Infomania.co.uk » apple

Apple iPad: when? how much?

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:42:02 +0000

Apple have still not announced details of UK iPad pricing despite the fact that the product is due to launch this month. Apple’s website currently says the WiFi iPad will be available in ‘late March’ with the 3G product following in April.

While the lack of a 3G product price may be down to negotiations with mobile networks there seems little reason for Apple not to have announced a UK price for the Wifi version. Perhaps they are counting up the US pre-orders to see if they can make the next price-break…

There is another secret Apple are keeping from us – how did they author the iPad product announcement page so badly that it slows even faster computers to a crawl? Whatever you do, don’t bother looking at it with a puny Atom powered netbook or you’ll be there forever.

iPad or iBrick?

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:41:35 +0000

So, Steve Jobs of Apple announced their new tablet product today. The fact that it features on the US Apple website but not on the UK site is probably not good news for the UK’s early adopters. Rumours are June/July but I wouldn’t hold your breath. The product itself is…hmmm… interesting.

Here is the spec of the $499 basic model – essentially an iPod Touch on steroids:

9.7″ multi-touch display

1/2″ thick

Weight 1.5lbs

16 GB flash memory

Wi-fi

Bluetooth

Single speaker (ie not stereo)

Microphone

Accelerometer

Compass

Optional keyboard

For another $130 you will be able to buy a model that is in effect an iPhone on steroids - it comes with 3G. There are also options for 32Gb and 64Gb of flash memory on both models. The highest spec model will cost $829. You might note the lack of GPS or a camera, which both seems pretty unforgivable at the price.

So those are the headlines. But what is the device for? Well it is obviously going to be good for web surfing – except that it lacksFlash – and publishers are getting excited about selling you magazines or your daily paper without their having to bother with all that messy ink. But is it too heavy for the intended market? 1.5lbs isn’t far off the weight of a netbook – which would come with a proper keyboard, two speakers, a webcam and a lot more storage.

Yes, the iPad will weigh more than the average newspaper or magazine but guess what? It weighs exactly the same as a copy of today’s London Times plus the latest edition of UK Wired. How did Steve know that??

Microsoft & HP pull the rug from under Apple’s iSlate

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:12:11 +0000

Microsoft’s Steve Balmer demonstrated a new HP slate computer in his keynote speech at the annual CES in Las Vegas on Wednesday, neatly pre-empting Apple’s planned launch of a similar device later this month. The HP device had a 10″ screen and was claimed to support full multi-touch. Other manufacturers, incuding Archos, are reported to be developing slate PCs.

Key questions about the Windows-based products will be their weight, cost and battery life. Running Windows 7 and ‘as powerful as a PC’ could it be that the devices are a bit over-specified for their own good?

Apple to launch iSlate on January 26

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:24:34 +0000

Apple’s new ebook and web surfing tablet is due for launch on January 26. The device will not be called the iTablet or iBook as had been rumoured – neither names are available as .com domains - and the iBook name has already been used for Apple laptops. iTablet.com is registered to a company in Taiwan, while iBook.com is registered to a company in the Isle of Man.

iSlate.com has been registered by a San Francisco Trade Mark protection company and looks set to be Apple’s site for the new product. Device details are very thin on the ground but one Apple employee is reported to have said that Steve Jobs is extremely happy with the new tablet.

The new device seems likely to feature a 7″ screen but whether it will be a black & white e-ink display or a full-colour OLED display remains to be seen. Expect multi-touch like the iPhone and a similar ‘soft’ keyboard.