After weeks of rumour and speculation, Apple have officially confirmed to the world that they are going to be brining a touch pad device to market called iPad.  It's essentially a super-sized iPhone with a few quirks and features of it's own to boot. Apple see it as a device that can bridge the gluf between consumer smartphones and netbooks.

The sleek looking device sports a bigger multi-touch screen to that of the iPhone, 9.7" to be exact. The bigger form factor allows for a host of benefits over the iPhone and is designed to interact with a range of media including photos, movies, gaming, magazines, newspapers, ebooks, web browsing, office work and music to name but a few applications. If the infrastructure and want existed, the iPad could be the perfect opportunity for Apple to push mobile TV.

You will notice from the product shots the the iPad has a few key differences in terms of it's interface to that of the iPhone. Namely a changeable wallpaper, and an OSX like docking bar at the bottom of the screen for all your favourite applications and short cuts to be housed on.

Without beating about the bush too much here are the basic specs:

• Dimensions: 189.7mm(w) x 242.8mm(h) x 13.4mm(d)
• Weight: 1.5lbs (1.6lbs for 3G models)
• Screen: 9.7" 1024x768 VGA, 132 DPI IPS LED backlit LCD display with multi-touch functionality and fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Processor: 1GHz customized Apple A4 processor
• Storage: 16, 32 and 64GB models available
• Connectivity: WiFi 802.11n and Bluetooh 2.1 + EDR connectivity. A model with 3G and A-GPS built in will also be available
• Battery Life: 10 hours
• Other: Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, speaker, microphone and compass and 3.5-mm jack built in
• Software: YouTube HD, iTunes, mail, browser, calendar, Brushes (painting suite) and contacts applications come pre installed. The device does not support Flash natively.  
• Syncing: to Mac or PC using a 30-pin cable

The beauty of the device is that it runs the same OS as the iPhone with a few tweaks here and there. This means that all the apps currently on the iPhone will also work on the iPad too, making app development more streamlined and convenient. Apple have released an updated SDK for the iPhone for developers to update their applications to meet the specifics that the iPad has over the iPhone. All in all though, most applications should be able to scale up and run full screen on the iPad.

What will probably be of some concern to Amazon and anyone else that has an ebook reader coming out, is that Apple in their traditional stir it up and stomp all over it style, have also announced their own ebook store which can be accessed via the free to download iBook app. With it users can download ebooks in ePub format and read them on their iPad in full color. Something the Kindle and most competing ebook readers cannot yet do.

Given that Apple have a nack for making popular and cool to be seen with products, this new service could leave Amazon with their Kindle eBook quivering in their e-Ink boots. Users can download a range of books, and select whichever book they wish to read right off of their iBook shelf - swishy. The big advantage for the Kindle and other e-ink devices however is that e-ink provides a nice subtle contrast which more closely matches that of real paper, which can reduce eye strain when compared to a brightly lit LCD display. Still the 132DPI display should offer double the clarity of most LCD screen so reading text should be more than comfortable for most.

Apple iPad iBook application, flip the virtual
bookshelf to reveal the book store
Image copyright Apple Inc

Despite it's quirks and boons the iPad does come with some notable and frankly major disappointments. There is currently no Flash support, so interacting with Flash content is a no go. The device is also quite weighty at 1.5lbs. Despite Apple stating it's light weight, for something that's meant to be held in your hands for long periods, this sort of weight will quickly become tiresome to hold. There is also no front or rear facing camera so video conferencing, as well as photo and video capture is another no go on the iPad.

The biggest issue though is that despite all it's potential power and uses, the iPad cannot multitask, leaving you out in the cold if you want to play music while browsing or typing something up. Its a great oddity for a device of this nature to not have multitasking support. It will surely limit the total usefulness of the device when it's released into the wild. At least this is something that an OS update could sort out at a later date if Apple see fit to do so.

If that wasn't enough of a surprise, Apple have teamed up with AT&T yet again and will offer a couple of data plans for the 3G models. This is despite the reported issues many AT&T iPhone customers are having with slow, bloated connections on the AT&T network. For $14.99 per month you can download upto 250MB, and for $29.99 per month you get the so called Unlimited data plan, both are contract free and can be activated on the device it's self.

With a slick menu the iPad could make a great movie
viewing device for people on the move
Image copyright Apple Inc

Pricing starts a $499 for the 16GB model, $599 for 32GB and $699 64GB for the WiFi only models respectively. If you want 3G then add $130 to which ever model you're looking at so: $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for the 64GB model. The standard WiFi only models will be ready to ship within 60 days, whereas the 3G enabled devices will be ready to ship 30 days after that. Pricing and data plans for over seas countries will be announced at a later date according to Apple.

For further information, pricing and tech specs see the Apple iPad pages.

As well as releasing a new MacBook and mouse Apple has announced that it has updated its entire iMac line of products. The new iMacs feature LED backlit widescreen LCD displays with an edge-to-edge glass design surrounded by an aluminium casing. Each new iMac will ship with a wireless keyboard and the new wireless MagicMouse.

The new Magic Mouse does away with all buttons and in their place has a seamless multi-touch pad that allows the user to scroll, pan or swipe their way through long documents images or web pages. Other features include laser tracking that is common on all respectable mice these days, BlueTooth connectivity which will give the mouse a 10m range. The mouse is powered by 2AA batteries which are included say Apple and during periods of inactivity the the mouse will work with Mac OSX to go into a lower power mode to preserve battery life.

The new iMacs start at $1,199 and include an Intel Core 2 Duo at 3.06Ghz as a minimum. Other more expensive models include the core i5 and i7 quad-core offerings again from Intel. As mentioned the new iMacs feature LED backlit displays in a 16:9 aspect ratio which is perfect for HD movies, TV content or video editing. The 21.5 inch iMac has a full HD resolution of 1920x1080 while the 27 inch model sports a resolution of 2560x1440 that has 60 percent more viewing space than the previous 24 inch model according to Apple. Both screens feature IPS driven screens as well as 178 degree viewing angles.

 
New Apple Magic Mouse and iMac

Other improvements across the range include updates to system memory which is now at 4GB of 1066MHz as standard (that is upgradeable to 16GB) and updates to their graphical capabilities. The new models will feature NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics or an ATI Radeon HD 4670 in the 21.5 inch model. Exact specs and pricing are listed below.

iMac pricing and specifications

As mentioned at the top of the post Apple also introduced a new MacBook. The new MacBook features a light but durable polycarbonate unibody design that houses an LED backlit screen with a glass Multi-Touch trackpad and non slip underside. The new LED backlit screen is more efficient than the old CCFL tubes used in traditional LCD screens and as such they help reduce the power draw which might explain in part why the built-in battery is good for up to seven hours from a full charge and can be recharged 1000 times according to Apple. If you find you need a new battery they can be replaced by qualified professionals for $129 and the pros will dispose of the old battery in an "environmentally responsible" way - bargain.

Other specs include a 2.26Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM, 250GB hard drive, integrated graphics provided via the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M.

New MacBook pricing and specifications

One final announcement by Apple was an update to their Mac mini line as well. The budget level Mac mini at $599 has a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM at 1066MHz, 160GB hard drive, an integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M, five USB ports, Firewire 800 and a SuperDrive.

Their $799 model features a 2.53Ghz processor (Intel Core 2 Duo), 4GB RAM and a larger 320GB hard drive. Apple also stated in their press release that a Mac mini Server would be available for $999. It features two 500GB hard drives and is according to Apple specially configured for ac OSX Snow Leopard Server.

Product shots

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