Posts Tagged ‘InfoTech’
Apple unveils iPad
Apple Inc CEO Steve Jobs took the wraps off the highly anticipated ‘iPad’ tablet and pitched it at a surprisingly low price, aiming to bridge the gap between smartphones and laptops. Jobs showed off a sleek, half-inch thick tablet computer with a 9.7-inch touchscreen. The iPad will sell from late March for as low as $499 for 16 gigabytes of storage. An extra $130 is needed to equip it with third-generation wireless capability
The iPad can run movies, games and a gamut of applications. And taking on e-readers like Amazon’s Kindle, Apple announced a digital bookstore called iBooks that will let users buy from publishers including Pearson Plc’s Penguin, News Corp’s HarperCollins, and Hachette Book Group. Other analysts had speculated that the tablet may cost as much as $1,000
The iPad has a near life-sized touch keyboard and supports Web browsing. It comes with a built-in calendar and address book, Jobs said, calling it ‘awesome’. Some analysts said the iPad, with its multimedia bells and whistles, is a tough competitor for Amazon’s Kindle. But others noted that the Kindle costs less – $259 for the cheapest version – and was more tailored for long-form reading.
Jobs said there was a need for a new type of device that would sit between a smartphone and laptop computer, and that can perform tasks like browse the Web and play games. “If there’s going to be a third category of device, it’s going to have to be better at these kinds of tasks,” said the chief executive
The iPad is Apple’s biggest product launch since the iPhone three years ago, and arguably rivals the smartphone as the most anticipated in the company’s history. Wednesday’s event follows months of feverish speculation on the Web and on Wall Street. Apple hopes to sell consumers on the value of tablets after other technology companies, including Microsoft Corp and Toshiba Corp, have failed in recent years.
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Tags: InfoTech