Audio Book News of the Day: Apple’s New iPad Tablet

by DorothyD on January 29, 2010

Takes the iPod One Step Further

Yesterday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPad, a new tablet computer that has been the subject of speculation for weeks. Interestingly, one of the most talked about issues after the announcement was about the name.

Several off-color jokes circulated and even trended on Twitter. Funny or Die posted a very funny video this morning as well. But despite the jokes, will consumers go for the latest from Apple?

Imagine an iPhone. Now picture it about four times bigger. That’s what the iPad looks like. The operating system falls somewhere between the Mac OS X and iPhone OS. Internet access is a given, as well as applications for iTunes, calendar, photos, contacts… basically everything you can do on an iPhone or iPod touch. This means that it will have the same audiobook capabilities and limitations as the iPod.

Apple's Steve Jobs - iPad

There is an integrated email client that uses an on-screen keyboard. I don’t know about you, but when I type, I often rest my fingers on keys to keep my hands oriented correctly or I tap gently while thinking. The touchscreen keyboard won’t like that very much…

As for the specs, the iPad has a 9.7inch LCD touchscreen display. It is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled and has a speaker and microphone. The 10 hour battery is capable of a month of standby time. All of this is packed into a unit that is one-half inch thick and 1.5 pounds.

Devices begin at $499 for the 16GB model. The 32GB model is priced at $599 and the 64GB for $699. The prices are certainly more reasonable than other Mac computer products, but still more than netbooks.

One big question that has floated around is whether this will affect eBook reader sales. The iPad has an app called iBooks that has animated page turns and can integrate audio and video into content. The iBook Store will stock books and textbooks. Will this be another rival for Kindle? The lighted screen may prove to be the differentiator.

Most eBook readers use e-ink technology with no backlight. This is easier on the eyes than a traditionally lit screen. Think about how your eyes feel tired at the end of the day after reading on a computer. I’m thinking a Kindle would better serve the user looking for an eBook reader.

It also seems that users will have to buy apps to really use the device. And apps start at $9.99. So to obtain Pages, Numbers, Keynote, or others, users will have to buy them. This drives up the price considerably because without the apps, you have no capabilities beyond iTunes, email, and Internet…

So, what are your experiences with the new product?, will you buy an iPad?