Apple iPad tablet unveiled at last

Yes please

Place your bets for a UK price, and possible deals with European mobile carriers.

By Stiggy on 27 Jan 2010

Jeez! a giant Iphone touch!
What an innovation!

By sandman652001 on 27 Jan 2010

Multi touch - good

But no multi-tasking - bad!

By PaulOckenden on 27 Jan 2010

yep a giant iPod touch with no camera, gps or point really. I was hoping for something really clever. The ability to use fingers and also do hand writing recognition via a pen. I guessed that it would be a big iPod but I was hoping to see something more because it was Apple and was pretty shocked when it had less than I was expecting.
The iPhone was revolutionary and still is today but I think Apple have a nerve calling this 'Magical'

By TimoGunt on 27 Jan 2010

Meh!

Just meh!

By renhoek on 27 Jan 2010

So.. what is it then?

Is that it then? It's just an Apple Kindle? What exactly is the thing for? Its' not a laptop, it's not a phone.. I'm lost :/

By pinero50 on 27 Jan 2010

Looks just like the HP slate that Ballmer unveiled at CES earlier in the month.

By chapelgarth on 27 Jan 2010

Completely underwhelmed

As a light and portable multimedia device to assist in ESL language teaching, I thought this might replace my ageing MacBook, but the show stoppers for me are:

1) Apparently there is no print stack. I want to be able to print without a PC back-end or special printer nearby.

2) No iWork, or similar.

3) No wired network connection. Most of the companies I work in in don't use WiFi for security reasons and using 3G to connect to a 3rd party company network is a non-starter.

5) Lack of storage.

By lokash20 on 27 Jan 2010

ok it can do iWork but how do you print off your work. Can you print across the network? or do you have to then sync it to your mac to print? As far as I know there are no iPhone apps that have had printing functions in them. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Can you imagine trying to read on the beach with the sun glaring off of the glass?

By TimoGunt on 27 Jan 2010

Eh

So you can browse the interweb but it has no flash. It runs iPhone apps, but when you run them full screen they look crap. It can show ebooks, but not as well as readers.It has no camera, limited storage.

I'm confused as to what you would do with it, anything usefull needs wifi or another mobile contract.

I think the HP slate looks MUCH more appealing than this.

By JStairmand on 27 Jan 2010

the future of computing

The lack of flash is annoying. Tablets are the future of computing -- obviously not this Apple iteration, but one down the line, maybe from Google or Acer.

By popeye91 on 27 Jan 2010

Why?

Don't get this at all. I'm waiting for the new Acer tablets too, they have touch, inking and can do everything this can and a lot more, for probably less money. I love the iPhone, but can't get excited about this at all.

By adwoodrow on 27 Jan 2010

Does this impact devices with ChromeOS, I wonder?

By AdrianB on 27 Jan 2010

Probably not so handy

Who does 1024 by 768 anyway? and a keyboard *wired* to it? Ew! Even my 1Ghz Fujitsu 5000 series tablet has a matching keyboard linked by IR. I was hoping for the ultra-hi-res component used by the tiny ipods, and the ability to scroll round a spreadhseet using the thing as a virtual porthole... it going to need a lot of support to really win people over.

By Steve_Cassidy on 27 Jan 2010

Look at the size of the black border around it.Not very slick at all.They could have made the screen bigger or the device smaller if they had done away with the majority of that.

By Jaberwocky on 27 Jan 2010

You need to think the way Apple and most other companies do.
Release some pretty good hardware now but wait a while before launching the juicy and cool features so that you can then sell again to the early adopters who'll want to upgrade.

By Pantagoon on 28 Jan 2010

No flash?

At least that is one security hole less to worry about...

As I run a flash blocker on my desktops and notebooks, it doesn't bother me.

The GPS could be interesting, it is a much bigger screen than any other GPS device I've seen.

The eBook reader could be interesting - Timo, I would only read pulp fiction on the beach, I wouldn't take one of my favorite books there, let alone a multi hundred Euro eBook reader... :-S

I read eBooks on my iPhone as it is, so having a bigger screen would be an advantage.

I'm guessing this is falling into the netbook/ smartbook category.

I have a laptop and I have an iPhone, I really don't see a place for it in my bag currently...

By big_D on 28 Jan 2010

Stop Moaning!

