All about Apple's iPad

I want it so bad, I can taste it…

Apple just announced the iPad, which will be released for sale on April 3rd.  I think the sun stood still.  I know I did.  I was transfixed.  You would think I’d have better things to do than obsess over electronics.  But no.

This is Apple’s answer to the current rage of e-book readers, but it is way more than ‘just’ an ebook reader. It really is a world class mobile internet device.  It puts laptops and palm tops to shame!

Hi,  I’m Eric.
I am a genuine geek.  But I don’t try to hide it or deny it.  I’m a programmer/systems analyst and surprisingly, I don’t always carry my pencils in my shirt pocket.  Sometimes they’re behind my ear.

The bottom line is that I have to get one.

You do too.  You know you want it. Why put yourself through the torture of all this back and forth thinking… “should I or shouldn’t I?”   C’mon…get real!  Just get it and enjoy it.  I can tell you this.  Apple products are among the few where after you buy it, you don’t regret it.

And, they’re REALLY useful.  Why do you think they’re so popular?  It’s not just cause they’re good looking… they actually do what they’re supposed to do and they make mundane things fun and easy.

So, go on.  Take the plunge.

For all you geeks like me, here is a writeup of the salient facts about the iPad.

It is similar to the iPhone and the iTouch, but it’s 9.56 inches high x 7.47 inches wide (242.8 x 149.7 mm ).  It also weighs 1.5 lbs and is only 1/2 an inch in thickness.  It has the same sleek curves as the iPod.  The screen size is 9.7 inches measured diagonally, marginally smaller than a magazine.

The reason the colors and text are so crisp and vibrant is that the iPad uses an LED-backlit IPS display.  IPS stands for In-plane switching and is what gives the iPad its wide viewing angle of 178°.

The touch screen is similar to what the iPhone has, but it’s been re-engineered for a larger viewing area.  It has 1000 touch sensors which make it very responsive and accurate.

One other interesting little feature, is that Apple developed their own silicon for use in the iPad called the A4.  This new silicon is what enables the iPad to achieve tremendous efficiency and why the battery can last all day.

The iPad has a new application especially for maps which makes them super fast at loading.  It has also re-designed email,  has apps, music, calendar and ebook reader.  Each of these has been especially designed for the iPad and for any orientation that you desire (portrait or landscape).

You can either get the iPad with 3G capability or with just wi-fi.

Here is a pricing chart from Apple: