Specs

• Battery: 10 hours; over a month of standby; charges via USB to computer or through a power adapter
• Wireless: WiFi 802.11n; Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR 2
• Storage/memory: 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive storage
• Processor: 1 GHz Apple A4 chip
• Price US: Basic 16 GB Wi-Fi model is $499, the most expensive option with 3G is $829

Looking like an oversized iPhone the iPad or iTablet is the latest gadget from Apple, we know it will be talked about like the parting of the Red Sea, but what will its real world uses be like? Besides browsing the web, watching videos, playing games and listening to music, iPad owners can download books, magazines and newspapers by using the application called iBooks. The iBookstore will be available on the afternoon of January 27, 2010.

What does it mean for photographers, how about an even easier way to view shots while on a shoot, great for showing clients in progress shots and a pretty snazzy photo album.

The iPad is 0.5" thin, weighs 1.5 pounds and has a 9.7 inch IPS touch screen display. It comes with a minimum of 16 GB flash storage with the options of 32GB and 64 GB of flash storage. The iPad has 10 hours of battery life and is capable of holding a charge for a month on standby.

During the iPad demonstration on January 27, 2010, Scott Forstall explained that the iPad will use the same apps that are available at the App Store. He demonstrated how the apps can either be used as-is or enlarged by doubling the screen. iPad accessories include an iPad dock, an optional stand-alone iPad keyboard and an iPad carrying case.

The iPad is not meant to replace a laptop rather it is a multimedia device and an anticipated device to make the viewing of electronic books on the go more popular. Personally I can think of the popularity growing and the ability to design iPad aps similar to the iPhone does open up further possibilities for the website market.

Apple is leading the way in mobile phone technology changing the way we think of the uses a phone can have, now with a multimedia device that is pretty sexy it opens yet again a new market for Apple and the ability to be a technology pioneer rather than a follower.

It will become a given that as the years progress how we use the internet and what we access it on will change from the norm of a desktop or laptop PC, iPhone aps have opened a world up for business and general information gathering for the end user. With the iPad I predict this will only further the use and power of such aps, I for one can see great advantages of the tablet for internet or website technologies apart from the uses for a photographer.

For me the ability to upload my images to either just the iPad or further to flickr or even interact here on BPS is quite exciting. I like the ability of being able to move my images from the flashcard to the iPad, this to me is the exciting part, yes of course it is nothing special and can be done with a laptop but this device is smaller than a laptop with a great screen.

I can defiantly see one in my future, I would not buy one yet as I am not a first model buyer and will wait and see how it performs in the real world and if it needs refinement, but you have to admit it is a sexy device.