. Moving into and out of apps was a breeze. Everything flew.
  • There’s no multitasking at all. It’s a real disappointment. All this power and very little you can do with it at once. No multitasking means no streaming Pandora when you’re working in Pages… you can figure it out. It’s a real setback for this device.
  • The ebook implementation is about as close as you can get to reading without a stack of bound paper in your hand. The visual stuff really helps flesh out the experience. It may be just for show, but it counts here.
  • No camera. None, nada. Zip. No video conferencing here folks. Hell, it doesn’t have an SMS app!
  • It’s running iPhone OS 3.2.
  • The keyboard is good, not great. Not quite as responsive as it looked in the demos.
  • No Flash confirmed. So Hulu is out for you, folks!

Update: We’ve got video, head after the break to check it out!

Continue reading Apple iPad first hands-on! (update: video!)

Apple iPad first hands-on! (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unlocked iPad Wont Work on T-Mobile 3G

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When Apple says AT&T exclusive, they mean AT&T exclusive. In a twist of the knife familiar to iPhone owners, the iPad won’t run on T-Mobile’s 3G network, even if you put a T-Mobile “Micro SIM” into it.
The reason, as usual, has to do with frequency bands. Apple advertises the iPad as running on UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100 Mhz. T-Mobile’s HSDPA network runs on the AWS band, at 1700 Mhz. No AWS band, no T-Mobile 3G.
The iPad will run on T-Mobile’s EDGE network, which delivers speeds of about 120-200 kbps/sec. But that’s pretty slow for Web browsing, as anyone who’s had an iPhone stuck in EDGE mode knows.
Of course, T-Mobile users get the Google Nexus One, which won’t work on AT&T’s band. Until someone starts building chipsets that support both HSDPA bands – I haven’t seen many of those yet – Americans are just going to have to remain used to their one-carrier phones.

Give Us Your Personal Download On the iPad

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Apple’s feverishly awaited tablet, the iPad is here. The device has a slim iPhone-like design but is larger thanks to its 9.7-inch screen. Still, the lightweight gadget (it weighs a mere 1.5 pounds) brings a decidedly netbook like-vibe with a 1-GHz processor and up to 64 GB of flash storage. There’s also Wi-Fi connectivity and optional 3G access.

But it’s not all smiles and gorgeously rendered rainbows. Key features such as a camera, multi-tasking, and possibly flash support are conspicuously MIA from the iPad.

We’d love to get your download on the iPad. What are your thoughts? Will you be shelling out $500 (or more) for this guy? If you do, what version will you get? Don’t just stand there, get to the polls and let us know!

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com


8 Things That Suck About the iPad

A lot of people at Gizmodo are psyched about the iPad. Not me! My god, am I underwhelmed by it. It has some absolutely backbreaking failures that will make buying one the last thing I would want to do. Updated

Big, Ugly Bezel
Have you seen the bezel on this thing?! It’s huge! I know you don’t want to accidentally input a command when your thumb is holding it, but come on.

No Multitasking
This is a backbreaker. If this is supposed to be a replacement for netbooks, how can it possibly not have multitasking? Are you saying I can’t listen to Pandora while writing a document? I can’t have my Twitter app open at the same time as my browser? I can’t have AIM open at the same time as my email? Are you kidding me? This alone guarantees that I will not buy this product.

No Cameras
No front facing camera is one thing. But no back facing camera either? Why the hell not? I can’t imagine what the downside was for including at least one camera. Could this thing not handle video iChat?

Touch Keyboard
So much for Apple revolutionizing tablet inputs; this is the same big, ugly touchscreen keyboard we’ve seen on other tablets, and unless you’re lying on the couch with your knees propping it up, it’ll be awkward to use.

No HDMI Out
Want to watch those nice HD videos you downloaded from iTunes on your TV? Too damned bad! If you were truly loyal, you’d just buy an AppleTV already.

The Name iPad
Get ready for Maxi pad jokes, and lots of ’em!

No Flash
No Flash is annoying but not a dealbreaker on the iPhone and iPod Touch. On something that’s supposed to be closer to a netbook or laptop? It will leave huge, gaping holes in websites. I hope you don’t care about streaming video! God knows not many casual internet users do. Oh wait, nevermind, they all do.

Adapters, Adapters, Adapters
So much for those smooth lines. If you want to plug anything into this, such as a digital camera, you need all sorts of ugly adapters. You need an adapter for USB for god’s sake.

Update: Why stop at 8? Here are more things we are discovering that suck about the iPad.

It’s Not Widescreen
Widescreen movies look lousy on this thing thanks to its 4:3 screen, according to Blam, who checked out some of Star Trek on one. It’s like owning a 4:3 TV all over again!

Doesn’t Support T-Mobile 3G
Sure, it’s “unlocked.” But it won’t work on T-Mobile, and it uses microSIMs that literally no one else uses.

A Closed App Ecosystem
The iPad only runs apps from the App Store. The same App Store that is notorious for banning apps for no real reason, such as Google Voice. Sure, netbooks might not have touchscreens, but you can install whatever software you’d like on them. Want to run a different browser on your iPad? Too bad!

[This post does not necessarily reflect the opinions of others at Gizmodo]

iPad vs. iPhone: what does 3G cost you?

With the announcement that the iPad would continue Apple’s often-rocky relationship with AT&T to serve up wide-area data, we wanted to know: exactly what does an iPad cost you over the course of a couple years? Granted, the iPad doesn’t support voice calling — nor does it require a contract, unlike the iPhone — but for anyone who uses an iPhone primarily for browsing and gaming, this could make for a serviceable alternative that saves money over the long term. Follow the break for the full rundown.

