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iPad Wiki - What you Need to Know about iPad

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The iPad is a tablet computer developed by Apple Inc. Announced on January 27, 2010, it is similar in functionality to the iPhone and iPod touch, running the same operating system (iPhone OS) and almost all of the same applications.

The iPad has a larger 9.7-inch (25 cm) LED backlit multi-touch display with a pixel resolution of 1024x768, 16 to 64 gigabytes (GB) of flash memory, a 1-gigahertz (GHz) Apple A4 processor, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 30-pin dock connector to sync with iTunes and connect wired accessories.

Two models have been announced: one with 802.11n Wi-Fi (available in March 2010 worldwide) and one with Wi-Fi, 3G (which can connect to HSDPA cellular networks), and Assisted GPS (available in April in the U.S. and several other countries). Both models may be purchased with three different memory capacities.

Input and output
The iPad has a fairly minimalist selection of external ports and it only has a dock connector for general input and output and a 3.5mm headphone jack for plugging in headphones to listen to audio. It also has a speaker and a microphone.

Controls
To control the iPad and the software it runs you mostly use the multi-touch touchscreen display. The iPad also has external buttons for sleep, mute and controlling the volume as well as a button to return to the home screen. It also has an Accelerometer (for motion sensitivity) and a digital magnetic compass.

Optional accessories
Apple will sell several iPad accessories, including:
* Keyboard Dock with hardware keyboard, 30-pin connector, and audio jack
* Case which can be used to stand the iPad in various positions
* Dock with 30-pin connector and audio jack
* Dock Connector to VGA Adapter for external monitor or projector
* Camera Connection Kit including a USB Type A connector adapter and an SD card reader, for transferring photos and videos
* USB Power Adapter with 2A (10W)

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Software
Like the iPhone, with which it shares a development environment (iPhone SDK, or software development kit, version 3.2 beta onwards), the iPad will only run software downloaded from Apple's App Store. The iPad will run almost all third-party iPhone applications unmodified (they can be displayed at iPhone size or enlarged to fill the iPad's larger screen); developers can also create apps specifically for the iPad's features.

The iPad will come with the following applications: Safari, Mail, Photos, Video, YouTube, iPod, iTunes Store, App Store, Maps, Notes, Calendar, Contacts, and Spotlight. The iPad syncs with iTunes on a Mac or Windows PC. Apple ported its iWork suite from the Mac to the iPad; the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote applications will be sold in the App Store. Although the iPad is not designed as a cellphone replacement, a user can pair it with a Bluetooth headset and place phone calls using a VoIP application over WiFi or 3G.

Books and magazines
The iPad will also include the iBooks application, which displays books and other ePub-format content downloaded from the iBookstore. Currently several major book publishers including: Penguin Books, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan have committed to publishing books for the iPad.

In February 2010, Condé Nast said it would sell iPad subscriptions for its GQ, Vanity Fair and Wired magazines by June.

Product Name
Like the iPhone, the iPad shares its name with existing products. The most publicized is the Fujitsu iPAD, a mobile multi-functional device sold to retailers to help clerks verify prices, check inventory, and close sales. The Japanese company Fujitsu introduced the iPAD in 2002, and the following year applied for the trademark. But the firm found the mark was already owned by Mag-Tek. Fujitsu's application was listed as "abandoned" in April 2009, and the ownership of the mark is unclear. Fujitsu is consulting attorneys over what, if any, action it may take.

In the first days after the iPad's announcement, some media and many online commenters criticized the name "iPad", noting its similarity to "pad", the common name for a sanitary napkin. Wired News said some women said this would make them less likely to buy the product. Shortly after the launch announcement, the hashtag "iTampon" became the number-two trending topic on the social networking site Twitter. Others noted that "iPad" sounds like "iPod" in various regional accents, including Bostonian and the Irish accent.

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