The iPad Is Here

Apr 3 2010, 1:12pm CDT | by Mark Raby

Armed with over 150,000 apps, hundreds of which were developed specifically for this new device, the iPad is now available. Hundreds of thousands of people with a good amount of disposable income are now seeing if the intensely-publicized device is worth the hype.

For those who weren't in the pool of 250,000 people who pre-ordered an iPad, their fate relied on waiting hours or even days outside of an Apple Store or Best Buy, the two retailers who put the electronic tablet on sale today. By the time you read this story, all of those units are probably off the shelves.

The iPad is Apple's response to the rise of netbook popularity, an expansion to the wildly successful iPhone/iPod Touch market, and a step into a new territory as is part of the mix with every new Apple product.

Since it's built on a modified version of the same firmware that's used on the iPhone and iPod Touch, virtually every app on Apple's App Store will work on the iPad. That's an instant selection of over 150,000 apps.

Additionally, for weeks, announcements have been pouring in about apps developed exclusively for the full-sized tablet computer.

MTv, Netflix, Ebay, and Yahoo are just some of the big names that have already launched their own iPad apps. That's not counting all the magazines and newspapers that have created iPad-optimized versions of their publications.

And of course, one of the biggest draws of the iPad is its built-in e-book app. Users will be able to buy and download thousands of books, most of which are available for under $10. Tens of thousands of free e-books are also available, making the iPad the first major e-reading device to offer so many free titles. Amazon's Kindle Store is also available on the iPad, making it the most impressive e-reading device on the market.

And of course lots of iPad accessories have already hit the market.

Some estimates suggest that over 7 million iPads will be sold in the remainder of 2010. It has already cemented its place as one of the top tech stories of the entire year, and it all begins today.

The iPad that launched today is, of course, the Wi-Fi model. For those still waiting on the version that also has 3G network capabilities, making it Internet-connected from virtually anywhere, there's still no further release date announcement, but it still should be available later this month.
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Mark Raby
Based in New York City, Mark follows the consumer electronics industry like a hawk. A published book author, he has a particular affinity for 3D technology and video games, and as such will surely be in the market for a new pair of glasses soon. Mark can be contacted directly at mark@i4u.com.