Apple have launched the new iPad, a tablet based computer, which runs a modified version of the iPhone OS.



The iPad is a new type of device, primarily for viewing data, such as webpages, email, photos and books. It has access to three stores- the App Store, the iTunes Store, and the new iBook store, where users can download books from major publishers.

A few initial thoughts:

• the screen looks excellent
• the touch screen method for typing will be as frustrating for some users as the iPhone- however there is an external keyboard available. One drawback of this accessory is that it looks like it will need to be setup on a table, and may not be usable on your knee, like a laptop
• iBooks, the book download store, looks superb
• iWork is available for the iPad, Apple's excellent office suite. Plus, the iPad will connect to a projector (with an adapter), making it a very useful business tool. You could receive a Keynote presentation when travelling, edit it and then present to a client on a projector
• new versions of Mail and Safari for the iPad look excellent- formatted to work with the new screen size
• it comes in two versions- WiFi or WiFi+3G
• each version has three memory possibilities: 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash storage
• battery lasts 10 hours
• the iPad Camera Connection Kit allows you to import photos from a camera to the iPad- excellent for photographers wanting to preview images on the road
• contains an Apple designed A4 chip and not an Intel chip

More details are available from the Apple website
http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/

Here is the introduction video:
http://www.apple.com/ipad/ipad-video/

Dr. Simon Spence/2009

Tags: iPad