back to article Steve Jobs uncloaks the 'iPad'

Steve Jobs has announced Apple's long-awaited tablet - now officially named the iPad, as The Reg had predicted - at a media circus Wednesday morning in the 757-seat Novellus Theater at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. The Reg will offer its considered analysis of what Jobs called "a truly magical and …

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  1. bruceld
    Thumb Down

    I never have any idea what to put as a title...

    Don't worry. Apple is innovative. They'll put the multitasking and phone version in the iPad 2G. This is why they don't make their products upgradable because they wouldn't be able to sell their next version or product or new product.

    I'll stick with my iPod Touch. It seems to do everything I need when I'm on the road.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Joey

    "Flash is old hat technology being replaced by (open source) HTML5, supported by Firefox 3.6, Google Chrome and Safari already."

    HTML 5 video is being beta tested on some sites to replace Flash. But for sites like Kongregate or for sites which use Flash for animation purposes, it's going nowhere.

    1. Ammaross Danan
      FAIL

      Well

      Apparently you missed the numerous articles here on The Reg that go over the current Fail that is HTML5 video. Some developing bodies want to make money and push a hardware-accelerated codec. Others want a free codec so they can develop cost-effective browsers and editing tools. Since it's all up in the air at the moment, we're in for another round of IE5/6 vs. browser-community-at-large non-standard-DOM type battle.

  3. Slurp
    Alert

    Hang on... wasn't there another product with this name?!?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFNQE_TzQNI

  4. Mikey
    Thumb Down

    You what?

    It would appear the ideas monkies at Apple have finally run out of imagination. This is essentially an iPod Touch for the hard of seeing. Or the 'My First Mac' line of kids toys.

    Aside from the bigger screen and itunes, show me something it can do that my N900 can't.

  5. Max Jalil

    Hahahahahhahahaha

    a aha ahaha

    -no, realy. Let them eat apple (and leave me with my Z88 and Pipedream)

  6. Glenn Amspaugh
    Headmaster

    The only problem with it...

    ... is that it does not appear able to stream music/video wirelessly from a machine with an iTunes collection. I have 350 or so movies ripped to m4v, collected in iTunes on a Mac mini. My AppleTV and various Macs around the house can all stream movies from this system but my iPods and iPhone; they all have to be physically connected to iTunes system and then have a subset of items synced to them. Was really hoping iPad would not have this limitation but looks like I hoped in vain. Maybe version 3 will have that.

    And a video camera somewhere on there. That would be cool.

  7. mrweekender
    Welcome

    This is the future..

    ..and this will be the type of device kids use in and out of schools. Have you seen the education software you can get for the iTouch, oh and just a few other things - no viruses, parental controls, intuitive software, books available, music, podcasts from iTunes U, could be used as a reward system, games system etc, etc, - sorry but I would not hesitate to buy something like this for my child and she would absolutely love it - hell I'd love it. Jobs is right about netbooks they're shit I know I've spent 12 months watching the market from an educators perspective. I think Apple have got it bang on.

    The world is not flat you morons - LOOK AGAIN!

    1. Captain Save-a-ho
      FAIL

      Apparently the world is flat...

      http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/08/iphone_worm_rickrolls_users/print.html

      What was that about no viruses?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      This is the future?

      "This will be the type of device kids use in and out of schools."

      mmm... I guess most parents would have zero trouble shelling out 500USD just so that their kids are able to do their homeworks. Ah, and for sure it has got a stylus to learn writing, right? right?

      In my country, we are using a revolutionary technology called "paper notepad" - no virus, easy parental control, very intuitive to use, can be used for games as well as for work. My niece got several with color pencils, and she absolutely loves it - hell, I do love it. Did I say that the price range is around 5USD?

      The "great educational tool" is just a cheap excuse to (1) justify buying a costly geek toy and (2) dismiss more of the educative mission to a piece of technology.

      1. The Fuzzy Wotnot
        WTF?

        Kids? With this? Are you serious?!

        Jesus wept! Mine have DS's a cheap £80 toy, the number of times I moan at them to have some respect for it and stop dropping it and leaving it about for someone else to sit on!

        Flipping heck, they have trouble looking after pencils and paper, do you really think I would trust them with a £1000 toy like this?! Not unless I win next week's rollover!

      2. mrweekender
        Unhappy

        WTF

        Are you retarded?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    iPleb

    New word: describe the idiots who'll shell out good money for something that makes you look a tit!

    Right I'm trademarking that before you lot get in...

