Tablet posts

Unless you have absolutely no imagination, you've probably noticed the resemblance of the iPad to one of those cheap little clipboards that your friendly neighborhood doctor carries around on rounds. Apple is rumored to be making its own rounds of hospitals marketing the new über-iPod touch, having visited a hospital in LA in the recent weeks.

What's so great about tablets for health care? When connected to a Wi-Fi network, they're perfect for looking up medical information or working patient charts while on the move. The iPad in particular would be perfect, having no keyboard to disinfect or lid hinges to break. In addition, the most expensive Wi-Fi iPad is priced at just US$699, while many traditional Windows Tablet PCs used in health care start in the neighborhood of $2,000.

Of course, it all depends on the software. We recently received a question from a reader who just happens to be a doctor, asking if he could use an iPad with his existing Windows-based medical record keeping system. The answer was simple; yes, since there are already many VNC and RDP apps available for the iPad that can be used to control a remote PC (examples are Jaadu VNC [iTunes Link] and iTap RDP Client [iTunes Link].

While neither of these vendors has 'fessed up to working on an iPad-specific version of their app, it's only a matter of time. For medical practices using the Mac OS X-based MacPractice system, the company has announced MacPractice Interface for iPad, MacPractice Kiosk for iPad, Dental Chart for iPad, and an iPad-based EMR/EHR app.

With a little luck and a big marketing push from Apple, the iPad may make it into hospitals and medical offices around the world.

[via MacNN]

Update: The author apologizes to all who were offended by the previous image that accompanied this post. Also, please note that the image above is an artists conception and does not indicate that an iPad or any other unsterilized electronic instrument would be used in a hospital environment.

At the roll out of the iPad, our old friend Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal chatted up Steve, and when asking about the pricing of buying books from the iBookstore, Walt was told that the price would be the same as Amazon. Amazon currently charges $9.99 for most books, which, according to AppleInsider, means that Amazon is losing $4.50 per book to keep its leadership position in the eBook market and keep Kindles selling. This strategy is similar to the loss-leader marketing popularized by Gillette who sold razors at a loss in the hopes of more than making up for it in the sales of blades.

Apple proposes prices that would actually be profitable, wanting to position best sellers between $12.99 and $14.99. AppleInsider notes that Apple's plan is a similar one to the App Store where the publisher takes 70% and Apple takes a 30% cut. Under the Amazon plan, including the $4.50 Amazon subsidy, book publishers are currently being paid $14.50 while under Apple's model, the publisher of a bestseller would only make $10.49 per copy.

The idea of Amazon subsidizing books is unsustainable in any competitive market and with more than one big razor in town, or at least one showing up soon, the market will inevitably settle on one method or the other.

[via AppleInsider and WSJ]

If there has been an editorial theme about the iPad over the last few days, it's been this: it disappoints. Pundits and consumers alike have been underwhelmed by the name (I mean, seriously, does anyone in the product naming department use feminine hygiene products? How many of these devices are going to be named "Max"?), by the physical design (Can you say "Un-Ives-like Bezel" three times fast?), by the missing features (no camera, no multitasking, still no Flash), and so forth. And yet, despite these seeming flaws, I'm wildly enthusiastic about the tablet. I think part of that enthusiasm is attributable to the fact that I'm a dyed-in-the-wool netbook user... and we are the actual target audience for the device.

Steve Jobs laid out the raison d'etre for the tablet right at the start of his presentation. Apple was going after the part of the market that wanted light computing: more than a phone could deliver and less involved than a laptop demanded. Ergo, the netbook. The list of things in the middle column of his main slide reflected the exact way that netbook users operate: checking the mail, surfing the web, enjoying some media. That's exactly how my parents use their netbook, how my friends do, how I do. We're coffee-shop, hotel, and passenger-seat netbook users. To that, you can add city commuters and airline passengers among those who have driven the netbook craze.

Netbooks are great. They are small, they are insanely cheap, and they offer just enough functionality to get a few things done without jumping into serious work that would demand a full-sized screen and keyboard. I know approximately three badzillion netbook users, and with very few exceptions, they are all Windows users.

What a day it's been. The tablet is finally out. That's right, the tablet we've been waiting years for is real and will be on sale soon, only it's called the iPad, and it's pretty similar to the iPhone. Just in case you missed something today, here's everything we've learned about the magical and revolutionary device, all lined up in one easy-to-browse list. Just think, in 60 days, you'll be able to flip through these posts with your finger. On a 9.7" IPS screen, I mean.

