Digital Zone 194: iPad (Special In-Depth Coverage)

Posted by Patrick Wiscombe on January 28, 2010 under Tech Podcasts | Be the First to Comment

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In this edition of the Digital Zone, we talked about:

• The iPad
• Other Apple tidbits revealed during the presentation

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Apple will sell the newly unveiled tablet-style iPad starting at $499, a price tag far below the $1,000 that some analysts were expecting.  The iPad which is larger than the iPhone was billed by Steve Jobs as “so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone.” 

 The iPad has a 9.7-inch touch screen, is a half-inch thick, weighs 1.5 pounds and comes with 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes of flash memory storage. The basic iPad models will cost $499, $599 and $699, depending on the storage size.  All models have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity built in. Jobs said the device has a battery that lasts 10 hours and can sit for a month on standby without needing a charge.

Apple will also sell a version with pay-as-you-go data plans from AT&T in the U.S. Two tiers of data plan will be available without contracts: $14.99 per month for 250 megabytes of data, or $29.99 for unlimited data usage.  Those 3G models will cost more — $629, $729 and $829, depending on the amount of memory. The Wi-Fi only version will be available worldwide in March, and the 3G version in April. International cellular data details have not yet been announced. 

Jobs said the iPad will also be better for playing games and watching video than either a laptop or a smart phone. The iPad comes with software including a calendar, maps, a video player and iPod software for playing music. Applications designed for the iPhone can run on the iPad. Apple is also releasing updated tools for software developers to help them build iPhone and iPad programs.

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PODCAST SPONSORS: Please support the companies that make the Patrick Wiscombe podcast network go and take advantage of the special offers only available to our listeners.

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OTHER NOTES FROM THE PRESENTATION:

- Apple sold their 250 millionth iPod.

 - Apple now has 284 retail stores

- Last holiday quarter Apple had over 250 million visitors to their stores

- There are over 140k apps in the app store and users have downloaded 3 billion applications

- Apple was started in 1976 – 34 years ago.  Thirty-four years later, they ended their holiday quarter with 15.6 billion in revenue.  Apple is now a  50 billion dollar company.

- Apple is the largest mobile devices business in the world today.  Jobs said Apple is bigger than Sony, Samsung  and Nokia by revenue and said they are the number one mobile devices company in the world.

- The iPad keyboard dock

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PODCAST SPONSORS: Please support the companies that make the Patrick Wiscombe podcast network go and take advantage of the special offers only available to our listeners.

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