  9. Dru Richman

    G-d love the Brits and the Reg

    Can we hop inside the Wayback® Machine and go back to January of 2007? Go read all the initial post from pundits, nitwits, and folks just like you, who belched that there was no way, no possible way, that Apple was ever going to make it in the smartphone business. Go back a few years earlier and read how Apple was going to crash and be burnt to a crisp upon entering the MP3 player market.

    You might not have noticed but Apple is a major player in the MP3 player and smartphone business. They sell more music than any retailer in the US. Their smartphone app store, with over 140,000 apps, has sold/downloaded over 3 Billion apps. This product is built on the shoulder of those two outstanding products [Yes, we already know how you feel about Apple, it's products, and it's methods of conducting business. But the public has spoken, loudly, about which company it wants to buy it's electronics from.]

    The price point is right. The form factor is right. The applications are in place as of today. Apple is going to sell millions of these things—even if you think they're trash. My advise: You may not buy the iPad, but I would scamper down to my stockbroker and buy as much Apple stock as possible. This is yet another opportunity for Apple to print money.

    1. whiteafrican
      FAIL

      @Dru Richman... Err...

      There's one massive, MASSIVE, huge, gaping hole in your theory there, old son, and it is this: The iPhone fitted into an identifiable market, for an existing need. It provided a simple way to make calls, listen to music, and surf the net. Phones of that nature had been around for a while, and Apple improved on some of the existing tech. People bought iPhones because they needed a phone, and the iPhone is a good phone. Same with the iPod. There was a pre-existing market in portable music players (mp3 players, cd players, minidisc players, walkmen, etc.) going way back. People bought iPods because they wanted a music player.

      The trouble is, this iPad thing has no identifiable market and meets no existing need. Who (besides the obvious fanbois) is going to choose an underpowered tablet with a phone OS to do something they need to do? Want to make phone calls? - unless you're calling Dom Jolly, this iPad is no good. Want to edit documents, type *anything*, run some useful software (photoshop, dreamweaver, etc.) - then you'll be wanting a real computer. Want a convenient gaming device? - then you're after a PSP or a NintendoDS (or you could always play games on the iPad, but given the lack of buttons and the prevalence of accelerometer use in iPhone games, your arms will get REALLY tired from twisting the iPad all over the place. Also, it'll be SO easy to drop the silly thing). Want a really good reading device? - then you want a Kindle - it has much better battery life, and the screen won't be nearly so hard on your eyes.

      The point is, the iPad doesn't offer anything better than the existing tech, and combines the drawbacks of phones (weak OSs and weak peripheral support) with the drawbacks of netbooks (weak processors, and size/weight that force you to carry a bag). The price is expensive. The form factor is a bit silly (seriously, no handwriting input and no Wacom pressure-sensitive stylus for artwork? there go two MASSIVE markets in education and the arts). The applications are phone apps - they are mostly novel timewasters and the ones that aren't are inferior to anything you could run on a netbook. Apple screws these things up all the time. This iPad thing will go the way of the Apple TV, the Pippin and the G4 cube (and they were all probably better products for their time than the iPad is...).

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      @Yank

      "the public has spoken, loudly, about which company it wants to buy it's electronics from"

      Yes, that's why nearly 95% of internet connected devices are NOT made by Apple (http://marketshare.hitslink.com/report.aspx?qprid=8)

      "another opportunity for Apple to print money"

      Really? I've heard that printing lots of money eventually leads to problems (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation_in_Zimbabwe)

      I don't think I'll be buying any Apple stock right now.

      1. Rolf Howarth

        Hyperinflation?

        I'm not sure I understand your point. Inflation is caused by debt. Apple aren't in debt, quite the opposite, they're sitting on a pile of cash bigger than many countries' GDP.

        "95% of devices aren't by Apple". First, that chart is for computer OS's, not mobile devices. Secondly, so what? Apple care much more about profit share, mind share, and making great products, than market share. General Motors sell about 10x as many cars as BMW... which company would you prefer to own shares in?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          @Hyperinflation?

          "Inflation is caused by debt"

          I was responding to a metaphor with a tongue-in-cheek extension of that metaphor. I'm sorry if this confused you. Are you also American?

          "that chart is for computer OS's, not mobile devices"

          Au contraire, if you look a little beyond the title, it lists iPhone, iPod Touch, Symbian, Blackberry, and Nintendo DS to name but a few.

          "Apple care much more about profit share, mind share, and making great products, than market share"

          This may well be true, but I was responding to the claim by Dru Richman that "the public has spoken, loudly, about which company it wants to buy it's electronics from". The previously noted fact contradicts his assertion.

