Apple introduces the iPad

January 27, 2010, 11:07am PST | Length: 00:03:40
At an Apple press event, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announces the iPad. The new mobile device is a half-inch thin and weighs 1.5 pounds. It's powered with a 1GHz Apple A4 chip and comes with 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The new device plays movies, music, TV shows, and acts as an e-reader. It will cost $499 for the 16GB version.

Transcript

Apple introduces the iPad

>> We would like to show it to you today for the first time and we call it the iPad.

Applause

>> So...

Applause

>> Let me show it to you now. This is what it looks like. I happen to have one right here and that is what it looks like, very thin, and it fits like this.

Applause

>> So...

Applause

>> Just to give you a little overview. It is very thin and you can change the background screen, the home screen to personalize it any way you want. People put their own photos on it I am sure, but we shipped a few and you can make it anything you want.

Pause

>> And what this device does is extraordinary. You can browse the web with it. It is the best browsing experience you've ever had. It is phenomenal to see a whole webpage right in front of you and you can manipulate with your fingers. It is unbelievably great. Way better than a laptop, way better than a smartphone and you can turn iPad any way you want, up, down, sideways, it automatically adjusts however you want to use it. And again, to see the whole web page is phenomenal. Right there holding the Internet in your hand. It's an incredible experience. Phenomenal for mail, want to focus in on a message, you can that, see your inbox. Again, just turn iPad sideways, get a different view on your mail, push the Compose window, a keyboard pops-up that's almost life size. It is a dream to type on. For photos, your albums are showing a stacks of photos, your albums or events, you can unfold them, look at all your photos, flip through them, got some great slide shows built in, it is a wonderful way to share your photos with friends and family. Built-in a calendar, you can see your month's activities or your day's activities, and everything in between. Built in a great address book for your contacts, have a great maps application which works with Google backend, show you maps, satellite views, zooming on things. iPad is an awesome way to enjoy your music collection and of course we have the iTunes Store built right into the iPad, so you can discover music, you can purchase it, movies, TV shows, podcasts, iTunes University, everything built right into the iPad. YouTube, you can watch YouTube on it including YouTube in high def now. They have got a lot of high def video. And of course it is awesome to watch TV shows and movies on it. So, that gives you a little overview of what the iPad can do.

==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====

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Talkback Most Recent of 52 Talkback(s)

  • Problems so far...
    $499 is NOT agressive. $299 would be agressive. Especially without a front facing camera!

    Bezel is to big around screen.

    Resolution is probably too low.

    Not 16x9

    No SD card slot! BIG PROBLEM! sad

    No USB port.

    No mention yet of Flash support in browser!

    I think I'll stick with my netbook for now...
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Narg
    27th Jan 2010
  • bluetooth stereo headset
    Does it have the capability for a bluetooth stereo
    headset? The iphone is lacking this capability.
    big negative for me.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    jmpgolfer
    27th Jan 2010
  • There's are more no's than that
    No multi-tasking
    No physical keyboard in a laptop sized device
    No removable battery
    No PC apps
    ...

    I'm, sure this list will grow with time. :\
    ZDNet Gravatar
    T1Oracle
    27th Jan 2010
  • RE: Apple introduces the iPad
    I love it!

    I think the iPad will do for eBooks what the iPod did for MP3s.

    And I know two ways that the iPad is going to revolutionise how small businesses make money. I've just blogged a quick couple of thoughts about it - http://tinyurl.com/yc8av4v

    What do you reckon?

    Viv
    ZDNet Gravatar
    vivcraske
    27th Jan 2010
  • Umm... No.
    What's so good about this device? The battery would be awful -- certainly nowhere near the eBook readers already out there that can last for days without needing to be recharged. And manipulating a webpage with your fingers (in lieu of a mouse) is incredibly infuriating to do. This is a terrible idea. I hope the members of the Apple cult eventually come around.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    lengs928
    27th Jan 2010
  • Glorified iPhone that Costs More won't Fly!
    It's a giant iPhone or iPad with the same OS installed. How revolutionary is that? NOT!!! ...and big isn't better when you have a device that has no protection for the screen like a laptop. Tablets in general have failed to reach the general public like net books. Mainly because of price and at $600 that isn't going to change.

