The latest multimedia device from Apple: iPad [Also read why Apple iPad Sucks]
The latest consumer product from Apple is the iPad. It is a touch screen slate type tablet computer oriented towards web surfing and running multimedia applications. The device looks very sleek and feels great in the hand. Let’s have a look at some of the features of the iPad tablet.
The most striking features of the iPad are its thinness and lightness. It is only 0.5” thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds. The screen measures 9.7 inches diagonally. The slightly curved back of the device makes it very easy to pick up and hold.
The multi-touch screen of the iPad allows you to see web pages individually. The size of the page remains readable whether you are viewing it in landscape or portrait format. The iPad offers a never before felt experience of navigating the web. You can scroll through various pages using your finger and zoom a picture in and out by pinching your fingers on the screen. You can also move quickly from one page to the other by clicking on a thumbnail that lets you view the open pages in a window. The iPad touch feature makes it very user-friendly. The iPad uses the traditional user interface found in iPhone and iPod, providing interface to App Store, iBooks, Spotlight Search, Maps, iPod and iTunes.
This latest device form Apple Inc. runs on a specially designed A4 chip that gives high performance in spite of being energy efficient. The power efficiency of the chip can be gauged by the fact that the iPad gets about 10 hours of battery life on a single charge. The excellent performance of the A4 chip makes the iPad a fantastic device for both gaming and productivity applications. Moreover, the high resolution screen of the iPad is ideal for watching videos of all kinds. The iPad video app also includes YouTube. All you have to do is tap on one of the videos in order to view it. One point worth mentioning here is that it does not support Adobe flash. Since most of the video on web is played in flash, the absence of such a feature might not go well with some Apple fans.
Apple has also introduced accessories designed specifically for iPad such as a dock with a full-size keyboard or a stand-alone dock. The 30-pin connector of the iPad allows you to connect it to charging ports, keyboard docks or camera connection ports. The device comes with built-in speakers that produce a rich, high-quality sound. The iPad also has a built-in 802.11n to get the best out of Wi-Fi networks. The device scans for Wi-Fi networks automatically and allows you to connect to them with simple steps. Thanks to the Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR Technology, you can also connect to devices such as wireless keyboards or wireless headphones.
The iPads are expected to hit the stores in US on March 27 and would be priced in the range of $499 to $599. Three models would be made available with storage capacities of 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. It seems that Apple has tried to create a new category of internet connected device between an iPhone and a laptop. The iPad with its amazing features and reasonable price has the capability of killing other type of internet multimedia device, namely mini laptop. Since the mini laptops are used mainly for web surfing and running productivity applications, their existence might be threatened by a correctly priced touch screen ubiquitous device like iPad.
Guest Writer : Manas Pandey is a Blogger who writes on Netbooks, PDAs, Tablet PCs, Smartphones etc at minilaptoponline.com