          " "95% of devices aren't by Apple" "

          Please don't put quotation marks around words I haven't written. What I actually wrote was "nearly 95% of internet connected devices are NOT made by Apple". I know the meaning is similar, but if you're putting quotation marks round it, that implies a direct quote, not a paraphrasing. Moreover, I stand by this claim based on the original reference.

      2. mrweekender
        FAIL

        Take a look..

        ..at the education market.

  10. Chad H.
    Alert

    Not for me, but they'll sell a few

    I can actually see a few situations where it might be useful. You want to be productive on the train/plane/Carpool and using a full fledged laptop is to uncomortable, or to shut up the kids with a mini media centre in the back seat.

    Not for me, and I think the Analysts sales predictions are WAY off, but I think there is a market there.

  11. Spooner_Man
    Unhappy

    iTunes

    Argh...why oh why do you need (another) PC/Mac with iTunes in order to use this thing??!

    If it was full OSX I would have bought one in a flash.

  12. lipong
    WTF?

    Unbelievable not a single positive comment!

    This discussion is just full of jealous people, most likely programmers and IT admins and the like that never had and ever will have a clue about the design and functionality of a mass consumer product. It true that apple is a monopolistic company that as a tight grip on every aspect of the products they release (something that any company would do if they could), that does not however means that they are not technology pioneers. It is true that the ipad is not much more that a modified version of an iphone but is that a bad? From personal experience I have in many occasions (sofa, plane+train+bus) felt like having a device with a big enough screen where I could use the internet, read a book,etc. That is scenario where the ipad is going to fit.

    The device is not more that apple's take on a netbook but with the an user friendly interface and full of features that will be customised for the device and its perceived functions. Much in the same way that the iphone as changed the mobile phone with features like for example: visual voicemail, good internet browsing ability, fast files search and great multi-touch screen, also the ipad is going to change the netbook model.

    As for those that were expecting a total revolutionary product, just look at the ipod example when it was lunched it was not more that a mp3 player similar to many others, the reasons why it was a success was the details, the UI and by being user friendly.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Unbelievable not a single positive comment!

      Because only the dumb suckers are taken in by Apple's bling sale.

    2. Jolyon

      I'd use one if I had one

      I already spend quite a bit of time surfing, emailing etc on an iPod touch (which I don't use for music unless it is to stream it from a home NAS to a stereo with a dock).

      The same interface witrh bigger screen is just a winner for me.

      I don't care at all about Apple control of the device, I doubt the lack of multi-tasking will bother me and not having flash is a minor irritant at worst as I already block almost all of it in Firefox and seldom miss it.

      There may well be far too many Apple zealotards but that doesn't mean they can't make good products and credit where it is due, this thing looks like it will have a role in my house.

  13. BinaryDad
    Thumb Up

    Oh dear.

    ...I think many of the commenters on here have missed the point entirely with the "wtf? no multi-tasking? It's shit" posts.

    Quite frankly, like most of Apples products, it's not aimed at a vocal minority with poor personal hygiene, who are only interested in hardware specs, and other things that 99.9% of the planet couldn't care less about.

    The fact that a bunch of misguided, unwashed, stuck in the past misogynists who are fast seeing their last remaining bastion of superiority (the superior knowledge of everybody's computer) won't hurt Apple one bit. It's the sheer fact that it's aimed as the uninformed, casual user that will make it a success.

    You lot can stick to your outdated systems. The rest of the world marches on, thankfully without the sour smell of your body odor as you jump up and down in front of them about how much more you know about their computer than they do. You tools.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Oh dear indeed

      I'm afraid you, BinaryDad, are the tool.

      The drawbacks if the previous iShit offerings don't matter because they relate to things that are not primary functions. The phone can't play flash but that's OK because you're going to carry a phone anyway and net browsing is a second function. Can't multitask and the procesor is slow on the pod but that's ok because its a music player, all the stuff like games are secondary functions.

      This is being touted as a do-all for everyone, a 'mobile video-watching, book-reading, game-playing, photo-perusing, music-listening, web-surfing, and email-emailing device.'

      - It's a movie watcher except that the 4:3 screen format is dinosaur tech.

      - It's an ebook reader but the screen is the wrong technology. ebooks as an idea went nowhere until an alternative for back-lit came along.

      - It's a game player except that it has a netbook processor.

      - It's a photo viewer except that the screen resolution is rather low.

      - It's a music player and an emailer but not at the same time.

      - It's a web surfer but not for a vast swathe of the internet and I need yet another monthly drain on my pocket because I can't make calls with it.

