Technology: Now On Sale - iTampon.. I mean iPad!
The much anticipated Apple iPad hits Irish electronic stores today - Friday 23rd July. Besides the unfortunate name, prospective owners keen to get their hands on the device queued early this morning at Apple stores in Dublin, some of which have been there since 6am.
Unveiled by Apple chief
executive Steve Jobs in January, the light-weight touch-screen tablet computer can access the internet over wireless
and mobile networks. It runs the same software as the iPhone, but has a
larger screen and superior capabilities.
The iPad is designed for mainly communication and entertainment purposes i.e. browsing the internet, watching films and
reading e-books. It allows users to send and receive e-mail and
play games. At its unveiling at the beginning of the year, Mr Jobs
described the iPad as a "magical and revolutionary product" and said it
created and defined an entirely new category of devices.
There has also been some open criticism of the product, particularly in the States where it was first released. The backlash refers to its technical capabilities like the fact that widescreen movies look lousy on its 4:3 screen. Some critics have commented that it is awkward to use as it has the same ugly touchscreen keyboard seen on most Apple products which unless you sit with your knees propped up, will be inconvenient to hold. The main product duds are that you can't multi-task (no listening to music while writing an email etc) and that it doesn't have Adobe Flash animation which means there will be gaps of missing graphic information on screen when visiting a multitude of websites. Also if you want to plug anything into the iPad, like a digital camera for example, you will need lots of adaptors. So much for slimline products!
Regardless of the objections, the iPad device has certainly proved popular with plenty of consumers, who greeted
it with substantial pre-orders and queues outside stores in order to be
the first to get their hands on it. Apple has sold more than three
million iPads worldwide since its introduction on April 3rd. Within 28
days the company had shipped more than one million of the devices. The
iPad is available in three versions which hold different storage capacities – 16GB, 32GB and 64GB – and is
available in models that have Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and 3G. The 16GB
entry-level model with wireless internet access will cost €499, with
prices ranging up to €799 for the 64GB model.