YAHHH! The iPad was Announced today.

Unless you’ve been under a rock, you know that the Apple had a big announcement today.  They announced their tablet device…  the iPad.

Before we get to my opinions, let’s start with what we know:

• 9.7″ Screen
• 1/2 thick, 1.5 lbs
• 10 Hours of battery life with 1 month of standby
• 16 – 64 gigabytes of flash storage
• Accelerometer and Compass – (GPS?)
• Speaker and Microphone
• WiFi N, Bluetooth
• 3G optional

This device runs a modified iPhone OS.  It will run most of the current iPhone apps out of the box. For most apps it will run iPhone apps in native resolution or “doubled” resolution.

They announced an “iBookstore” to purchase books for the device.
They announced a version of iWork specifically for the iPad.  Each app (Numbers, Pages, Keynote) will be $9.99.

Pricing:  16GB – $499, 32GB – $599, 64GB – $699  w/o 3G  (Add $130 for 3G)

No camera, no multi-tasking, no phone capabilities that we know of.

My Opinion:

Well, I have to start by saying that it was not quite the device that I was expecting.   I was hoping for a multi-touch tablet running Mac OSX.   Something with a little more features.  With that said, I find this device interesting and I will probably buy it.  Mostly because of the price.

With all “new” Apple products, I think they release a very subdued version of what the device could be.  (Look at the iPhone 1G compared to the 3G or 3GS)

It does look quite elegant and has a LOT of potential.

I think that Jobs hit on it from the beginning.  It’s a device that sits between the iPhone/smartphone and a laptop.

He mentioned that a lot of people felt that the “netbook” filled that gap, but he contestested “The problem is netbooks aren’t better at ANYTHING.” Applause. “They’re just cheap laptops.”

The price point on the iPad is incredible.  $499 for the 16GB model rocks.  With $100 increase for the 32 and again for the 64 gigabyte version.   The 3G versions will be $130 more for “the 3G radio”.

My opinion is that this will EVENTUALLY be an incredible device for most people.  I think it will change the “reader” market, since it’s price directly competes with them.  However, I think we need to see it mature a bit before calling it an end all be all machine.

I will more than likely get one when they are available.  (60 days for the standard models and 90 days for the 3G enabled version)  For the time being, I’ll have to give this:

When I do get one, I’ll post a review and may change my rating.