Where to Buy an Apple iPad
The Apple iPad is an all-purpose tablet computer that allows you to browse the internet, watch music, videos and movies, read ebooks and perform office activities (create documents, spreadsheets and presentations).
This page describes the features of the Apple iPad tablet and tells you where you can buy an ipad.
The Apple iPad video demo
The Apple iPad features and specifications
The video demo above is the best guide to what the iPad can do, and I recommend viewing it to see just how easy it will be to use the tablet.
For those who like to know the specific features, here's what the iPad offers:
- it weighs just 1.5 pounds (0.7 kilos)
- it's 0.5 inches thick
- it has a 9.7 inch color touch display
- it will have between 16GB and 64GB momory (depending which version you buy)
- 1 GHz Apple A4 chip (this chip is built by Apple and is their latest version)
- 1024 x 768 pixel resolution
- built in Apple Safari browser
- fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on the display
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (with 3G as an optional extra)
- Battery life 10 hours
- two cameras, a web cam and a still camera
- Ability to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations using Apple's built-in iWork application
Common questions asked about the Apple iPad
Does the iPad handle PDF's? The answer is yes. The iWork platform can not only create and read PDF's, it can also import and export Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint files.
Can you run iPhone apps on the IPad? yes. But be aware that the image you will get will be iPhone sized - in other words, you will get a small iPhone-size image in the middle of your iPad display (it won't scale up to fill the screen). Apple have invited software developers to create special apps for the iPad and by the time the iPad tablet is available in the shops, there should be plenty of iPad apps to choose from.
Will you be able to read Kindle books on the iPad? Yes. Amazon have released a free Kindle for iPad app, which allows their books to be read on the iPad. Apple have also launched iBooks, which is their own bookstore, so you can purchase books directly from them. The Apple iPad also supports the ePub format, which means that any books in this format should be able to be read on the iPad.
What about newspapers? There is a race at the moment between various newspaper publishers to build apps that allow their papers to be read on the iPad. Most major newspapers and magazines now have apps for the iPad.
Can I transfer files from my iPad to my PC and vice versa? The iPad has no USB port. However, Apple released a series of dongles and docks that have a USB port, which you can buy in addition to the iPad. If you are a business user who intends to use the iPad to work while travelling, then it makes sense to buy the docks.
Can I do presentations using the iPad? Yes. The iPad comes with a cable that allows you to connect to a TV or projector.
How much will it cost? The 16GB Wi-Fi model costs $499 ($629 if you opt for 3G). The 32GB Wi-Fi model will cost $599 ($729 if you opt for the 3G model). The 64GB Wi-Fi model will cost $699 ($829 if you opt for the 3G model).
As you can see below, some iPads are now selling for less than their list price.
If you opt for the 3G version, Apple have arranged for a pay-as-you-go plan with AT&T that costs $14.99 per month for 250 megabytes of data or $29.99 for unlimited data (US customers only).
For those wondering whether to get an ipad or a kindle fire, check out this page on the differences between the ipad and kindle fire.
