Bye Bye Netbooks, Say Hi to Apple iPad

Apple iPad tablet is finally here. Dubbed as the bigger version of iPhone/iPod touch, Apple iPad is set to replace netbooks and cheap laptops in the market. Running on iPhone OS, iPad will revolutionise your portable computing experience to the maximum. If people have been amazed with iPhone, they will be amazed with iPad once they get their hands on it!

The Apple iPad

Apple iPad has just been introduced in the US with price starting at US$499. The processing speed of iPad has been reported as very amazing with a stunning display for a 9.7-inch screen. The major down side of iPad for me is its the non-availability of Flash support. But Apple will sort that out soon and make a compatibility version available for download. Let’s look at the specifications:

Specifications

• Processor: 1GHz Apple A4
• Operating System: iPhone OS 3.2
• Storage capacity: 16GB, 32GB or 64GB flash drive
• Size: 9.56 (H) x 7.47 (W) x 0.5 (D) inch
• Weight: 1.5 pounds (680 gram) for iPad WiFi, 1.6 pounds (730 gram) for iPad 3G
• Display: 9.7-inch LED multi-touch display with IPS (1024×768 pixels)
• Wireless connection: WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G
• Battery: up to 10 hours of web surfing, video watching, music playback
• Input/Output: Dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jack, build-in speaker, microphone, SIM tray (iPad 3G only)

What is missing?

• No camera, meaning no video conferencing on Skype.
• No flash support yet (But it will be sorted out by Apple soon).
• No multitasking support yet Not supported with iPhone OS 4.0 (tonnes of new features).
• No USB Port/HDMI (But several adapters available to meet these needs).

 

Why iPad will kill Netbooks?

Apple iPad is not just an iPod touch, it works almost like a normal netbook with apps like iWorks, multimedia player and graphic editor. The 9.7-inch screen and support for desktop-style user-interface elements such as panels and menus mean developers can create desktop-like apps for specific business needs, including sales management and order-taking.

Plus, iPad starts at US$499, which is not that costlier than a netbook, and it is very very portable. There’s a keyboard dock option for serious typing and data synchronization locally through iTunes. The batter life is also amazing. It could last up to 10 hours!

You get to do your day-to-day works with iPad in a much easier way and it’s iPhone 3.2 platform did superbly well with thousands of apps readily available for download. And it’s just a matter of time for Apple to sort out some missing components in iPad and release a new version just like they did with iPhone 3GS. So, why do you need a Netbook?

Read more on Engadget regarding iPad