Nobody is leaving comments on my posts.
feel free to let me know what you think :)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
iMac
If you fancy something with a bit more kick or a built-in screen, then consider an Imac. The first Imac, released in 1998, was one of the most radical computer products ever released. The machine may have lacked power and upgradability, but its slick design and out-of-the-box user-friendliness was a real break through. The ''i'' is said to have originally stood for Internet, since this was the first personal computer to be ready to connect right out of the box.
more in my next post :)
more in my next post :)
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Which is better, a Mac or a PC
Mac and PCs both have their die-hard devotees, so be careful posing this question or you might find yourself on the recieving end of an impassioned rant.
The main argument in favour of PCs is that you get better value in terms of sheer bang for buck. That is if you take a Mac and a PC with the same price tag, the Mac will be slightly slower at accomplishing most tasks. Why the price difference? Its partly because Apple use high quality components and throw in lots of good software, but competition between PC manufactures also has a lot to do with it. Apple's design budget must also be factored in: everything from the computers to the boxes they come in are produced with almost obsessive attention to detail. You might also make the case that, since whole industries (such as publishing) are effectively locked in to Mac use by industry-wide convention, Apple's pricing of high-spec computers strikes a balance between
winning new consumer users on the one hand and maximizing the revenue from commercial sales on the other.
The main argument in favour of PCs is that you get better value in terms of sheer bang for buck. That is if you take a Mac and a PC with the same price tag, the Mac will be slightly slower at accomplishing most tasks. Why the price difference? Its partly because Apple use high quality components and throw in lots of good software, but competition between PC manufactures also has a lot to do with it. Apple's design budget must also be factored in: everything from the computers to the boxes they come in are produced with almost obsessive attention to detail. You might also make the case that, since whole industries (such as publishing) are effectively locked in to Mac use by industry-wide convention, Apple's pricing of high-spec computers strikes a balance between
winning new consumer users on the one hand and maximizing the revenue from commercial sales on the other.
What is a Mac?
A Mac is one of a series of personal computer produced by a company called Apple.
Macs-which take their name from the McIntosh, an Apple variety grown in northern USA- have been
around for more than two decades, though today's slick-looking models don't look or work much
like the machine released to much fanfare back in January 1984.
Macs come in various shapes and sizes: laptops and desktops aimed at both the consumer and
professional markets. Despite their varied portability and firepower, however, all Macs work in the same way, since they all run the software operating system OS X (more in my next post).
Macs-which take their name from the McIntosh, an Apple variety grown in northern USA- have been
around for more than two decades, though today's slick-looking models don't look or work much
like the machine released to much fanfare back in January 1984.
Macs come in various shapes and sizes: laptops and desktops aimed at both the consumer and
professional markets. Despite their varied portability and firepower, however, all Macs work in the same way, since they all run the software operating system OS X (more in my next post).
Thursday, February 3, 2011
How to find your WEP key on a Mac
Lots of people have macs, but not a lot of people no what there WEP
key is. This step by step tutorial will hopefully help you out.
1: open up finder in your dock.
2: search for keychain access in the search bar
3: Once you have keychain access opened up
you should see a list of options on the left.
4: Click on my passwords
5: Another list will come up, there you will see the name
of your network.
6: click on it.
7:There should be a small box saying "show password"
8: Click on it.
9:And there you go, your WEP key should be there.
Please comment if you have any questions.
key is. This step by step tutorial will hopefully help you out.
1: open up finder in your dock.
2: search for keychain access in the search bar
3: Once you have keychain access opened up
you should see a list of options on the left.
4: Click on my passwords
5: Another list will come up, there you will see the name
of your network.
6: click on it.
7:There should be a small box saying "show password"
8: Click on it.
9:And there you go, your WEP key should be there.
Please comment if you have any questions.
ipad
The iPad is a tablet computer designed, developed and marketed by Apple primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. At about 1.5 pounds (680 grams), its size and weight fall between those of contemporary smartphones and laptop computers. Apple released the iPad in April 2010, and sold 3 million of the devices in 80 days.[14]
According to a report released by Strategy Analytics, the Apple iPad had gained a 95 percent share of Tablet PC sales at the end of second quarter 2010. During the second quarter 2010, Apple had sold 4.19 million iPads around the world.[15]
The iPad runs the same operating system as the iPod Touch and iPhone—and can run its own applications as well as iPhone applications. Without modification, it will only run programs approved by Apple and distributed via its online store.