      - It's not even got the legendary apple design chic. The phone had the screen to 2 edges from the start, something other manufacturers have only recently matched. If the Pad were the size of its screen you might have a chance of getting it in a pocket

      It's not a device genre people are already commonly carrying, it's an extra device apple want us to choose to carry. Thus it needs to be more perfect than the iPhone or iPod, we're going to carry a phone and/or music player anyway, apple just need us to choose theirs. The iPad truly is a jack of all trades and master of none and deserves to burst the iEverything bubble.

      IMO it needed to be 16:9 format, a little smaller than an Ordnance Survey map so it fits in an outdoor jacket map pocket or suit jacket inside pocket, have the screen to the edge on 3 sides, able to use text apps such as email or doc processing at the same time as playing music and forget the ebook eye strain maker. Then the slow processor so limited gaming wouldn't matter and better that than a whizzy game chip but even poorer battery life

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No Flash = win

    Have you ever experienced Flash on OS X?

    It's crap. Adobe should be ashamed of themselves. It's slow and buggy as hell, and it WILL bring your browser down. It'll also consume vast amounts of memory and monopolise your processor.

    It's a pig's ear. Fortunately no right-thinking adult has any use for it.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      No flash

      Flash no longer displays automatically - you get a box that says "Flash" and unless you click on it, the browser won't even try to load it.

      (I think this is the default but maybe I installed some addon - I can't remember)

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        No flash

        You probably installed 'clicktoflash' (or something similar). It's very handy.

        I love how a 300x400 Flash game can hog 80% of the CPU on a dual core 2.66 GHz OS X system.

  15. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    Network meltdown

    $30 unlimited data? Holy hell, AT&T's network is already melting down, this is really not going to help. (Disclaimer, I do not have AT&T service.)

  16. Andy Enderby 1
    Grenade

    game changer ?

    A game changer ? Really ? Palm has done multi tasking for a while, combined with all the usual gubbins in one package. iWhiteElephant.

  17. OrsonX
    Paris Hilton

    27th January

    Gadget Porn Day :)

    1. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

      No, the porn version is..

      .. the iPaddle, obviously.

      El Reg, as an aside, predicting the name is obviously a huge feat given the astronomically vast amounts of options available..

      :-)

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    iTampax or iPantyLiner?

    I wonder...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The iPad is equipped with that essential extra...

      ... iWings

    2. DPWDC

      RE:iTampax or iPantyLiner

      iPon?

  19. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    re: Fashion Victim tax

    @Jack 4, re:

    "Want to bet that the price will drop a few hundred dollars after a few months once Apple soaks the early buyers with a "Fashion Victim" tax, just like they did with the iPhone when it was first released?"

    ...

    I'm not an Apple fan -- AT ALL -- but this is completely normal in the telecom industry (at least in the US). Even the Motorola Razr, it was nearly $1000 new (and maybe $600 with a contract), but in about a year it was "free with contract". If a phone (or in this case, a 3G-using device) comes out you WILL get soaked for it if you buy it right away.

  20. Rolf Howarth
    Thumb Up

    Very interesting

    This looks like it could be a VERY interesting consumer device.

    Sure, tablets in one form or another have been around for ages, but they were the kind of thing spotty faced geeks might play with for a bit and soon get bored with because they couldn't do anything useful with them, not the sort of thing your wife or g/f or kids or mom will be lusting after and putting top of their Christmas lists for the next few years, and trust me, they WILL lust after the iPad. Big time. Minimalist styling and a silky smooth design that fits smoothly in the hand is EXACTLY what they want. Better start saving now...

    "Only a big iPod Touch"... right. So what from a marketing perspective is wrong with that? Any idea exactly how many iPods are out there, and how many millions and millions of people are already familiar with the interface? Not to mention 100,000 apps available for it from day one.

    No camera and video iChat? This is the 1st gen device, they're here for the long haul. And that's before you factor in things like eBooks and micropayments for magazine subscriptions.

    I too was a bit underwhelmed when I first saw the specs, but the more I think about it the more convinced I am this will be HUGE and that in 3 or 4 years the iPad will be as ubiquitous as iPods are today.

    1. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

      It won't be huge, sorry

      There may be *different* versions, but I think the size will stay the same :-)

      Being US I assume it's going to be letter format, which begs the question if there will be a European A4 one.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Is this Apples Windows Millenium Ediition or Apple TV Revisited

    Oh, the short memories....

    Apple doesnt always suceed!

    Newton, Apple TV, and now Ipad

    Is this Apples Windows Millenium Ediition or Vista?

    Can we now start talking about the next real inovation from apple, or do we have to wait till next year!?

  22. Emelia
    WTF?

    Where is the Camera ?