If you don't like it or can't find a use for it - don't buy one.

By odell_c on 28 Jan 2010

The Name

My colleage just said that they should have called it the iFlop. :)

By Macer71 on 28 Jan 2010

The Name

My colleage just said that they should have called it the iFlop. :)

By Macer71 on 28 Jan 2010

It's a big iPod

It's more a big iPod than a big iPhone. However 1024x768 is a GOOD idea. I've got a netbook and 1024x600 is just SO limiting it just get's irritating.
If you buy the Google web-centric mode for the future of IT then you just use this to run Google docs or similar.
Given its price, the limitations are less of a disaster -it would seem to do most of the things I'd use a netbook for better -but It's definitely not a low end PC replacement.

By milliganp on 28 Jan 2010

another name

..or maybe the iPlop

By Steve_Adey on 28 Jan 2010

Lomskij

Lol, iFlop - that made my day :D

By Lomskij on 28 Jan 2010

If Only HP Had This Much Fanfare 7-Years Ago...

Has it really taken Apple "The Great Innovators" this long to develop their marketing for such a product and then to make it substantially less useful...?

HP's TC-Machines, while "niche" and "quirky" continue to blow this dud out of the water.

By psiren on 28 Jan 2010

The real name

iPod Touch Duplo

By PaulOckenden on 28 Jan 2010

Battery life?

I think the main factor dictating the success or failure will be battery life. If it's intended to be used as both an eBook and multi-use slate PC then it will need to be able to run for many hours to cope with reading on long train journeys while commuting etc.

By skarlock on 28 Jan 2010

Underwhelming

Very run of the mill.
But then nothing could live up to the hype the Mac-bois and the media have heaped upon it.
Nothing new but nice GUI - Sound familiar?

By DarrellJF on 28 Jan 2010

10 hours maximum. You know the usual stuff. If run at half brightness and not playing movies then it will get to 10 hours

By TimoGunt on 28 Jan 2010

I really don't see this as a game-changer. It's more a niche-product (dare I say 'toy') for Apple fanatics and those with a lot of spare cash in their pockets.

A netbook and smartphone combo would still be my first choice for commutes.

By atomz on 28 Jan 2010

missing the point

The iPod didn't succeed because it was a better MP3 player - but because of the tie to iTunes. The future of this thing depends on its links to the media people, and at the moment they are not convincing.
But Jobs himself misses the point about netbooks - or disruptive innovation generally. My netbook with its 11 inch screen lets me do useful work all day away from the mains ... It's not flash (though it runs Flash) but it can do a lot more than an iPad and it cost 250 quid.

By tennyson09 on 28 Jan 2010

History repeats, has to no-one listens

Here we are again, just like the iPhone, people don't get innovation "what would I do with it?" try thinking before typing. So similar to what most said with the cars, computers, iPhone, now most phones are iPhones or copies. Thank goodness some still innovate even if so many ridicule before they "get it".

By Mayburys on 28 Jan 2010

iCantSeeAUse

It's a big toy, granted.

But a ten inch iPod you can't fit in your pocket?

Or is a an eBook reader with a screen you won't be able to see outdoors?

Or is it a netbook with only 64GB of storage and no expansion for £512 (assuming the UK price isn't nerfed upwards)?

I think someone at Apple said "big iPod" and they did it before anyone thought to ask "why?"

Flash IS an issue, since a sizeable percentage of the internet uses it and a growing percentage also use Silverlight, which is also not supported, so "Best web browser" is a bit of a hollow claim.

I'm a big iPod fan and I have an iPhone, but this expensive toy just doesn't get my vote.

No mention in the PR or video of headphones or bluetooth support, so if you're watching "UP!" on the train, how do you hear it and not get told to "turn it down"?

The only persons in my household who use the internet for browsing's sake, play games on Facebook, which are all Flash based, so this device would fall at the first hurdle.

It's too damn big to be a music player. You would only use the video in places you don't have a TV (train, gym, etc.) all of which would be impractical given it's size.
It would make a pretty mean competitor for the DSi and PSP were it half the price, but it isn't.

So what is is? Answer: Jack of all devices, master of none.

By cheysuli on 28 Jan 2010

@ Mayburys

Sorry Mayburys, but this is not innovation. This is just a big ass iPhone. Without any of the pocketability of the iPhone and none of the full computer features of a netbook. I'm sure the Mac faithful will buy it in droves, but it doesn't make it innovative.