Like iPhone and iPod Touch, the iPad is controlled by a multitouch display—a departure from most previous tablet computers, which used a pressure-triggered stylus—as well as a virtual onscreen keyboard in lieu of a physical keyboard. The iPad uses a Wi-Fi data connection to browse the Internet, load and stream media, and install software. Some models also have a 3G wireless data connection which can connect to HSPA data networks. The device is managed and synced by iTunes on a personal computer via USB cable.
Media reaction to the device has generally been neutral or positive, with more positive reaction after the device was launched.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Hardware
2.1 Screen and input
2.2 Connectivity
2.3 Audio and output
2.4 Power and battery
2.5 Storage and SIM
2.6 Optional accessories
2.7 Technical specifications
2.8 Manufacture
3 Software
3.1 Applications
3.2 Digital rights management
3.3 Jailbreaking
4 Books, news, and magazine content
4.1 Censorship
5 Release
6 Reception
6.1 Reaction to the announcement
6.2 Reviews
6.3 Reaction to the international launch
6.4 Omitted features
6.5 Product name
6.6 Recognition
7 Usage
7.1 Business
7.2 Education
7.3 Sports
7.4 Music
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
History
Apple's first tablet computer was the Newton MessagePad 100,[16][17] introduced in 1993, which led to the creation of the ARM6 processor core with Acorn Computers. Apple also developed a prototype PowerBook Duo-based tablet, the PenLite, but in order to avoid hurting MessagePad sales did not sell it.[18] Apple released several more Newton-based PDAs, and discontinued the last, the MessagePad 2100, in 1998.
With the success of the introduction of portable music player iPod in 2001, Apple re-entered the mobile-computing market in 2007 with the iPhone. Smaller than the iPad but featuring a camera and mobile phone, it pioneered the multitouch finger-sensitive touchscreen interface of Apple's mobile operating system—iOS. By late 2009, the iPad's release had been rumored for several years. Mostly referred to as "Apple's tablet", iTablet and iSlate were among the speculated names.[19] The iPad was announced on January 27, 2010, by Steve Jobs at an Apple press conference at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.[20][21]
Jobs later admitted that development started on the iPad before the iPhone.[22][23][24] Upon realizing that it would work just as well as a mobile phone, Jobs put development of the iPad on hold and decided to develop the iPhone instead.[25]
Hardware
Screen and input
The iPad's touchscreen display is a 9.7 in (25 cm) liquid crystal display (1024 × 768 pixels) with fingerprint-resistant and scratch-resistant glass. Steve Jobs backed the choice of screen size, saying a 7-inch screen would be "too small to express the software."[26] He said 10 inches was the minimum for a tablet screen.[26] Like the iPhone, the iPad is designed to be controlled by bare fingers; normal gloves and styli that prevent electrical conductivity may not be used,[27] although there are special gloves and capacitive styli designed for this use.[28][29]
The display responds to two other sensors: an ambient light sensor to adjust screen brightness and a 3-axis accelerometer to sense iPad orientation and switch between portrait and landscape modes. Unlike the iPhone and iPod touch built-in applications, which work in three orientations (portrait, landscape-left and landscape-right), the iPad built-in applications support screen rotation in all four orientations (the three aforementioned ones along with upside-down),[30] meaning that the device has no intrinsic "native" orientation; only the relative position of the home button changes.
In total there are four physical switches on the iPad, including a home button below the display that returns the user to the main menu, and three plastic physical switches on the sides: wake/sleep and volume up/down, plus a third which, as of iOS 4.2, acts as a mute switch.[10] Initially this switch was utilized to lock out the screen rotation function (reportedly to prevent unintended rotation when the user is lying down).[31] However, with the iOS 4.2 update, this functionality was removed and rotation lock is now controlled with a software toggle via the iOS task switcher. There is no means to reassign the physical switches functionality in the official iOS release.
Connectivity
Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, introducing the iPad
The iPad can use Wi-Fi network trilateration from Skyhook Wireless to provide location information to applications such as Google Maps. The 3G model contains A-GPS to allow its position to be calculated with GPS or relative to nearby cellphone towers; it also has a black plastic accent on the back side to improve 3G radio sensitivity.[32]
For wired connectivity, the iPad has a proprietary Apple dock connector; it lacks the Ethernet and USB ports of larger computers.[10]
Audio and output
Back of the iPad 3G
The iPad has two internal speakers that push mono sound through two small sealed channels to the three audio ports carved into the bottom-right of the unit.[13] A volume switch is on the right side of the unit.
