Rumors and speculation of Apple's new tablet computer came to an end Wednesday when Steve Jobs, the company's chief executive, unveiled the iPad.
It's a mobile device that the company hopes will create a third category of mobile devices along with smartphones and laptop computers.
Early reports from Apple's special event in San Francisco indicated the iPad looks like a large iPhone and would have many of the same traits as the iPhone, including: full access to the iTunes store, Web browsing, access to e-books, video, calendars, photo storage, but on a 9.7-inch touch screen.
The single-button, multi-touch device is half-an-inch thick, weighs 1.5 pounds, and features an on-screen keyboard. It's approximately the same size as the Amazon Kindle DX.
Like the iPhone, the iPad has an accelerometer, a motion sensor used for gaming and other applications and will be available with between 16 and 64 gigabytes of memory.
“It's so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone,” Jobs said.
Jobs demonstrated how the iPad is used for surfing the Web with Apple's Safari browser. He typed an e-mail using an on-screen keyboard and flipped through photo albums by flicking his finger across the screen.
Apple said the device will be available for shipping in 60 days and are priced starting at $499 for the 16 gigabyte model with a wifi-only connection and $829 for 64 gigabyte models models with 3G online connectivitiy provided by AT&T.
The 3G models will begin shipping in 90 days, Jobs said.
Now Apple will have to convince consumers, many of whom already have Internet-connected phones, computers and TVs, that that's the case.
All iPad models have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity built in. Jobs said the device has a battery that lasts 10 hours and can sit for a month on standby without needing a charge.
Apple will also sell a version with pay-as-you-go data plans from AT&T in the U.S. Two tiers of data plan will be available without contracts: $14.99 per month for 250 megabytes of data, or $29.99 for unlimited data usage.
Those 3G models will cost more — $629, $729 and $829, depending on the amount of memory. The Wi-Fi only version will be available worldwide in March, and the 3G version in April. International cellular data details have not yet been announced.
Apple had kept its “latest creation” tightly under wraps until Wednesday's unveiling, though many analysts had correctly speculated that it would be a one-piece tablet computer with a big touch screen, larger than an iPhone but smaller than a laptop.
Tablet computers have existed for a decade, with little success. Jobs acknowledged Apple will have to work to convince consumers who already have smart phones and laptops that they need this gadget.
“In order to really create a new category of devices, those devices are going to have to be far better at doing some key tasks,” Jobs said. “We think we’ve got the goods. We think we’ve done it.”
Applications designed for the iPhone can run on the iPad. Apple is also releasing updated tools for software developers to help them build iPhone and iPad programs.
This report includes material from the Associated Press.
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