By Grunthos on 28 Jan 2010

iDon't

The iTampon, iPlop, iFlop, iFlaccid. Let's see, no 3G, no Flash, no multi-tasking, no wired network connection, no camera, a vast expanse of functionless black area around the highly reflective screen, the need to add a cabled keyboard to give it any real functionality, as half of the 'touch' based features people were expecting don't exist and at around twice the price of a netbook that will probably do for most people who need something this size. Oh and "industry-standard ePub format" - way more common the Portable Document Format (PDF) for eBooks? Not yet... They've been down the ePub for one too many, methinks.
The old saying goes that "Nobody ever lost money by underestimating public intelligence." Apple are certainly pushing that envelope...
It's yet another bunch of over-priced iCrap gimmickry, who doesn't 'get' that?.

By Klobba on 28 Jan 2010

iSlate.... HP slate that is!

I think in long run this is newton MK II, if it had a pixel QI screen then yes it could have been a game changer, and if it had a proper operating system, not a glorified iphone.

i think i will do what i did when it came to getting a mac... build my own and hackintosh, i got a mac pro equivalent for 600, instead of 2700... i can see even a few mac fans looking at this, and then looking at say a HP slate, with a dual core processor, decent graphics, more screen real estate etc, and thinking ok big ipod touch, or same form factor, but able to run a full version of OSX or Windows, with access to all the applications, flash, and capable of multitasking and going down the DIY ipad on steriods route... i know i will

By Cerberus73 on 28 Jan 2010

On sale already...

http://www.funnyordie.co.uk/videos/167d70800c/the-
ipad?rel=player

By Macer71 on 28 Jan 2010

@Klobba and others who don't read the specs. Not only is there are 3G version, but it is unlocked for any SIM.

PDF suppport required? Get an app!

By Stiggy on 28 Jan 2010

@Stiggy

Klobba wasn't talking about the device having pdf support, it was about the ebooks not coming in pdf format and that ePub is not as widely used a format as pdf.

By koshthetrekkie on 28 Jan 2010

rumour...

...they made this for Dom Jolly to bring him into the iPhone age.

By Steve_Adey on 28 Jan 2010

Underwhelming

What may have made it a more compelling device is if you could have dual booted it between the iPhone OS and Snow Leopard making it much more versatile.

By hellequin1967 on 28 Jan 2010

Not a paradigm shift

Rather limited attempt to create a new market segment between smart phones and laptops. Hardly ground breaking.
Is the battery replaceable?

By rh_marsh on 28 Jan 2010

I feel disappointed

I didn't like the look of it at all. I wanted a Star Trek DS9 style slate and this isn't it. If the surround was just bigger than the screen then maybe.

Is there a stylus for it?

Oh well, wait for the next gen.

By gfmoore on 28 Jan 2010

Underspecified but...

...the iphone was 5 years behind most other phones when it came out (video anyone?) but what sold it was the app store and the great user experience (which the ipad has too..). Look what a failure that was...

When you consider that the kindle dx 9.7 inch is $489 for just an ereader, the ipad with its ipod functionality and apps, looks like incredible value, despite its obvious limitations elsewhere.

That said, I'll wait for the next version before deciding to take the plunge

By Flangie on 28 Jan 2010

And after all the whinging on PC Pro

It will sell well to people who will explore the boundaries of what they can achieve with it rather than sit staring at their belly buttons mumbling variations on the mantra of

"it doesn't do / have".

Remember the vast host of users of technology don't want to read 'hands on articles'.

PC World wouldn't have a business model if they did.

They want to open the box, charge it up, surf, play tunes, e-mail and now do some work without the machine or OS getting in the way.

Lastly the big point folks is that Apple has an established content supply model that now extends to journals, newspapers etc. etc. with the facility for micro-payments. Newspapers, publishers etc are going to support the device because of that alone. Newspapers in particular can't afford not to, it may be their saving.

It ain't the hardware it's the integration.

By kaneclem on 28 Jan 2010

I'm very tempted

First thing first - I am NOT an Apple fan. It has taken me until January 2010 to get an iPod Nano and I only got that as my son got an iPod Touch.