A 3.5-mm TRS connector audio-out jack on the top-left corner of the device provides stereo sound for headphones with or without microphones and/or volume controls. The iPad also contains a microphone that can be used for voice recording.
The built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR interface allows wireless headphones and keyboards to be used with the iPad.[33] However, the iOS does not currently support file transfer via Bluetooth.[34] iPad also features 1024 x 768 VGA video output for connecting an external display or television.[35]
Power and battery
iPad in the iPad Keyboard Dock
The iPad uses an internal rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery (LiPo). The batteries are made in Taiwan by Simplo Technology, which makes 60% of them, and Dynapack International Technology.[36] The iPad is designed to be charged with a high current (2 amperes) using the included USB 10-watt (0.013 hp) power adapter. While it can be charged by a standard USB port from a computer, these are limited to 500 milliamperes (half an amp). As a result, if the iPad is turned on while connected to a normal USB computer port, it may charge much more slowly, or not at all. High-power USB ports found in newer Apple computers and accessories provide full charging capabilities.[37]
Apple claims that the iPad's battery can provide up to 10 hours of video, 140 hours of audio playback, or one month on standby. Like any battery technology, the iPad's LiPo battery loses capacity over time, but is not designed to be user-replaceable. In a program similar to the battery-replacement program for the iPod and the original iPhone, Apple will replace an iPad that does not hold an electrical charge with a refurbished iPad for a fee of $99 (plus $6.95 shipping).[38][39]
Storage and SIM
The iPad was released with three options for internal storage size: a 16, 32, or 64 GB flash drive. All data is stored on the flash drive and there is no option to expand storage. Apple sells a camera connection kit with an SD card reader, but it can only be used to transfer photos and videos.[40]
The side of the Wi-Fi + 3G model has a micro-SIM slot (not mini-SIM). Unlike the iPhone, which is usually sold locked to specific carriers, the 3G iPad is sold unlocked and can be used with any compatible GSM carrier.[41] Japan is the exception to this, where the iPad 3G is locked to Softbank.[42] In the U.S., data network access via T-Mobile's network is limited to slower EDGE cellular speeds because T-Mobile's 3G Network uses different frequencies.[43][44]
Optional accessories
The iPad in its case
Apple offers several iPad accessories, including:[10]
iPad Keyboard Dock with hardware keyboard, 30-pin connector, and audio jack
iPad Case which can be used to stand the iPad in various positions
iPad Dock with 30-pin connector and audio jack
iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter for external monitor or projector
iPad Camera Connection Kit including a USB Type A connector adapter and an SD card reader, for transferring photos and videos
iPad 10W USB Power Adapter with 2 A output (10 W)
Technical specifications
Model Wi-Fi Wi-Fi + 3G
Announcement date January 27, 2010[20]
Release date April 3, 2010[3] April 30, 2010[4]
Display 9.7 inches (25 cm) multitouch display at a resolution of 1024 × 768 pixels with LED backlighting and a fingerprint and scratch-resistant coating[10]
Processor 1 GHz Apple A4 System on a chip[11]
Storage Fixed capacity of 16, 32, or 64 GB[10]
Wireless Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR[10]
No wireless wide-area network interface 3G cellular HSDPA, 2G cellular EDGE}}[10]
Geolocation WiFi[10]/Apple location databases[45] Assisted GPS, Apple databases,[45] Cellular network[10]
Environmental sensors Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, magnetometer (for digital compass)[10]
Operating system iOS 4.2.1 [9]
Battery Built-in lithium-ion polymer battery; (10 hours video,[10] 140 hours audio,[46] 1 month standby[47])
Weight 1.5 lb (680 g)[10] 1.6 lb (730 g)[10]
Dimensions 9.56 x 7.47 x .5 in (243 × 190 × 13 mm)[10]
Mechanical keys Home, sleep, volume rocker, screen rotation lock, (mute switch on iOS 4.2)[10]
Manufacture
The iPad is assembled by Foxconn, which also manufactures Apple's iPod, iPhone and Mac Mini, in its largest plant in Shenzhen, China.[48]
