Apple Introduces the World to The iPad

The rumours and speculation can finally come to an end. Apple has finally announced its mystery device…the iPad. Steve Jobs unveiled the unit at Apple’s press event in San Francisco this morning.

The device is only half an inch thick, weighs 1.5 pounds and is roughly the same size as a Kindle. As predicted, the IPS display is 9.7 inches diagonal and is capable of displaying HD video. The iPad can be charged and synced via USB and claims to have a battery life of…10 hours.

Now let’s talk features. The device is multi-touch and is optimized for surfing the web. All web pages can be viewed full screen without zooming in and out. Of course you can check email, view photos, play videos (in HD), games, read eBooks and make full use of apps.

As for physical features it has a speaker, microphone, Bluetooth capabilities, as well as an accelerometer and compass. What is missing is a camera. That means no video conferencing or video calls. And no you will not be making any phone calles on this. Jobs says each iPad will have 802.11n Wi-Fi built-in, but you can get 3G for a bit extra.

So the big question…how much? $499 USD for 16GB, 32GB for $599, and $699 64GB. If you want 3G built-in add about $130 per model. Wi-Fi models will be available in about 60 days (April) while 3G will be a bit later (June). pricing and availability in Canada have yet to be announced but Jobs did say international 3G plans should be announced in June/July.

There you have it, Apple’s “revolutionary” device. Kinda seems like a glorified iPod Touch…no?