Well the must have gadget for 2010 has been announced and will be available in the US and UK from March (WiFi Version) and April (3G and WiFi Version) if HRH Steve Jobs is to be believed, and let’s be fair they have a pretty adequate record recently for hitting launch dates. In the ‘good old days’ they used to launch a product at a Keynote, and then announce it was rready to buy straight away.

That said, I prefer this way as it gives people time to resist the impulse buy and figure out how the iPad fits into their technology needs, and in many cases (certainly in mine) figure out what it can replace and what I can do without.

First impressions during the launch? Looked great as you would expect, but felt it was a case of style over substance as who really needs a overgrown iPhone running iPhone applications? Don’t get me wrong the applications MAKE the iPhone, but that is because it is an iPhone. Surely they can’t have the same effect on a tablet PC?

Internet surfing without Flash and Java? Come on, that is just about OK on the iPhone (well actually it isn’t at all BUT I can live with it on the iPhone as I rarely use it to surf the net) but on a device designed and promoted as ideal for surfing the net you are having a laugh right?

Second impressions after a morning pondering and discussing it? Well it is inevitable that I will get one at some stage, even though on the surface and after much debate it is hard to come up with any reasons how I would actually use it but that isn’t always the point is it!

Undeniably Sexy

What Would I Use It For Twitter: sat on the sofa, watching sport I can see this working well Skype: docked in the lounge, with Skype running could be useful Email: always useful to be able to check and respond to quick ones RSS: because of blogging and work I check RSS feeds all the time Blogging: quick posts and working on drafts Media: viewing our photos and videos, as a control for iTunes

So this is the deal. I will get one no doubt, but not because I need one, just because I want one as I have a gut feeling it will turn out better than it currently looks. I am banking on my iPhone experiences here. When the iPhone first came out I bought one, but was pretty underwhelmed by it, and it was only once the applications starting hitting the iTunes Store did it become at all useful. I have a feeling that the iPad will be the same, with the bigger screen, and greater options I think we will see some pretty neat applications over the coming months, many based on controlling things ….. and let’s face it who isn’t excited at the thought of crashing on the sofa, sexy iPad in hand, turning the volume up on some speakers in a room that nobddy is in!

But I have agreed with Sands that I will try and make the purchase self funding by selling off some of the redundant Apple equipment that I reckon an iPad would enable us to do with out!

How am I going to do this?

Well first up I need to decide on which iPad, and that is pretty easy to be honest. As I have no intention at all of increasing my monthly costs to access the Internet I do not have any desire for a Wi-Fi + 3G Model, a Wi-Fi only will be fine (am sure that via Bluetooth will be able to tether to the iPhone anyway). I have no desire to duplicate files and content, so will rely on the cloud, and online content, so the smaller 16GB version will be just fine. Sorted!

Well apart from the accessories that is (see below). I really can’t see the point of the Keyboard Dock on the simple basis that if I am going to have a keyboard and a screen then I stick with the Mac Book and Mac Book Pro. The beauty of the iPad to me is the flexibility I think it will give using a ‘tablet’, so I have every intention of keeping it that way. No doubt I will get a case at some point, but as they are already been announced by third parties the options will be vast and I will worry about that at the time. iPad Dock ….. I do like to keep things neat and tidy, and I can see the iPad living in the living room, so yes, will probably go with one of these. Camera Connection Kit? Nope, no intention of breaking from current workflows so iPad will only be used to view existing stored media. USB Power Adapter? Maybe, I always ensure we have more than one means of charging a device.

Second I reckon I need to do a full inventory of the stuff that I currently have, and then figure out what the iPad would replace ….. so here goes:

Apple Inventory

Has been a while since I took stock of all the Apple ’stuff’ that we (well I) have accumulated over the years, and as I said above I think the iPad launch (and inevitable purchase) is a good opportunity to see what we can do without, and what it would replace, and ideally see if we can fund it through the sale of some older Apple items:

Chris

iPod’s: 5th Generation iPod with Video, 1st Generation Shuffle (used as a memory stick), 2nd Generation Shuffle, 1st Generation Nano, 3rd Generation Nano

iPhone: 3G

Computers: Mac Pro, Mac Book Pro, Mac mini (used as media center)

Services: Mobile Me

Other: Apple TV, Airport Express (2), Airport Extreme

Sands

iPod’s: iPod Mini, 1st Generation Shuffle (used as a memory stick), 2nd Generation Shuffle, 4th Generation Nano

iPhone: 1st Generation

Computers: iMac, Mac Book

Services: Mobile Me

In addition we have a whole bunch of cases, cables, and docking units that can go if the associated hardware is dispensed with.

So what does all this mean?

First to go will be Sands iPhone! Seems strange but as it isn’t 3G she really doesn’t benefit at all from the Data Plan that she currently subscribes to, so if she cancels the Data Plan we save 15€ a month. We will use this iPhone as a ’spare’ unit for our UK SIM card for as and when one of us goes back to the UK. Of coure she will need a phone but we have a few spare ones, and we will get her a iPod Touch as well, so not a huge saving up front, in fact additional cost up front but the saving on the Data Plan will soon add up. Movistar charge 1€ a day to access 3G on a PAYG basis, so as long as her phone is 3G (it is) and has buetooth (it has) she should be able to tether the iPod Touch and mobile phone if urgently require access and no Wi-Fi available.