iSuppli estimated that each iPad 16 GB Wi-Fi version costs $259.60 to manufacture, a total that excludes research, development, licensing, royalty and patent costs.[49] Apple does not disclose the makers of iPad components, but teardown reports and analysis from industry insiders indicate that various parts and their suppliers include:
Apple A4 SoC: Samsung.[10][50]
NAND flash RAM chips: Toshiba; except Samsung for the 64 GB model.[51][52]
Touch-screen chips: Broadcom.[51]
IPS Display: LG Display
Touch panels: Wintek. (Got the job after TPK Touch Solutions was unable to fulfill its orders, delaying the iPad's release from late March to early April.[53])
Case: Catcher Technologies.[54]
LCD drivers: Novatek Microelectronics.[55]
Batteries: 60% are made in Taiwan by Simplo Technology, 40% by Dynapack International.[36][56]
Accelerometer: STMicroelectronics.[57]
Software
Like the iPhone, with which it shares a development environment (iPhone SDK, or software development kit, version 3.2 onwards),[58] the iPad only runs its own software, software downloaded from Apple's App Store, and software written by developers who have paid for a developer's license on registered devices.[59] The iPad runs almost all third-party iPhone applications, displaying them at iPhone size or enlarging them to fill the iPad's screen.[60] Developers may also create or modify apps to take advantage of the iPad's features.[61] Application developers use iPhone SDK for developing applications for iPad.[62] The iPad has been shipping with a customized iPad-only version of iPhone OS, dubbed v3.2. On September 1, it was announced the iPad would get iOS 4.2 by November 2010.[63] Apple released iOS 4.2.1 to the public on November 22.[64]
Applications
The iPad comes with several applications, including Safari, Mail, Photos, Video, YouTube, iPod, iTunes, App Store, iBooks, Maps, Notes, Calendar, Contacts, and Spotlight Search.[65] Several are improved versions of applications developed for the iPhone.
The iPad syncs with iTunes on a Mac or Windows PC.[20] Apple ported its iWork suite from the Mac to the iPad, and sells pared down versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps in the App Store.[66] Although the iPad is not designed to replace a mobile phone, a user can use a wired headset or the built-in speaker and microphone and place phone calls over Wi-Fi or 3G using a VoIP application.[67] The iPad has lots of third party applications available for it; as of September 1, 2010, there were 25,000 iPad specific apps on the App Store.[68] The iPad cannot run Xcode since it uses iOS.[69]
In December 2010, Reuters reported that iPhone and iPad users have lodged a lawsuit against Apple Inc alleging that some applications were passing their information to third party advertisers without consent.[70]
Digital rights management
For more details on the digital rights management, see iOS.
The iPad employs DRM intended to lock purchased content—including TV shows, movies, and apps—to operate only on Apple's platform. Also, the iPad's development model requires anyone creating an app for the iPad to sign a non-disclosure agreement and pay for a developer subscription. Furthermore, critics argue Apple's centralized app approval process and control and lockdown of the platform itself could stifle software innovation. Of particular concern to digital rights advocates is the ability for Apple to remotely disable or delete apps, media, or data on the iPad at will.[71][72][73]
Digital rights advocates, including the Free Software Foundation, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and computer engineer and activist Brewster Kahle, have criticized the iPad for its digital rights restrictions. Paul Sweeting, an analyst with GigaOM, is quoted by National Public Radio saying, "With the iPad, you have the anti-Internet in your hands. [...] It offers [the major media companies] the opportunity to essentially re-create the old business model, wherein they are pushing content to you on their terms rather than you going out and finding content, or a search engine discovering content for you." But Sweeting also thinks Apple's limitations make its products feel like living in a safe neighborhood, saying, "Apple is offering you a gated community where there's a guard at the gate, and there's probably maid service, too." Laura Sydell, the article's author, concludes, "As more consumers have fears about security on the Internet, viruses and malware, they may be happy to opt for Apple's gated community."[74]
Jailbreaking
For more details on iPad Jailbreaking, see iOS jailbreaking.
