What's iPad? The Essential Guide

All your iPad questions answered

Apple unveiled its iPad tablet computer on Jan 27 amid much fanfare and anticipation.

But the flurry of speculation, gossip, and reports before and after the announcement is enough to leave even the savviest with questions.

IBT's tech team has put together an essential guide to all frequently asked questions (FAQs) and concerns.

What can I do with the iPad?

Apple is banking that its new tablet will change the way people consume media , be it traditional media land new media like videos and music.

Magazine, book and newspaper publishers are talking with Apple about providing material already, and reports indicate some studios are also negotiating.

There is a built in iPod, meaning you can load movies and music from your personal library, or from the iTunes online store.

Web-browsing is supported also.

Essentially Apple is positioning the iPad to sit between the smartphone and the fully-fledged laptop computer, but time will tell if there is true demand.

How much does the iPad cost?

To the surprise of many analysts, who predicted entry prices starting between $600 to $1000, the iPad will actually start at $499. But this is for the lowest end model.

There will be two lines of iPads, each offering varying capacities. Both lines virtually offer the same thing, but the key difference is one will feature 3G connectivity and the other doesn't.

With 3G you can access the Internet through AT&T's cellular network, giving you access in places where normal Wi-Fi isn't available.

How much is iPad's 3G? How does it work?

The iPad is unlocked meaning you can put in any 3G enabled SIM card in the device and it will work.

Jobs said that international carrier deals will be worked out in around the end of Q2.

In the US, AT&T will offer two plans in April when the 3G iPad launches: a $15-per-month plan that gives you a 250MB allowance, or an unlimited plan that runs $30 per month.

This was surprising given that Apple's iPhone is already clogging up the carriers network, but AT&T promises that they are fixing it.

When will the iPad be available?

Steve Jobs said the Wi-Fi version would be available after 30 days, while the 3G model would be available after 60 days -- making for late March and April deliveries, respectively.

How long will the iPad battery last?

Apple claims the iPad's battery is good for 10 hours of use. This is good for about roughly four movies back-to-back, or a lot of reading in one day.

But spread over the course of the week it's pale in comparison to black-and-white e-readers, like the Amazon Kindle. Of course those ereaders are only good for text, however.

Plan to charge it daily.

The iPad has a touch interface -- how do I use it?

The iPad features a 9.7 touch display running a modified version of the iPhone operating system. If you've ever used the iPhone you'll be in good shape.

If not, then don't fret. Apple puts heavy emphasis on user interface and simplicity, meaning you should be able learn it relatively quickly.

Can you give me the technical specifications of the iPad?

Sure -

Size:

Height x Width x Depth = 9.56 inches x 7.47 inches x 0.5 inches

Weight:

1.5 pounds for Wi-Fi model

1.6 pounds for Wi-Fi + 3G model

Display Screen:

9.7-inches of widescreen full capacitive multi-touch display screen with IPS technology, and fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating

Display Resolution:

1024 x 768 pixels (132 pixels per inch)

Storage Memory / Capacity:

Comes in three models with 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB built-in flash drive

Battery Life:

10 hours of surfing the web, listening to music, or watching video

Over one month of standby

Charge via USB to computer system or power adapter

Processor:

1GHz of Apple A4 chip, designed by Apple. It consumes low power and gives high performance

Sensors:

Accelerometer

Ambient light sensor

Input and Output:

30-pin Dock connector

3.5 mm stereo headphone jack

Built-in speakers

Microphone

SIM card tray only for Wi-Fi + 3G model

Wireless and Cellular:

Wi-Fi model = 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR technology

Wi-Fi + 3G model = UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850,900,1800,1900 MHz), 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR technology

Audio Playback Supported Formats:

AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV

Video Playback Supported Formats:

H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, .mov file formats

Supported Mail Attachments:

Images = .jpg, .tiff, .gif

Microsoft Word = .doc and .docx

Web Pages = .htm and .html

Keynote = .key

Adobe Acrobat = .pdf

Microsoft PowerPoint = .ppt and .pptx

Text = .txt

Rich Text = .rtf

Contact = .vcf

Microsoft Excel = .xls and .xlsx

Supported Languages: