Recap of the Much Anticipated Apple iPad Launch

Jen Consalvo January 27, 2010 Tweet

Wow, Steve Jobs and Apple really know how to hijack your day with the show and tell of another innovative product that starts with “i”. This time it’s the Apple iPad. Yes, that is really it’s name. I decided to live blog the event and this is how it all went down…

12:30 pm EST – Realized that the Apple announcement is supposed to start now – searching for the best coverage.

12:40 pm EST – Tuned in to the livestream.com/crunchgear broadcast with John Biggs & Meghan Asha – listening to them banter while I work and try to follow some Twitter chat here and there. I  tweet out that I want this magic tablet to be able to fold up into my tiny purse. Gotta dream big.

It’s 12:54 pm EST – Apparently there’s 5-6 more minutes before they’ll start.  Can’t deal with anymore rumors about price points, how many inches the magical tablet will be or the device name, which at this point I hope is something completely silly and unpredictable, like the Apple Picachu.

1:10 pm EST - After taking a phone call, finally get some news – it’s the iPad!   Here’s what we know so far:

• It’s very thin.
• Customizable background.
• Best browsing experience ever (of course)
• It’s supposedly a dream to type on, sleek, elegant.
• It all works with the itunes store – enjoy your music, movies, and general media experience.
• It does not run OSX – it runs the iphone OS. Users will need a me.com account.
• It makes reading a beautiful magazine-like experience.

1:20 pm EST – Still haven’t heard any real specs (availability, price point, packages).  But a few more tidbits: Large calendar, maps and images – looks amazing. The homepage looks like a cross between my desktop and iPhone.

1:28 pm EST – Finally more details! Thank you Steve.

• Full capacity multi-touch
• Thinner and lighter than any netbook
• 1 Gigahertz custom Apple chip
• 16-64 GB flash storage
• Wifi
• Battery life – 10 hours
• Recyclable!
• Runs every app from the iTunes store with no modifications necessary – the store is built in.
• Lots of discussion about the SDK (available at apple.com today) and the simulator. Expect lots of new apps targeted to the iPad.
• John Biggs called it a “huge ipod touch”

As of 1:40 pm EST – Still no price or availability mentioned. But, some people from the New York Times are at the show, talking about how this device is going to really help the print media business. There’s no camera but we can imagine future versions will have cameras and probably docking stations. We all can use another docking station or two.

1:46 pm EST – Honestly, getting bored. They are reminding us it’s a 1st generation – there’s much more to come down the road. Great, we are going to have to upgrade every six months to a year ($$$ for Apple on that one – good thinking).
I’m ready for the drumroll on price point …..  $ but nothing yet. Ahhh, the suspense.

1:57 pm EST -  There’s an iBook store and it also includes new versions of iWork programs (Keynote, Numbers, etc) for the iPad. They also focused a lot of the MLB app. I know some people that will be happy about that.

2:14  pm EST - Price? Nothing yet  But it does have a full keyboard (touch screen like your iPhone). It also has 3G. AT&T is the provider for 3G. $29 for unlimited use and no contract. But it’s unlocked and you can get a micro SIM card for overseas usage. It does have a USB port on the back so you can sync with your other i-devices.

2:19 pm EST - How much does this Apple iPad cost? FINALLY A PRICE… drumroll please… starts at $499!!  Impressive – much less than anticipated. Wow, I might just have to get one of these after all.

Oh, Steve you always save the best part for last.