The problem is I am now an iPod fan. I download podcasts almost daily and I'm learning to speak and read Gaelic thanks to podcasts from the BBC.

At home I have a 1 server, 3 desktop, 3 laptop, network all running Windows. Linked to that I have 2 PSPs, 2 DS Lites and 1 DSi, a printer server and a Linux based network storage device. All of this is accessed either via 10/100 Cat5e cabling or one of three wireless access points. Until my wife got an iPhone and my son got an iPod Touch, there wasn't a single bit of Apple hardware in the house and it all works.

It still works.

I have been looking at netbooks but I can't see the point of them. They are so underpowered that for the best experience, manufacturers had to resort to Windows XP until very recently.

Apple have revealed what amounts to an iPhone++ and I'm tempted. It has the software base, the infrastructure and it is, on first appearances, a viable alternative to netbooks. With the addition of 3G support (which in conjunction with contracts from all of the big players) it will be a great addition to the tech support team arsenal. £500 for a top-of-the-range model is a little expensive compared to similarly specified netbooks, but then Apple have always charged a "style premium". Come Christmas 2010, it will probably be on my list for Santa.

By blueclouduk on 28 Jan 2010

HD?

Everything seems to be talking about HD video playback...the screen isn't even HD. I don't care what Apple say about LEDs, that's a fail.

By Kid_Spock on 28 Jan 2010

iPityMacFoolsWhoBuyIt4Appearances

You all have a right to moan - but you don't have to buy it. If its useless to you then its useless to you.

Its just a bigger iPhone - and you all went nuts for that. Apple just made it bigger for the fatter fingered population?
-no that's cruel - some people just want things bigger rather than tiny.

I admit its probably not very good at the moment, personally I'd prefer it to be wafer thin and be able to roll it up or fold it up and stick it in a back pocket - clearly the tech ain't here for that yet - but everybody needs a starting point to build from.

Believe me - I'm no MacFan that buys into their marketing machine - I'm no fool - leave that to those that buy - who later think wtf have blown so much money on a pointless device.


TBH - I like this iPad and I actually think you are getting your moneys worth. Apple have prepared well for this device and its launch - you can use so much already. Bear in mind it is version 1, the next version will be released a year after the Slate and rival devices from M$ and Linux or Google have been released.

Saying that I like it however - does not mean I will run out and buy one - I'm quite happy with my netbook :)

By nicomo on 28 Jan 2010

PRICES

I just saw the UK prices.

The WIFI only 16gb version bottom of the range is £388...
I don't know if that's +VAT
The top end 3gs wifi 64gb is over £600

I think people would have found a use for it if it was around £100 but...

By Codmouth on 28 Jan 2010

iPad-thai... Wait and see...

... but won't be holding my breath.

1. I hate typing without a keyboard and having to carry a keyboard is rubbish... so it won't be netbook/laptop replacement for a lot of people

2. It's too big. The ridiculous bezel they've been introducing to their screens is going backwards. Even their 15" laptops are nearly as big as the 17"

3. Uses a half-arsed os... makes it a large iphone rather than a small laptop.

I and a lot of people need access to full os and some the associated programs. Def not for the mobile businessman... we can only carry around so much. I'd rather get a iphone that this... for now. Unless some seriously apps to replace the need of a laptop comes into affect... I can't see it having the ipact the iphone has had.

By mcmpro1 on 28 Jan 2010

Iwon't....

So, after this esteemed website lambasts Microsoft's Mslate (or whatever it was called) even before seeing apples efforts. Come to the push rather than the Applefest that we are used to, we get a damper than damp squib.

Good. I wish IT journo's would actually review a product for its functionality as well as its looks.

No doubt Apple ipad (what a name for a girl on her monthlies), will catch up with Microsoft in v6, meanwhile changing double the price to the foolish and guillible.

Ipad? I won't thank you.

By Ajamu1 on 28 Jan 2010

iBooks

*iBooks available in the US only.

By renhoek on 28 Jan 2010

@Kid_Spock

Actually the qualification for HD is based on vertical resolution alone, hence why a lot of early HD ready sets were 1024x768, but with the horizontal pixels stretched to fit a widescreen form factor.

Although to be honest, on a 9.7 inch screen it would be pretty much impossible to tell the difference between 720i/p and 575i/p - it's just too small

By Flangie on 29 Jan 2010

The interesting bit - for me - was iBooks. It'd be a great opportunity for authors.

