The iPad – tablet computing gets new life from Apple

The hotly anticipated iPad was released on January 27, 2010 by Steve Jobs in his annual press event in California. Touting the device as a new technological revolution for media fans around the world, the device itself has been the focus of many rumors for months on end with spyshots being released tantalizing potential buyers about the specs and features of the device. What’s interesting to note is that the tech world is defining new media in terms of newspapers and books finally gracing the online world in a more comprehensive manner than the traditional online subscription models, and the iPad leading the charge.

Now that some of the hype has died down, we plan on taking a developer viewpoint about the iPad and what are the things that we are really liking and other things that definitely need to be addressed.

Source - guardian.co.uk

Before we launch into the real details, here are some basic specs about the device itself.

Display: 9.7 inch IPS

Size and Weight: 9.56 by 7.47 by 0.5 inches, and 1.5 to 1.6 pounds

Processor: 1GHz Apple A4 Chip

Storage: 16, 32, or 64GB flash

Battery life: 10 hours battery life, over 1 month standby

Connectivity: 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

Other Features: Accelerometer, compass, speaker, microphone, 30-pin connector

Price: $499 onwards moving to the full 64GB with 3G version costing $829
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Our initial impressions about the iPad have been somewhat related to the original rumors circulating. The device is coming with the same hype that the iPhone has but we feel is still missing out on some key aspects. The four main issues that are bothering us are:

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Palm Pre & iTunes Tussle

Hot on the heels of the new iPhone 3GS, Palm released the Pre, another intensely anticipated phone. Within hours of it being released, the usual community of developers had already flashed the firmware and created another homebrew application scene for the Pre. Eagerly anticipating the potential growth in the applications but more importantly media support with iTunes, the Pre managed to access iTunes in a manner that Apple calls illegal, developers call questionable and consumers call “unique”. Resultantly, a slew of corporate press releases and open threats ensued between Apple and Palm.

The core issue that Apple is contesting with Palm is that the Pre accesses iTunes by mimicking the software identity of a standard iPod. Apple has openly claimed that this means is illegal. Palm’s response is that Apple’s rather draconian actions will hurt consumers overall as they will be denied a “seamless synchronization experience”. After trading many barbs and considering that former Apple employee, Jon Rubinstein, is now currently the CEO of Palm; tensions are running high. Apple’s response has been to immediately block the Pre from syncing with iTunes, while the Pre development community has refused to update iTunes and resultantly began looking for hacks to bypass the new update. (continue reading…)