Liveblog and major news

• Apple Event Metaliveblog
• Apple announces the iPad
• AAPL goes on a rollercoaster ride
• See tweets live during the event on @tuawlive
• iPad pricing starts at $499, available in 60/90 days

Hardware

• Apple's official iPad video, specs page
• Apple making its own chips, starting with the A4
• iPad will ship with 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G optional
  
• Apple announces keyboard dock for iPad
• Five iPad accessories available at launch
• What's missing from the iPad

Software

• All iPhone apps will run on the iPad
• Apple announces iBooks, an e-reader for iPad
• Apple shows off new versions of iWork apps for iPad
• iPhone OS 3.2 SDK released, supports iPad but covered by NDA

Yesterday we pooled our predictions together to try and predict what would happen at the iPad presentation today. How did we all do?

Sang Tang:

Sang was the closest in terms of the iPad's screen size -- 9.6" prediction vs. 9.7" actual size. However, the iPad has neither wireless HDMI nor a front-facing camera (or, indeed, a camera of any kind). Score: 1/3.

Erica Sadun:

Erica was off on screen size, but was correct in predicting that the iPad would look and function much like an iPod touch. However, by all appearances the iPad doesn't add any new revolutionary gestures, and without a camera of any kind, any augmented reality applications are going to be very limited in scope. She was correct in saying there'd be no "mind-blowing new tech onboard" and optional nationwide wireless with a monthly fee. Score: 3/5.

David Winograd:

David was also off on screen size (though just barely), cameras, and new gestures. He was correct in predicting a keyboard dock and an optional data plan, but wrong about iPhone tethering and iPhone OS 4.0. Score: 2/7.

More scores and the TUAW total after the break!

Apple announced a few accessories for the iPad today, including an iPad Keyboard Dock. This will be welcome news for those of us who just can't get on board with an on-screen keyboard. When in the keyboard dock, the iPad sits upright, giving a more traditional laptop feel to the device. No word yet on pricing.

Other accessories include a dock to turn the iPad into a digital picture frame, and a case that serves as a stand.

Image courtesy Engadget

iWork wasn't the first thing that came to mind when thinking of the new features the iPad would have, but Steve Jobs thought of it and told Apple's design team to create a version specifically tailored to the iPad's strengths. A new version of iWorks now exists for the iPad, and it includes the same three apps that come with the full, Mac version of iWorks: Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.

The interface is engineered directly to the iPad's multitouch screen. Rather than floating palettes, the palettes on the iPad appear to be more of an "on-demand" feature. There's also a specific data-entry keyboard for Numbers, which shows off the flexibility of the multitouch interface.

According to reports so far, it looks much more powerful than a typical iPhone app.

Pages, Numbers, and Keynote cost $9.99 each.

So far there's no information on whether this will be ported to the iPhone/iPod touch.

Well, the pundits were wrong when they thought the iPad would cost $999.

Apple announced that the pricing for the device will start at $499 for a Wi-Fi only 16 GB model, going up to $599 for a 32 GB model and $699 for the top-of-the-line 64 GB device.

For $130 more to each of those prices, you'll be able to add pay-as-you-go 3G capabilities to the iPad, which puts the most expensive iPad at a price of only $829. All 3G capabilities are unlocked, although Apple has secured a $29.99 unlimited pay-as-you-go monthly deal with AT&T if you want that.

Availability for the Wi-Fi iPads is 60 days, 90 days for the 3G models, with international deals on 3G coming soon after that.

Hoping to stand on Amazon's shoulders, Apple announced its newest app, iBooks, for the new iPad device (and also for existing iPod touch/iPhone users? It wasn't clear from the statement). The iBooks app will function as an eReader, and users can download titles from the new iBooks store, starting today. Apple announced partnerships with five major publishing houses, including Penguin, Macmillan, and Simon & Shuster -- but not McGraw Hill, which had a noticeable NDA break yesterday.

