Apple Debuts iPad and Launches iBooks Store
Apple yesterday introduced iPad, a revolutionary device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, playing games, reading e-books, and much more. Its high-resolution Multi-Touch display lets you interact with content — including 12 innovative new apps designed especially for iPad and almost all of the 140,000 apps available on the App Store. At just 0.5 inches thick and 1.5 pounds, iPad is thinner and lighter than any laptop or notebook. iPad will be available in March starting at the breakthrough price of just $499.
The iBooks app appears to be a great way to browse, buy, and read electronic books.
It is a good size, and it does looks like a large iPhone. A little bit bigger than a traditional 6 x 9 trade book at 9.56 x 7.47 with a full color touchscreen (1024×768) that weighs in at 1.5 lb. It is 1/2” thick and will offer 16 to 64GB of storage. There will be three models of the device offering Wi-fi available at the end of March and three more models in April that offer 3G access for a service fee from AT&T. The iPad features a virtual on-screen keyboard but consumers can buy a physical keypad to use with it. The iPad will also run all iPhone apps right out the box.
Just as exciting is the price. The iPad will start at $499 and go up to about $829 for some large capacity, 3G models. An attractive price point that will likely go down. It is reported to offer 10 hours of battery life and is reported to run on the iPhone OS and similar to the iPhone, it does not support multi-tasking – in other words you cannot read and take notes or have a browser open at the same time.
The iPad was demoed with newspaper content from the New York Times and supports video and audio embedded in the content. Most importantly, the iPad will support the ePub eBook standard and Apple has developed its own e-reader software, iBooks, and will also launch an iBookstore. E-book pricing is reported to be in the $15 range.The store will launch with iBook format content from Hachette, S&S, Penguin, Macmillan and HarperCollins. Morgan James already is delivering eBooks in the ePub format and is excited about Apple’s iPad and iBooks app and we look forward to our titles being available shortly after it’s launch.
For more information about the iPad, visit Apple.com.
Image Courtesy of Apple.