Like other iOS Devices, the iPad can be "jailbroken", allowing applications and programs that are not authorized by Apple to run on the device.[75][76] Once jailbroken, iPad users are able to download many applications previously unavailable through the App Store via unofficial installers such as Cydia, as well as illegally pirated applications.[76] Apple claims jailbreaking voids their factory warranty on the device in the United States.[76][77]
Books, news, and magazine content
Reading a book on the iPad
Further information: iBookstore
The iPad has an optional iBooks application that can be downloaded from the App Store, which displays books and other ePub-format content downloaded from the iBookstore.[78] For the iPad launch on April 3, 2010, the iBookstore is available only in the United States.[3][20][65] Several major book publishers including Penguin Books, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan have committed to publishing books for the iPad.[79] Despite being a direct competitor to both the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook,[80] both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble have made Kindle & Nook apps available for the iPad.[81][82]
In February 2010, Condé Nast Publications said it would sell iPad subscriptions for its GQ, Vanity Fair and Wired magazines by June.[83]
In April 2010, The New York Times announced it will begin publishing daily on the iPad.[84] As of October 2010, The New York Times iPad app is ad-supported and available for free without a paid subscription, but will transition to a subscription-based model in 2011.[85] Major news organizations, such as The Wall Street Journal, BBC, and Reuters have released iPad applications, to varying degrees of success.[86]
Censorship
Further information: Apple App Store censorship
Apple's App Store, which provides iPhone and iPad applications, imposes censorship of content, which has become an issue for book publishers and magazines seeking to use the platform. The Guardian described the role of Apple as analogous to that of the distributor WH Smith, a main distributor which for many years imposed content restrictions on British publishers.[87]
Due to the exclusion of porn from the App Store, YouPorn and others changed their video format from Flash to H.264 and HTML5 specifically for the iPad.[88][89] In an e-mail exchange[90] with Ryan Tate from Valleywag, Steve Jobs claimed that the iPad offers "freedom from porn", leading to many upset replies including Adbustings in Berlin by artist Johannes P. Osterhoff[91] and in San Francisco during WWDC10.[92]
Release
Apple began taking pre-orders for the iPad from U.S. customers on March 12, 2010.[3] The only major change to the device between its announcement and being available to pre-order was the change of the behavior of the side switch from sound muting to that of a screen rotation lock.[93] The Wi-Fi version of the iPad went on sale in the United States on April 3, 2010.[3][94] The Wi-Fi + 3G version was released on April 30.[3][4][4] 3G service in the United States is provided by AT&T and was initially sold with two prepaid contract-free data plan options: one for unlimited data and the other for 250 MB per month at half the price.[95][96] On June 2, 2010, AT&T announced that effective June 7 the unlimited plan would be replaced for new customers with a 2 GB plan at slightly lower cost; existing customers would have the option to keep the unlimited plan.[97] The plans are activated on the iPad itself and can be canceled at any time.[98]
The device was initially popular with 300,000 iPads being sold on their first day of availability.[99] By May 3, 2010, Apple had sold a million iPads,[100] this was in half the time it took Apple to sell the same number of original iPhones.[101] By May 31, 2010, Apple had sold two million iPads[102] and by June 22, 2010, they had sold 3 million.[14][103] Between July 1 and September 30, 2010, Apple sold a further 4.2 million iPads. During the October 18, 2010, Financial Conference Call, Steve Jobs announced that Apple had sold more iPads than Macs for the Fiscal Quarter.[104]
The iPad was initially only available online at The Apple Store as well as the company's retail locations. The iPad has since been available for purchase through many retailers including Amazon, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Verizon, and AT&T.
The iPad was launched in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom on May 28.[5][105] Online pre-orders in those countries began on May 10.[4] Apple released the iPad in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore on July 23, 2010.[106] Israel briefly prohibited importation of the iPad because of concerns that its Wi-Fi might interfere with other devices.[107] On September 17, 2010, the iPad officially launched in China.[108] On November 30, 2010, the iPad officially launched in Malaysia.[109]
The South Korean Minister of Culture and Tourism, Yu In-chon was criticized for using an "unapproved" iPad on a public occasion. It is illegal to use an unapproved electronic device in South Korea.[110] However, iPad was released in South Korea on November 30, 2010 through KT which also carries the iPhone.
