Apple Inc. unveiled a tablet computer named 'iPad' to revolutionized personal computing. Priced at $499, the device features a 10-inch touchscreen, with 3G data and a custom ARM processor instead of the previously considered Intel Atom processor. It will be positioned in that empty spot between smartphone and laptop in Apple's product line.
Similar to modern netbooks in design and scope, the iPad is projected to enter the same bloated netbook market with Apple’s high end design (it’s expected appearance looks like a large iPhone), functionality (OS X for its operating system).
According to Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs,”The iPad can display full Web pages, books and iPhone applications, and has a touch-screen keyboard that’s almost full size.” A 16-gigabyte version will sell for $499, while a 32-gigabyte model costs $599.
With its "communication enabled" operating system, the data can be faxed, e-mailed, beamed via infrared or sent to a desktop computer or printer. It is also convenient for voice, video and other advanced technologies when they become available.
Its price is 50 percent lower than the other netbooks. “At that price, they’ll sell millions,” said Hakim Kriout, a portfolio manager at New York-based Grigsby & Associates, which owns Apple shares. “It’s very, very affordable for what it does. This is going to add a huge revenue stream for Apple.”
The device, made of aluminum and glass, can display maps from Google Inc., and has calendar and address-book functions. It also lets users display thumbnail views of photos. The iPad has a 1-gigahertz chip that was custom designed by Apple and battery life of 10 hours, Jobs said.
The device supports Wi-Fi communications and runs the more than 140,000 applications already available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It also works with wireless service from AT&T Inc., the U.S. carrier for the iPhone, though no contract is required.
Apple said there will be two iPad wireless data plans from AT&T in the U.S. One will cost $14.99 and give users up to 250 megabytes of data downloads. The other will have unlimited data and cost $29.99. The company is also working on international wireless plans.