    This are for a niche market and won't sell guaranteed!!! ...unless they get below $300!

    Cheap Netbooks are on the way from Google with their own 4G WiMax towers going on the roof of Walmarts Nationwide. You'll be hooked up instantly as you walk out the door. Believe it or not all people want to do is browse the web, make calls on Google Voice, dock it in their car to follow Google Mags and use the Cloud productively! grin
    ZDNet Gravatar
    i2fun@...
    27th Jan 2010
  • So wait, the iPad is new because....what?
    So, from watching the video stream on Twit.tv, I don't understand how any of this is innovative. Just a couple of weeks ago (@ CES), people were announcing Touch-enabled Slate (i.e., the screen is removable) Netbooks...

    So, if I take one of those (running Windows 7, not sure if there is a Linux equivalent on the Touch-enabled front) and I add iTunes or Zune for that fact, plus any Windows/Linux App that runs on a Netbook... then isn't that the same thing?

    I mean the whole App-Store part is interesting, but a netbook has an App-Store too...it's called Best Buy, Amazon.com, Steam, etc.

    And, when I want to get some real work done, I can put the Slate PC back into the dock and I have a netbook. The iPad can do that as well, with the keyboard dock, but....it's an underpowered Slate-based netbook...

    What am I missing here (assuming that I don't care if it's a Mac, a Windows 7-based, or Linux-based..assuming it exist, touch-enabled machine)?

    Edit
    I forgot that I have to also add the Kindle PC application and to plug my cell phone (or Cell USB device) when I am mobile.

    Oh, and my netbook has a camera the ability to hook USB-based peripherals, an actual wired connection (as well as wireless) if I want...
    ZDNet Gravatar
    rs_jr
    27th Jan 2010
  • Don't you understand? It doesn't matter
    People listed many perfectly valid reasons why the
    iPhone v1 sucked but Apple sold millions of them.
    Ultimately, it doesn't matter how much the iPad
    sucks or how much better 5 year old devices are.
    Ultimately, Apple's profits are all that matter.
    The iPad will bring in the big bucks. Therefore,
    the iPad is great.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    NonZealot
    27th Jan 2010
  • I guess....
    Maybe you are right, because it doesn't make any logical sense...to me, that is...

    Ok, I will go back and stand near the flock (by the rest of the sheep) so that the herdsmen (IT Pundants and Apple, for the sake of Apple fans) don't notice that I am just not following the flock anymore.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    rs_jr
    27th Jan 2010
  • yep...
    looks like an oversized ipod touch...
    ZDNet Gravatar
    antbos55
    27th Jan 2010
  • Didn't you hear Steve...
    "This is a magical device, at a breakthrough price."

    It's Magical!!! It'll magically start sucking $499 out of peoples wallets!

    Looks to me like the iSlab is a slightly enhanced, giant$500 iPod Touch. STILL no multitasking.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    UncleBubba
    27th Jan 2010
  • Netbook
    This is the second time netbooks have been given a bad rap.
    My Acer Aspire One rocks for $299
    I got another for $379 with WXGA because I wanted slighty more resolution.

    iPad = iPhone but bigger
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Ashtonian
    27th Jan 2010
  • re: Netbook
    I agree netbooks are a lot better and can do way more than tablets for about a fraction of the price. I am running linux (Mandriva) on my little netbook and besides the physical size, I feel like I have like 8gb RAM and a grade A GPU. Whatever the OS, it isn't quite as bad as people say it is (actually I love the keyboard more than anything, it makes me look like a speed daemon. The screen is a little small but now it just seems like other monitors are just too big. IDK I am in the process of converting my desktops as servers and leave myself a 15-inch laptop and a netbook. The best computers I could ever ask for.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Epomerantz
    3rd Apr 2010
  • Bingo
    The removable screen slate is the true innovation that optimizes functionality of the netbook form factor. The iPad seems to combine the disadvantages of smartphone and netbook form factors. Carrying around a screen that size without protection is going to be a problem.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Lester Young
    27th Jan 2010
  • ZDNet Gravatar
    kd5auq
    27th Jan 2010

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