The pad - the bezel is too wide. Sorry. I know it's cosmetic but I'd far and away prefer a smaller device with a slimmer bezel.

By bubbles16 on 29 Jan 2010

iBooks UK

There will obviously be a UK equivalent of iBooks eventually. The publishing rights will be different in each country.

By Stiggy on 29 Jan 2010

Mr Jobs has created the perfect product for 21st Century America: the iPod Obese.

By KSull on 29 Jan 2010

idisappointed

when I first heard the rumours I was hoping for a mac tablet not a big iphone. The former would have been good for altering designs or retouching with photoshop, while with clients or on the move.
This is neither one thing or another.
Plus points:-
Nice and shiny
Slim
Apps store
itunes
ibooks (eventually)
Long battery life! (only metions upto 10 hours if using apps store and surfing - doesn't mention what it's like if playing hi def movies)
Hi Def movies- on that screen!
3G
Cons
Glossy screen - awful if used outdoors, will make use as a book reader problematic not to mention movies on the beach.
Lack of storage, will not store that much music or movies even if you get the most expensive version.
Lack of USB or Card reader built in.
Low power CPU.
No Snow Leopard.
Hi Def on such a small screen - you might as well just use standard dvd resolution.
No voice capability, so it's not even a big iphone.
Overall it just looks like a big toy - maybe that's the market they are after, it's a big DS or PSP.
On a final point. I watched the apple ad for this and the marketing dept still makes ads that make snake oil salesmen look good.

By dtpdesign on 29 Jan 2010

Mr Jobs has created the perfect product for 21st Century America: the iPod Obese.

By KSull on 29 Jan 2010

Man that is ugly, I can't wait to see someone mock up the Dom Joly Trigger Happy TV giant phone sketch with one of those...

By Deano on 29 Jan 2010

A slab with an Apple logo on it...

Apart from Apple fanatics, who is this for? What use is it apart from reading books and newspapers, which are still available from all good newsagents and book stores. It's more cumbersome than an Ipod but not as useful as a laptop, Apple have seen a niche market that does not really exist. No doubt millions of Apple lemmings will rush in to create the market, good luck to them, fools and their money..... Other brands of shiny paper weight are available.

By underscore on 29 Jan 2010

Curiously tempted

First let me just say that in the entire run up to this event and all the talk about tablets etc I was not the least bit interested. I could not see the point in a tablet computer when you have laptops on the market.

However, having looked at the info I find myself drawn to the product as it could be a good solution for me.

I've been looking at netbooks for a while to browse the internet while watching tv etc, yet I find myself unwilling to buy them. Not because of the Atom processor, but the 945 chipset (which was in my old laptop) can be variable when browsing YouTube. Also the screen poses a problem for me on netbooks with all the OS clutter you get (taskbar, menu bars etc).

Currently I browse the web on my iPhone when watching TV, which while it works, it's far from ideal due to the small screen.

This iPad could be what i'm looking for - a device that's ideal for putting feet up on the sofa with and just doing some light browsing, emailing and posting on my blog.

Yes it's a little quirky, but I think i "get it", and it could be what i'm looking for (and be in the right price bracket for me too as i will only be looking at the 16GB wifi).

By hjlupton on 29 Jan 2010

"the hitchkikker's guide to the galaxy" made real

I really do think this product will create a whole new way to use computers ina home for non technophiles. In the same but more modest way Sky plus transforms the way people use and watch TV - Don't underestimate the potential of such a fun , easy to use portal into the internet , that you can use in an armchair. Just wish it came with a "babel Fish" !!

By gharrop on 30 Jan 2010

Perhaps Electronic Newpapers are the key

The newpaper industry is in depearate need of a new model for selling their product in the internet age. Subscription sites sort of work, but don't provide the same experience as the hard copy version.
If you read one of the mainstream serious newpapers you wil spend over £400 each year or £1200 over three years.
Given the massive reduction in print and distribution costs provided by electronic publishing, any of the major titles could give an iPad away free (or at a highly subsidised price) as part of a 3 year subcription deal.
The issue is - does this device 'work' as an alternative to paper on the 8:15 to Victoria?

By milliganp on 1 Feb 2010