Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) has officially announced the iPad, a device that is similar to the iPhone and iPod Touch, but bigger. So, what’s it for? Apple invited a few developers and publishers on stage to show off some of the features. While they say all 140,00 iPhone apps will work on the iPad starting day one, developers are finding reasons to tweak the apps to take advantage of the 9.7 inch display.
—Pricing and shipping: Still with AT&T (NYSE: T) for 3G: Data plans: $14.99 for 250 megs a month, unlimited for $29.99. Free AT&T WiFi. No contract. WiFi only models ship in 60 days; 3G models in 90. The price: $499 for the base model with WiFi and 16GB; $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64 GB. Add $130 for 3G and the most expensive model is $829. Of course, that doesn’t include what it will cost to accessorize, say adding a case, or the handy-dandy wireless keyboard dock. (Slide show tour of the iPad and its capabilities.)
As we saw live at the Apple event in San Francisco, here’s how the tablet could be used in practice across a variety of mediums, including games and newspapers:
—Apple’s iBookstore: Apple is launching an e-reader within the iPad. Users will be able to buy books from the iBookstore. Once the books are downloaded, they will be stored on a virtual shelf. The books’ pages look like a real novel and flip just like in real life. Five major book publishers are on board: Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group and Macmillan Publishers.
—EA Mobile Travis Boatman: During a demonstration of “Need for Speed,” Boatman said: “We’ll be able to bring all of our great games from the iPhone to the iPad in no time at all…It’s like holding a high-definition TV screen close to your face.” Because of the screen real estate, new features are added like a gear shifter.
—The New York Times: Martin Nisenholtz said that since The New York Times website is beautiful on the iPad, why bother with an application? “Well, our app for the iPhone has been downloaded three million times, and we wanted to create something that combines the best of print and digital all in one. It captures the essence of reading the paper. Articles can be saved, and read later on the iPhone.”
—Gameloft: Mark Hickey asked, “What’s different? When you hold the device in your hands, the display is huge, which makes the game immensely fun to play…The iPad allows us to interact with the game in a way that wasn’t possible before. In a first-person shooter, you can draw a box around a group of enemies and shoot them simultaneously.
—iWork: Apple has tweaked its productivity software suite, which includes Keynote to make presentations. It also allows you to make spreadsheets using touch, rather than the traditional mouse. The iPad versions are $10 each.
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