Steve Jobs today has introduced a apple product that fits in between an iphone and laptop. The iPad has it is called, looks like a giant iPhone. In fact it uses the iPhone OS, has its operating system. In many ways the iPad has borrowed allot of technologies that were developed from the iPhone. Multi-touch, proximity sensors, single button panel, to the fingerprint resisting oleophobic coating the similarities are remarkable and intentional. The iPhone did so many things right, and it was something that no one expected; revolutionary. The iPad was well predicted and it continues the revolution of the iPhone device in more of the evolution sense. The iPad is the next big step in computer products being more consumer friendly. In fact its the new product niche of tablet computers, that will be the next big thing.
Has we have seen Apple products evolve since Jobs has taken reigns has CEO, it has become apparent that Apple is willing to experiment with new ideas and to "think different". Their new product line which includes laptops, desktops, smartphones, and now tablet computers all have a certain style and consistency to them. Has Steve Jobs puts it, Apple is at the "...crossroads of technology and liberal arts". For allot of people who just look at the technical specifications of a product this is certainly something that they will be missed completely. The Apple lineup has it is now, is entirely consistent in it's form factor. Jonathan Ives, who is the SVP of industrial design at Apple, has really created artworks and pieces of inspiration in the Apple product lineup.
The form and design is just one piece of the equation which are all designed in house at Apple. The software engineering and hardware engineering are the 2 other pieces to the puzzle. Scott Forstall, SVP of the iPhone OS, has done an amazing job with the iphone OS and its future roadmap. There some things that the iPhone OS gets wrong, however it does evolve and correct itself over time. It currently gives the developers command over the hardware through some great APIs.
Apple in its software department, since Jobs took office has used Objective C and C, now which are at the heart of the iPhone OS. The iPad uses iPhone OS 3.2, and has we will learn in the next few days the new API's and features made exclusively for it. It is backward compatible with the iPhone in terms of the applications that can be used on it, and of course syncs to iTunes just like the iPhone. The new iPhone SDK now lets you create apps which are both iPhone/iPad or iPad only.
iPad just brings in more real estate to work with, it's nearly 10-inch LED IPS (yes the same screen that the current macbook pros and iMacs use) fully capacitive display, brings a level of touch never seen before for a device of that size. Touch matters allot to the end user experience, if the UI isn't has responsive has I need it to be, how can I use it to get the job done. After all an iPad is just merely a tool, that we use to enhance and enrich our lives. The tool should fit to my need and not the other way around.
The software applications that are available for the iPad out of the box are huge. It sits on the big shoulders of the App store and iTunes. There is also a new iBook app and iBook store, which allow viewing and downloading of books in ePub (a open book format http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPUB) format.
The creative and innovative applications that can be developed on the iPad with its improved custom processor and relatively huge display, can be immense. Do you remember Start Trek with the tri-corder concept, imagine your doctor using an iPad, to help him/her operate their practice with full efficiency. Imagine your aunt or grandmother using one and just "getting it" cause the UI is just intuitive. Starting at $500 dollar, many analyst and investors are saying the 'price is right'. After all if you don't need the full power of a laptop or desktop and primarily use a computer device for reading, surfing, music,e-mail, a laptop might be over-kill. Of course allot of us do need a laptop for the power, just because we are running some computational expensive or memory intensive applications that requires it. This device definitely fits the tablet/netbook niche very nicely and will probably be the best tablet/netbook you can buy.
So today, Apple in house, designs its own software, and product styling (industrial design), but what about the hardware. It does that as well. The iPad is the first device that uses an Apple custom microprocessor called the Apple A4. Not much is known about it yet, but information will soon start to emerge about the new processor. A processor which touts a high performance low power rating (the iPad is rated at 10 hours of battery life). Apple made sure its hardware is nothing but top notch, and of the utmost quality. Apple really puts energy in making sure the hardware/software/style just works and are in sync, and if you ask computer makers, they'll tell you its no easy task. Apple's vision is not only to create a tool, but it is to create the best tool, and a tool that brings out the best in creativity in its users.
In summary the tablet computer is the computer of the future. Low power machines that are portable. Coupled with web services like Google, a tablet computer need not be very computationally powerful, has most of the computationally expensive task (such as web search) will be done through web services. If your having been looking for a perfect tablet/netbook computer go for the iPad. If you need to upgrade your laptop and you use basic functionality, then go for it. If your an Apple enthusiast or gadget lover, then go for it. :)
It comes out in 60 days for wifi only version (available worldwide as well) and 90 days for 3g and wifi.
Be sure to check out all of Apple's videos on the iPad and check out the iPad homepage at Apple.
Apple video discussing the design,software,hardware components of the iPad
http://www.apple.com/ipad/#video
Technical Specifications
http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/
Main Page
http://www.apple.com/ipad/
Note*:, this devices isn't meant to compete with the Kindle directly, if all you do is just read e-books, Amazon's kindle is the best device for that.
No comments:
Post a Comment