Apple chief executive officer Steve Jobs has announced the long-awaited arrival of the iPad, a tablet computer similar-looking to an oversized iPod Touch. Expected to be available in Australia as early as June, the device has a 9.7-inch colour touchscreen and allows users to access the web, email, music, photos, eBooks and games.
It also provides a powerful way of reading newspapers by combining the best of print and digital content into one powerful application, demonstrated at the launch event by the New York Times.
The iPad will be available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacity and features Apple’s own 1Ghz processor. It also has a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection. 3G models will also be offered with mobile and data plans.
In the US, the 3G data plans were priced at $US14.95 ($16.61) per month for 250MB of data and unlimited data plans for $29.95 ($33.28).
The iPad’s screen features the same look and feel of the iPod Touch and iPhone, with icons lined up in a grid on the home screen.
Applications like Safari, Mail and iPod are located along the bottom edge of the screen.
One new application was iBooks—an eBook reader that connects to Apple’s very own iBook store, where users can browse and buy books to download directly to the device.
The iPad is expected to be a strong competitor in the eReader market, taking on Amazon’s Kindle device among others.