Jobs and several other Apple executives demonstrated the company's idea of what a tablet computer should do before an invitation-only crowd of nearly 500 influential tech journalists, bloggers and analysts at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. What the audience saw: a 9.7-inch color multi-touch screen surrounded by a sleek black frame that's half an inch thick, weighs 1.5 pounds and is jam-packed with what Apple's new ad tagline for the product calls "the best way to experience the Web, email, photos and videos. Hands down."
Consumers will have to hand over anywhere from US$499 to $829 for one of six models of the iPad, depending on flash storage capabilities (16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB) and whether they want just WiFi capabilities or WiFi plus 3G network access. A contract-free 3G data plan from iPhone network provider AT&T will cost $14.99/month for 250MB of data and $30 for unlimited use.
When the first WiFi-only models arrive for sale in March, those prices will give you access to the Apple App Store, with applications that can be adjusted to fit a screen larger than an iPhone. (Those who already paid for iPhone apps can sync them at no additional charge to the iPad). There's also a new iBooks app and iBook Store, which matches the iTunes store in style and functionality. Even though no publishers except The New York Times Co. joined Jobs on stage, Apple says five of the biggest publishing houses - HarperCollins, Simon & Shuster, Penguin, Hachette Books and Macmillan - will be selling e-books via the iBook Store at prices that range from $8 to $16 dollars a copy.