Second to go could well be one of the Mobile Me accounts. Again not a huge saving per annum, but over the years it will add up, and I think that we can get by with one shared account to sync address book, calendar etc and have one set of documents stored online. It will be strange and we will need to set up and use groups and specific calendars carefully, but the plus side is that we can then genuinly pick up, share and use any computer or device and have access to the same information. No more ‘his and hers’, which I think will make the iPad much more useful to us if either of us can pick it up.

Third to go are the unused iPods, so will just keep the 2 latest Nano’s, and the 2 latest Shuffle’s. The Nano’s we use when running, walking or cycling, and the Shuffle’s I think are too cute to discard!

Fourth, and this is the ‘biggie’ is I reckon that we can get rid of Sands Mac Book. At the moment she does 80% of her work on her iMac and 20″ ACD in her study, with the Mac Book sat on a desk in my study with a 2nd display attached for when she wants to work in my study. From time to time she takes the Mac Book into the bedroom or lounge, but only for emails, Internet etc. As and when she goes to the UK she takes it with her, but again only really for emails and blogging. So ….. I reckon that if we share the Mobile Me account, we can use my Mac Book Pro in place of the Mac Book in my study, and still have one really powerful portable solution as and when we need it (primarily that is when I am out taking photos or video, or traveling on business). When that is out of the house Sands would still have access to the iPad for any portable computing she wanted to do. Sands will probably find it easier to take the iPad to the UK with her, and for the few weeks of the year that this happens I certainly aren’t going to miss it.

Obvioulsy this is the largest saving, and on its own will fund the purchase of the iPad, but I think it makes sense to dispense with the other stuff as well.

iPad Specifications

Size and Weight

• Height: 9.56 inches (242.8 mm)
• Width: 7.47 inches (189.7 mm)
• Depth: 0.5 inch (13.4 mm)
• Weight: 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg) Wi-Fi model; 1.6 pounds (0.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G mode

Display

• 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
• 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Wireless & Cellular

Wi-Fi Model

• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology

Wi-Fi + 3G Model

• UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
• GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
• Data only
• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology

Location

• Wi-Fi
• Digital compass
• Assisted GPS (Wi-Fi + 3G model)
• Cellular (Wi-Fi + 3G model)

In The Box

• iPad
• Dock Connector to USB Cable
• 10W USB Power Adapter
• Documentation

Capacity

• 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive

Processor

• 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chi

Sensors

• Accelerometer
• Ambient light sensor

Audio Playback

• requency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
• User-configurable maximum volume limit

TV & Video

• Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite Cable
• H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Mail Attachment Support

• Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

Languages

• Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian
• Keyboard support for English (U.S.) English (UK), French (France, Canada), German, Japanese (QWERTY), Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Russian
• Dictionary support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French, French (Canadian), French (Swiss), German, Japanese, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Russian

Accessibility

• Support for playback of closed-captioned content
• VoiceOver screen reader
• Full-screen zoom magnification
• White on black display
• Mono audio

Battery & Power

• Built-in 25 Whr rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
• Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
• Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

Input & Output

• Dock connector
• 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack
• Built-in speakers
• Microphone
• SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model only)

External Buttons & Controls

Mac System Requirements

• Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
• Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later
• iTunes 9.0 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)
• iTunes Store account
• Internet access

Windows System Requirements

• PC with USB 2.0 port
• Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later
• iTunes 9.0 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)
• iTunes Store account
• Internet access

Environmental Requirements

• Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
• Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
• Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Accessories

At the time of launch Apple announced 5 accessories:

• iPad Keyboard Dock

The Keyboard Dock combines a dock for charging your iPad with a full-size keyboard. The dock has a rear 30-pin connector, which lets you connect to an electrical outlet using the USB Power Adapter, sync to your computer, and use accessories like the Camera Connection Kit. An audio jack lets you connect to a stereo or powered speakers.

• iPad Case

The iPad Case not only protects the iPad, it can be used in various positions. So it’s easy to type, look at photos and slideshows, or watch movies.

• Pad Dock

The iPad Dock lets you dock and charge iPad. The rear 30-pin connector lets you connect the iPad Dock to an electrical outlet using the USB Power Adapter, sync to your computer, and use accessories like the Camera Connection Kit. An audio jack lets you connect to a stereo or powered speakers.

• iPad Camera Connection Kit

The Camera Connection Kit gives you two ways to import photos and videos from a digital camera. The Camera Connector lets you import your photos and videos to iPad using the camera’s USB cable. Or you can use the SD Card Reader to import photos and videos directly from the camera’s SD card.

• iPad USB Power Adapter

The 10W USB Power Adapter lets you charge your iPad directly through an electrical outlet. And the 6-foot-long power cable allows you to charge it from an even greater distance.

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