    This could replace my laptop for holidays etc Internet, mail, but no camera for video calling ?

    http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/frantic_steve_jobs_stays_up

    Hit or miss ?

    Miss.

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    I think you're all missing the point

    this is a momentous occasion - after years of miniaturising, this novelty is a BIGGER version of an earlier product. I want a room-sized server.

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Badgers

    Just an iphone ..

    for the short-sighted?

    1. John Hughes
      Unhappy

      Bigger screen is not for shortsighted....

      ... it's for the longsighted.

      Shortsighted people have no problem at all staring at tiny things close up.

      (Having passed the half-century I now have the joys of both problems).

  25. Nic 3
    Thumb Up

    Looks great

    It always amazes me, the rush to knock something like this. To me it looks great. To most people I have spoken to about it it looks great. I know of at least 8 people who will buy this as soon as it is available in the UK including me.

    Am I a Sheep? It would be satisfying to consider me as such wouldn't it?

    Nope, I am a consumer. Yes I am fairly wealthy so I am happy to use some disposable income on this. I will also no doubt buy plenty of apps for it (as well as the apps I have on my iPhone). No i wont be buying Fart/Bubble-wrap apps. I will buy some games, also some useful business utilities and others just for a 99p punt.

    I am also technically savvy (web developer with 12 years experience) which means I am aware of plenty of devices that perform similar tasks and some more. What those other devices miss and what Apple have been able to nail for the last few years is making a piece of consumer electronics a pleasure to use. The iPhone is a pleasure to use and the iPad looks the same too.

    I don't NEED one but I can afford one and it will fill a nice little gap. My wife and I will no doubt use it to casually browse the web around the house, access our music and watch vids.

    I can also see a strong use in a sales environment.

    We could all be driving Vauxhall Corsas. They get you from A to B, they are cheap and pretty reliable. However some cars are more attractive and more of a pleasure to drive. They are also more expensive but plenty of people are willing to pay a bit more for the increased satisfaction.

    Silly sheep...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Silly Fanboi.

      Which sums up Apple's core market really, people with too much disposable income and no better reason for buying anything than it looks pretty.

      Oh, and you've just confirmed my long held belief that web developers are tech imbeciles (having employed several over the years).

      1. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

        Nonsense

        Someone with a degree of technical competence has just the same variables as someone else deciding on a new device: will it work for me. If "will it work" includes "joining a club" or "being seen with one", well, hurray for you.

        I simply decide if it has a function for me. I could use an easy - immediately on - device for reference material so I'm interested. I was also interested in the Kindle but this has more screen estate and can do more, although I doubt I'd got for the 3G version (I wonder if you could you hook it up to an iPhone for tethering?).

        As for web dev being tech imbeciles, I think the only thing you demonstrated with that statement is that you shouldn't be put in charge of employing people :-).

      2. Nic 3
        Stop

        title

        imbecile with a very successful web development company. I employ plenty too.

    2. whiteafrican
      FAIL

      @Nic 3

      OK, we're not rushing to knock this because of its looks (although th excessive bezel looks a bit odd). We're knocking the concept. It's a phone, the size of a laptop (also available in cheaper, crappier, non-phone version). We did away with oversize phones in the 90s, and they now exist only for comedy purposes. Which is why clowns will buy the iPad.

      If you're a web developer, WHY are you even looking at this thing?! Will it run Dreamweaver? No. Will it run flash? No. Will it run Java? No. Will it be comfortable to type code on? I'll let you physical therapist's bill for dealing with your RSI answer that question... but hey, the iPad's got HTML5. Awesome - except that by the time HTML5 matures into something useful, this iPad will be old hat. And expensive old hat at that.

      As for the Vauxhall Corsa argument, you're looking at this the wrong way. You're comparing the Corsa to another car, whereas you can't compare the iPad to anything in the same category. It can't compete with your phone (because it's too big) and it can't compete with your laptop (because it's too underpowered). Therefore, in your analogy, you're not choosing between a Vauxhall Corsa and another car, you're going to have to buy both. Sure, you have the disposable income to do it, and that's your choice. Personall, I do too, but if I'm going to buy another tablet, it'll be an upgrade for my existing HP tc1100 that actually does some useful stuff like, you know, multitasking, Photoshop (with pressure-sensitive input), Word (with handwriting recognition)...

      SO, yeah, silly sheep is pretty much spot on.

      1. Nic 3

        its not a computer

        stop comparing it to a computer. Its a device. I have a PC and a laptop to develop on.

        You missed the point with my comparison. I suppose i was trying to say people are prepared to spend more money on something that is a pleasure to use.

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