Steve Jobs announced the Apple iPad on Jan 27, 2010. Before this keynote speech an Apple tablet was only a rumor with speculation running wild. One of the most striking features is intuitive web browsing without a mouse like a netbook or laptop, but on a large screen unlike a smartphone. Watch all of the keynote videos to see everything the Apple iPad can do.
Web browsing on the iPad makes reading your favorite blogs feel more natural, like reading a newspaper in your armchair, rather than sitting at a desk or table. It makes quick tasks like buying movie tickets online or checking your email easy. Simply turn the iPad to switch between horizontal and vertical viewing. As demonstrated in the video, the keyboard is almost completely full sized and very natural to use.
Browsing photos also feels more natural with a quick swipe of the finger to continue to the next photo in an album. Sharing photos with your friends is fun with the iPad with a cool built-in slideshow feature and of course thanks to its large screen. And of course the iPad is built for media, allowing you to listen to music, watch movies and read books.
But not just for entertainment, the iPad is great for business use with a great calendar that makes keeping up with appointments and tasks simple. It also has a thorough contacts app with a detailed address book. The iPad also has a great maps app to help you find nearby businesses or restaurants based on your location.
The Apple iPad also handles YouTube videos well. And of course it’s great for watching TV shows and movies from the iTunes store. Steve Jobs shows off a few clips from his favorite movies to show off the iPad’s video player.
All of this is pretty impressive for a device that’s only half an inch thin and weights 1.5 lbs—that’s smaller and lighter than any netbook. Although small, the iPad boasts a beautiful 9.7 inch IPS display, which when paired with Apple’s capacitive multi-touch sensors provides a one of a kind experience. The iPad features a 1GHz Apple A4 chip, 16GB-64GB of flash solid state storage and Wifi and Bluetooth capabilities. And of course it features an accelerometer, compass, built-in speaker and mic and 30-pin connector so it works with existing iPod accessories. We’re impressed that it has all of these features and a remarkable 10 hours of battery life.
Apple is also proud that the iPad is eco-friendly. It’s arsenic free, mercury free, PVC free and BFR free. The case is also highly recyclable.
One of the most exciting pieces of news for Apple fans is that the iPad can run virtually every existing app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. That’s a library of over 140,000 apps available for the iPad from day one. All existing apps work on the iPad in full screen, even graphic intense apps like games. Apple immediately release the iPad SDK and an iPad simulator upon the announcement so developers can take full advantage of the iPad’s full screen.
Gameloft, developers of the FPS game Nova discuss the improvements in gameplay thanks to the iPad’s larger screen. One of the benefits is more precise control, as well as room for a minimap and a unique touch function to throw grenades or open doors. They were also able to create a unique new combat mode called MTA, or Multiple Target Acquisition that lets you select multiple targets in combat. The iPad is opening doors to bring more intense gaming experiences to a handheld device that will appeal to the hardcore gamer audience.
The New York Times have created an exciting app for the iPad that captures the essence of reading a newspaper. The app lets you save articles to read later, resize text easily, flip through slide shows and watch videos.
Another great app to make the transition from iPhone to iPad is Brushes. Brushes is an intuitive way to create artwork with your fingertips. The larger screen makes creating artwork easier, as well as accessing tools and brushes without obscuring the artwork. Brushes on the iPad supports playback to view the artistic process.
EA Games has been active on the iPhone with over 40 titles. Travis Boatman from EA talks about how the iPad changes mobile gaming, comparing the experience to holding an HDTV inches from your face. They’ve added more features to existing EA iPhone and iPod touch games thanks to the large screen. Demoing Need For Speed, you can see that it’s a rich racing game experience.
Many developers are so excited about the iPad that they aren’t just porting existing apps and games, but recreating brand new iPad exclusive apps. The folks from MLB show off the updates to their baseball game that take full advantage of the iPad’s features.
Bringing e-readers to the next step, Apple announces iBooks for the iPad. Browse through your books on a virtual book shelf and purchase new books through the iBooks store. Much like Amazon’s Kindle, iBooks is a clear, crisp and convenient way to read your favorite books.
One of the biggest reveals during the iPad announcement, second only to the specs, was the price. Many people expected the iPad to be under $1000, which Steve Jobs points out is just code for $999. But he shatters that price point and announces that the iPad will be $499-$829. Breaking the price down further we learn that $499 is the cost of the 16GB model while the 32GB model is $599 and the 64GB model will be $699. The models with 3G are an extra $130, so even the most expensive model is still well under that speculated $999 price point. At the time of the announcement the Wifi models were scheduled to ship within 60 days, with the 3G models shipping in 90 days.
Of course the iPad wouldn’t be an Apple product without great accessories and docks. From start there’s a great dock that makes sharing pictures easy. There’s also a keyboard accessory that’s perfect if you need to do a lot of typing. Of course the accessories use a 30-pin connector and charge the iPad. Another great accessory is a nice case that doubles as a stand which great for watching movies or typing on the iPad without a keyboard.
Apple shows off a video that explains a lot of the same information Steve Jobs has discussed so far, but from the perspective of some other Apple employees who’ve worked on the iPad. The video stresses that this is the best device to browse the web, check email and view photos. They point out that the iPad is so intuitive that you don’t have to learn to fit it, because it fits you.
In summary, the iPad is the most advanced piece of technology in a revolutionary device at an incredible price. Steve Jobs explains that Apple is at the intersection of technology and liberal arts making products that are fun, creative and powerful. That wraps up the Apple Keynote speech by Steve Jobs announcing the Apple iPad.
Thanks to iPad Insider for sharing these Apple iPad Keynote videos.
