Apple iPad Tablet for a Malaysian

Update: iPad Malaysia has been released! Check out the official iPad Malaysia price list (cheap!) and the iPad 2 rumor features.

Apple has announced their latest creation, the Apple tablet called “iPad“. What does Apple iPad tablet means to a Malaysian? Let’s find out.

According to Steve Jobs, iPad fills the gap in between a smartphone and a laptop, to do some tasks better: web browsing, email, sharing photos, video watching, music, games, and reading ebooks.

The iPad looks like a square shape, giant iPhone, which is quite dull. It is white at the back, and front with thick black borders.

iPad Specs

• Processor: 1GHz Apple A4 (not the A4 paper in your photostat machine!)
• Operating System: iPhone OS 3.2
• Storage: 16GB, 32GB or 64GB flash drive
• Size: 9.56 (H) x 7.47 (W) x 0.5 (D) inch
• Weight: 1.5 pounds (680 gram) for iPad WiFi, 1.6 pounds (730 gram) for iPad 3G
• Display: 9.7-inch LED multi-touch display with IPS (1024×768 pixels)
• Wireless connection: WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G (only for iPad 3G, data only)
• Battery: up to 10 hours of web surfing, video watching, music playback
• Input/Output: Dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jack, build-in speaker, microphone, SIM tray (iPad 3G only)

I am surprised by the 10 hours battery life per charge. If it is truth, it would be Great!

P.S. A-GPS for iPad 3G only. The iPad 3G uses “micro SIM“, which is different than your current SIM card. Not sure Malaysia telco (Maxis, Celcom, Digi) will provide micro-SIM or not…

iPad virtual keyboard

(photo by Engadget)

The iPad virtual keyboard is similar to iPhone’s but bigger and it looks ugly in bigger size. Steve Jobs type on the virtual keyboard with two hands. It is not easy to hold iPad with one hand and typing with another hand, I guess.

iPad apps

iPad supports all existing iPhone/iPod Touch apps, either in its original size (in the middle of iPad) or scale up to iPad screen size.

Some apps have been rewritten to take advantage of iPad screen size, such asa Mail.app, Photos.app (more like iPhoto on Mac), iPod.app, YouTube.app, iTunes Store, App Store, Calendar, Contacts, (Google) Maps, Notes.

iTunes Store is useless. It is not available to Malaysians (yet), which means I cannot buy music, TV shows, podcasts and playback them on iPad.

The demo of “Brushes” is cool which you can drawing on iPad using your fingers. It could be the killer of Wacom tablet!

“The New York Times” app for iPad has been demonstrated to show the newspaper reading on iPad. It looks ideal but I don’t think Malaysia local newspapers will do e-newspaper anytime soon…

iBooks, the Apple’s bookstore, allows you to read and purchase ebook on iPad. No word on International availability. I do hope that it will be available in Malaysia so that we can save some trees and book cost.

iWord apps (Keynote, Pages & Numbers) has been redesigned for iPad to take advantages of its big screen and multi-touch feature. Each app is selling at USD$9.99 on App Store. Reasonable pricing, I must say.

3D games on iPad

(photo by Engadget)

3D games are demonstrated in the Apple event on iPad: Need for Speed (car racing) and Nova (FPS). The graphic is not as good as on laptop/desktop computer. But, still, Wow!

How much is an iPad?

Starting from USD$499 (16GB), 32GB is $599 and 64GB model is $699. You adds USD$130 to get the WiFi + 3G (data only) version of the iPad.

Availability: 60 days for iPad WiFi and 90 days for iPad WiFi in USA. For Worldwide availability, the iPad WiFi will be shipped in 60 days.

The price is surprising LOW. We were expecting $999 for a Apple Tablet! Apple really wants to make a BIG hit in the market with the affordable iPad!

iPad accessories

Few accessories are available as soon as iPad being announced:

• iPAd keyboard dock — allows you to type on physical full-size keyboard. The dock has a 30-pin connector to allows you connect to a USB power adapter, sync, and use accessories like Camera Connection Kit. An audio jack to let you connect to a speakers.
• iPad Case — the case to protect iPad and can be used in various positions so that it is easy to type, view photos, or watch movies.
• iPad Camera Connection Kit — allows you to import photos and videos from a digital camera. Camera Connector lets you import photos/videos using the camera’s USB cable. The SD Card Reader can read SD memory card to import photos/videos.

What’s missing in iPad?

• NO phone call — iPad supports cellular networks and build-in microphone but it cannot make phone calls, not even sending SMS!
• NO multitasking — Just like iPhone, no multitasking on iPad. You open one app at a time. Close an app to open another app. No background app. Disappointed!
• NO flash — Again, like iPhone, no Adobe Flash Player on iPad. You cannot play flash animation/video/games on iPad (read: no facebook game!)
• NO camera — no camera, neither front or back. Cannot take pictures, cannot make video conference calls.
• NO video out — You cannot connect iPad to TV to view the photos/videos on iPad. You cannot connect iPad to projector to do presentation, even though iPad has an Keynote app.

Update: iPad supports video out via vga adapter/apple composite cable plugged into the 30 pin connector. However, no HDMI output for High-Definition video.

Questions about iPad

• What’s the microphone used for in iPad, since it can’t make calls?
• Does the iPad’s big glass easily breakable?
• Is the ebooks on iBooks store colored? with pictures?

Will I buy an iPad?

Maybe.

In a nutshell, iPad tablet is not a computer. It is a bigger iPhone without phone feature.

I have an iPhone and iMac, and an outdated iBook-no-S laptop. iPad would be perfect as a portable surfing/reading/gaming device while I am on sofa or traveling.

The iPad has a very attractive pricing, indeed.

My dream Apple Tablet, as I mentioned earlier, the iPad fulfills the requirements of battery life (if it is truth as claimed by Apple, 10 hours), price, and memory card slot (with iPad Camera Connection Kit).

However, it has no Adobe Flash Player and multitasking, which are a BIG turn off. (To be fair, I don’t think we will never get Adobe Flash Player on iPhone OS..)

So, the answer is undecided. Maybe, I’ll wait for iPad ver2. Maybe, I’ll get a Windows7 tablet. Maybe, simply a netbook. Maybe…

What do you think of Apple iPad? Will you buy it? Why?

[polldaddy poll=2605545]

Here is the official Apple iPad site.

Update: iPad Malaysia has been released! Check out the official iPad Malaysia price list (cheap!) and the iPad 2 rumor features.