Apple unveils $499 iPad tablet

The iPad will feature multi-touch capabilities, interactive software and wireless internet with the international launch date set for June or July.

Apple's chief executive, Steve Jobs, holds up an iPad at the launch of the device yesterday.

ABU DHABI // After months of speculation and rumour, Apple finally unveiled its tablet device yesterday - the iPad. A flat, keyboard-less colour touch-screen about the size of a hardcover book, the iPad has been widely predicted to change how people use technology and consume media. Prices for the device, which weighs about 700 grams and has a 9.7-inch screen, start at US$499 (Dh1,830) and go up to $829 for the top-of-the-range model.

"It's way better than a laptop, and way better than a smartphone," Apple's chief executive, Steve Jobs, said at the iPad's unveiling in San Francisco. The iPad will feature multi-touch capabilities, interactive software and wireless internet connectivity. Apple has partnered with a number of media companies, such as McGraw-Hill and The New York Times, to deliver exclusive content to the iPad. It will display photos, high-definition video and play music.

The device is half an inch thick, has about 10 hours of battery life and16 to 64 gigabytes of hard drive space and a 9.7-inch in-plane switching display. Mr Jobs demonstrated a number of unique features, such as a photo slideshow, a new iTunes and e-mail interface and a Qwerty touchscreen keyboard. "Holding the internet right there in your hands, it's an incredible experience," he said. "

Apple has sold more than 250 million iPods, almost 43 million iPhones and has 140,000 applications in its iTunes App Store. The company reported US$3.38 billion (Dh13.96bn) in quarterly revenue on Tuesday, an increase of 50 per cent. Mr Jobs said yesterday that the WiFi-only models of the iPad will go on sale in 60 days in the US, the 3G models around 90 days because they require approval from carriers. He said that as far as international sales went, "We hope to have our deals in place by June, July. So we're going to start on that tomorrow. However, all the iPad 3G models are unlocked, and they use new GSM micro SIMs, so there's a very high likelihood that they'll just work - and then we'll be back in the summer with some very good deals for our customers internationally." UAE telecom operators Etisalat and du did not comment on when the iPad might be available here. The iPhone 3G was made available about eight months after its launch, while iPhone 3GS was launched last June but available only in October.

"Apple's latest product announcement we believe will enable consumers to experience more from the converging worlds of media, content and entertainment," said Essa al Haddad, the group chief marketing officer for Etisalat. "In the coming months, we will see how this vision matches with consumers and market expectation." Representatives from du did not return comment. Mike Abramsky, the managing director of RBC Capital Markets, estimates that Apple could sell about five million devices for US$600 (Dh2,203) each, adding $2.8bn to its annual revenues and creating a new growth engine for the company.

However, critics have questioned whether there is room for a tablet device in a crowded market filled with smartphones, laptops and netbook computers.
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