Continue reading iPad vs. iPhone: what does 3G cost you?

iPad vs. iPhone: what does 3G cost you? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Closer Look at Apple’s New Tablet, the iPad

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After months of speculation, Apple has unveiled its tablet, called the iPad. The slim, large screen device evokes much of the same user interface as the iPhone, but it’s bigger and has some surprise features including Apple’s own custom chip.

Here’s the rundown on specs and some highlights of the device.

  • The tablet is 0.5 inches thick and weighs 1.5 pounds.
  • It has a 9.7-inch display with 1024 x 768-pixel resolution. It also has capacitive multitouch that’s similar to the iPhone.
  • The device runs Apple’s own processor, a 1-GHz Apple A4 chip — possibly the fruits of of Apple’s $278 million acquisition of PA semiconductor in 2008.
  • The iPad will have 16-GB to 64-GB flash storage.
  • It includes speaker, microphone and accelerometer so you can use the device in both landscape and portrait mode. There’s also a compass.
  • It has up to 10 hours of battery life and one month of standby time.
  • It offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
  • It will include optional 3G access from AT&T. For $30 a month, users can get unlimited data. For iPhone users already crying out in pain about their bondage to the AT&T network, here’s something to sweeten the deal: No contracts are required for the data plan. iPad users can cancel their data connectivity at any time.
  • Unlimited data will cost $30 or users can pay $15 for up to 250 MB of data.
  • The iPad will cost $500 for 16 GB, $600 for 32 GB and $700 for a 64-GB model. But if you want 3G connectivity, add another $130 to the price tag.

It’s worth noting that these specs are nothing like what entrepreneur Jason Calacanis claimed when he tweeted Tuesday night that he had been testing a tablet.

The iPad will start shipping in two months. The 3G models will be available in 90 days. Complete specs of the iPad from Apple.

Despite its gorgeous hardware, the iPad is missing some key features.

  • There’s no camera on the iPad.
  • Though Apple is yet to confirm it, on-stage demos of the device during the launch indicate it might not support Flash. That could mean broken pages and some websites that might be off-limits.
  • No multitasking. Apple hasn’t commented on this, but it looks like the iPad works like the iPhone when it comes to apps. It can run just one app at a time and there’s no background processing.
  • There’s more to the iPad than just this. It will run apps designed for the iPhone, new custom apps and double as an e-book reader.
  • And no GPS for the Wi-Fi model. Though the iPad has Google Maps, the lack of GPS means you can’t use it for turn-by-turn navigation or in areas where’s there’s no wireless connectivity.

For more on this, read our live coverage of the tablet event.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com


Apple iPad First Hands On

It’s substantial but surprisingly light. Easy to grip. Beautiful. Rigid. Starkly designed. The glass is a little rubbery but it could be my sweaty hands. And it’s fasssstttt.

Apple didn’t really sell this point, but it’s the single biggest benefit of the iPad: speed. It feels at least a generation faster than the iPhone 3GS. Lags and waits are gone, and the OS and apps respond just as quickly as you’d hope. Rotating between portrait and landscape modes, especially, is where this new horsepower manifests in the OS.

Build
Imagine, if you will, a super light unibody MacBook Pro that’s smaller, thinner and way, way, way lighter. Or, from a slightly different perspective, think about a bigger iPhone that’s been built with unibody construction. The iPad really does feel like some amalgamation of these two product lines from Apple. And, in the hands, it feels great—not too heavy at all.

The screen looked nice, and it’s able to display even small text crisply. Touch responds like a dream.

But one point of the build seems odd. It’s the Home button. In portrait mode, hitting the Home button is far less natural than on an iPhone because your thumbs naturally rest in the middle of each side of the case (not the bottom). A Kindle-like side Home button may not have been a horrible idea, even if it broke up the stoic minimalism of the case a bit.

iBooks
It’s an optical illusion, but just seeing the depth of pages makes the iBook app feel more like a book than a Kindle ever did for me. The text is sharp, and while the screen is bright, it doesn’t seem to strains the eyes—but time will tell on that.

Keyboard
Typing in portrait is better than anticipated but still quite a stretch for our average-sized hands, which means that letters like F G and H will take a moderate conditioning for some. What about in landscape mode, sitting flat on the table? Well this is problematic too, as the iPad sort of wobbles. The back is not perfectly flat, meaning your typing surface is never perfectly flat, so the virtual keyboard becomes that much more difficult to use.

Pictures
Pinch, zoom, whatever—like we said, it’s fast—the photo app is faster than iPhoto performs on an aging Core2Duo laptop.

Apps
Apps can play in their native resolution, or be 2x uprezzed for the screen. How does it look? An ATV game we tried actually looked pretty good—limited more by its base polygon count than the scaling process itself. Bottom line: it’s about as elegant solution as Apple could have offered, even if that graphics won’t be razor sharp.

Browsing
Over Wi-Fi, Gizmodo loaded quickly. The 9.7-inch screen is an excellent size for reading the site. You can pinch zoom, but you won’t need to. Of course, on such a pretty web browsing experience, not having Flash makes the big, empty video boxes in the middle of a page is pretty disappointing. Put differently, the fatal flaw of Apple’s mobile browser has never been more apparent.

iPad vs. iPhone… fight!

At last, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Two minimalistic slate-style devices, together at last. Check out our full hands-on for the rest of this holy war.

iPad vs. iPhone… fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple iPad Price

Full pricing: The 16GB, Wi-Fi-only version costs $500, while the 32GB is $600 and 64GB is $700. Pricing increases by $130 to add 3G. The Wi-Fi-only models ship in 60 days, while 3G models will ship in 90. [Apple iPad]