Reading and page turning all look intuitive and natural for users, and Apple hopes to combine casual as well as academic reading on the device.

image courtesy Engadget

With today's announcement of the iPad, we heard about a new SDK for developing apps. We also heard, though, that the iPad will be capable of running all current iPhone apps without modification, downloaded straight onto the tablet from a built-in App Store. Either you can run apps normal sized on the larger screen, or, using pixel-doubling, iPhone-native apps can run full screen on the iPad. Apple has already rewritten all of their own apps using the new SDK (which will be available for download today on Apple.com), and I'm sure we'll start seeing tablet-driven development from iPhone developers immediately. A few companies, including EA, Gameloft, and the New York Times, have already gotten a head start on iPad development and showed off a few apps in the event earlier today.

While graphics-based iPhone apps are probably going to look pretty decent on the tablet, text-based applications look a little awkward when it's just bigger text. Native apps are going to be a must to really make this platform work, and I'm looking forward to seeing what current (and new) developers do with the new screen size and format.

It's finally here. At their event in San Francisco, Apple has officially announced their tablet computer, which they're calling the iPad. Fully customizable, and better than a smartphone or a laptop at browsing, reading e-books, and a "great maps application with support from Google[...]." We're watching for more specs and software information right now, but the general idea is that the device is better than a netbook at just about everything!

Yet another Apple-driven revolution: go!

Specs Update:

• 9.7" IPS screen
• 1/2" thick (or thin)
• 10 hours of battery life
• "Shut the iPad down, come back in a month and it still has a charge"
• 16-64 Gigabytes of flash storage
• Accelerometer and compass
• Speaker, mic
• Dock connector
• It can run all iPhone apps, unmodified, out of the box

Thank you again everyone for stopping by and sharing this live event with TUAW. We really appreciated how many of you stuck around after our CoverItLive connection died. Thank you all! We really appreciate your support for TUAW.

11:37: And it looks like we're out of there. I think I'm going to have to soak my fingers in ice water. Yikes!

11:35: iPad is up on Apple, and video!

11:35 "Thank you so much for coming."

11:35 GIZ Jason Chen: And here's IPS: In Plane Switching. Click here if you want a better explanation of the technology.

11:34: "Go to the store. Get your hands on an iPad. Once you get your hands on an iPad you'll never go back."

11:33: "We fit the users. User don't have to come to the device. We come to the users."

11:33: "We always try to be at the intersection of technology and liberal arts. Be able to get the best of both. Extremely fast products."

11:33: Jason Chen: "We are ready for the iPad."

11:32: "Most advanced technology", "Magical and revolutionary device", "Unbelievable price".

11:31 Back to Steve. iTunes Store, App Store, iBook Store, all on the iPad. Over 125million accounts. One click shopping. (One tap, really) 12 Billion products. At scale, and ready for iPad.

11:30: (via Macworld) Monitoring The Twitter, I see a lot of people blown away by the price here, and also a bunch of people sold on the keyboard. Fraser Spiers, a Mac developer and a schoolteacher, says the 16GB wi-fi only model with keyboard extra makes it an amazing product for education.



11:30 "If I was a college kid and most of my textbooks were on here, I'd be pre-ordering right now" -- Megan Lavey

Are you as excited as we are about the upcoming Apple announcement? Join us in this open chat prior to today's liveblog. All we ask is that you keep things civil and suitable for all ages. C'mon and join in the excitement as we monitor Twitter and analyze the latest rumors, leaks and stories.

The hardware details are largely obscured, but what is obvious is that there is a definite home button -- much like the one on the iPhone. Additionally, there seems to be a cut-out in the casing which could reveal a front-facing camera. Using some image editor trickery, Engadget has also determined the screen size to be as expected, roughly 10 inches.

These images seem plausible to me mainly for the fact that they reveal very little information. Also, the fact that the hardware details are hidden from the photographer seems very Apple-esque. If I remember correctly, Apple did something similar during the development of the iPod.

Over in the Twitterverse, notable Apple watcher (and TUAW founder) Jason Calacanis is claiming to have had in his possession a pre-release Apple Tablet; he had some back-and-forth with Matt Schlicht of Ustream, who also intimated that he got an early Apple present. Some of the hardware details that have been "leaked" are a front- and rear-facing camera, 10-inch OLED display, HDTV tuner, and a low-power mode specifically for reading ebooks.

The information about the multiple cameras and low-power mode are definitely plausible; however, the use of an OLED display and inclusion of an HDTV tuner would indicate some sort of funny business. Given that Apple is in the business of selling HD television shows, it seems weird that they would make it easy to get that same content for free.

One thing we know for sure, though, is that with less than four hours until the start of Apple's event showcasing its latest creation, things are really heating up.