The iPad launched in India on January 28, 2011. The 16GB iPad costs 27,900 and the 3G variant of the same is 34,900.[111]
Reception
Reaction to the announcement
Media reaction to the iPad announcement was mixed. Walt Mossberg wrote, "It's about the software, stupid", meaning hardware features and build are less important to the iPad's success than software and user interface, his first impressions of which were largely positive. Mossberg also called the price "modest" for a device of its capabilities, and praised the ten-hour battery life.[112] Others, including PC Advisor and The Sydney Morning Herald, wrote that the iPad would also compete with proliferating netbooks, most of which use Microsoft Windows.[113][114] The base model's $499 price was lower than pre-release estimates by the tech press, Wall Street analysts, and Apple's competitors, all of whom were expecting a much higher entry price point.[115][116][117]
Yair Reiner said the iPad will compete against e-book devices such as the Barnes & Noble Nook and the Amazon Kindle while offering 70 percent of revenue to publishers, the same arrangement afforded developers on the Apple App Store.[80] Notably, a week before the iPad's expected release, the Amazon Kindle store increased publishers' revenue share to 70 percent as well.[118]
Several days after the unveiling, Stephen Fry said people must use the iPad to truly appreciate its purpose and quality and commented that common criticisms of the device fall away after use. Fry noted the iPad's speed and responsiveness, the intuitive interface and the richness and detail of the display.[119] Along with Steve Jobs' statements in the announcement, members of the media also said that it established a new class of devices between smartphones and laptops.[120][121]
Reviews
Reviews of the iPad have been generally favorable. Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal called it a "pretty close" laptop killer.[122] David Pogue of The New York Times wrote a "dual" review, one part for technology-minded people, and the other part for non-technology-minded people. In the former section, he notes that a laptop offers more features for a cheaper price than the iPad. In his review for the latter audience, however, he claims that if his readers like the concept of the device and can understand what its intended uses are, then they will enjoy using the device.[123] PC Magazine's Tim Gideon wrote, "you have yourself a winner" that "will undoubtedly be a driving force in shaping the emerging tablet landscape."[124] Michael Arrington of TechCrunch said, "the iPad beats even my most optimistic expectations. This is a new category of device. But it also will replace laptops for many people."[121]
People have been divided over whether to consider the iPad a personal computer. Forrester Research has argued that the iPad should be considered a form of personal computer in spite of Apple's restrictions on creating and editing files with the iPad.[125] In contrast, PC World argued when the iPad was announced that it is not a personal computer due to Apple's omission of several key features, including Adobe Flash.[126]
PC World criticized the iPad's slim file-sharing and printing abilities,[127] and Ars Technica said sharing files with a computer is "without a doubt one of our least favorite parts of the iPad experience."[128]
Reaction to the international launch
On May 28, 2010, the iPad was released in Australia, Canada, and Japan, as well as several larger European countries. Media reaction to the launch was mixed. The media noted the positive response from fans of the device, with thousands of people queued on the first day of sale in a number of these countries.[129][130] The media also praised the quantity of applications, as well as the bookstore and other media applications.[131][132] In contrast they criticized the iPad for being a closed system and mentioned that the iPad faces competition from Android based tablets.[129] With regard to its books application, The Independent criticized the iPad for not being as readable in bright light as paper. However, they also praised the device for being able to store a large number of different books.[131]
Omitted features
CNET and Gizmodo listed features that were missing from the iPad at launch that they believe customers expect, including a camera for video chat, a longer and narrower "widescreen" aspect ratio suitable for watching widescreen movies, the ability to multitask (run more than one application at once), a USB port, HDMI output, and a more flexible wired-data port than the iPod dock connector.[59][133] Apple's iOS 4 unveiling and demonstration on April 8, 2010, promised multitasking for the iPad and multitasking was added to the iPad with the release of iOS 4.2 on November 22, 2010.[134][135] The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Gizmodo noted that the iPad officially only supports installing software from the App Store.[59][136] CNET also criticised the iPad for its apparent lack of wireless sync which other portable devices such as Microsoft's Zune have had for a number of years. The built-in iTunes app is able to download from the Internet as well.[137]
CNN and Wired News defended Apple's omission of a number of features, including support for Adobe Flash, noting that YouTube and Vimeo have switched to H.264 for video streaming. They also said that "[multitasking] will not matter at all to the target user", as its absence is responsible for "a large part of [the iPad's] ten-hour battery life." Of the aspect ratio: "16:9 ratio in [portrait mode] would look oddly tall and skinny ... [4:3 is] a compromise, and a good one." Of the lack of a USB port: "The iPad is meant to be an easy-to-use appliance, not an all-purpose computer. A USB port would mean installing drivers for printers, scanners and anything else you might hook up." [138][139]
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 trademark application was listed as "abandoned" in April 2009, and the ownership of the mark is unclear. Fujitsu consulted attorneys over what, if any, action it might take.[140][141] On March 17, 2010, the Fujitsu iPAD U.S. trademark was transferred to Apple.[142]
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.[143][144][145][146] Shortly after the launch announcement, the hashtag "iTampon" became the number-two trending topic on the social networking site Twitter.[145][147]
Recognition
The iPad was selected by Time Magazine as one of the 50 Best Inventions of the Year 2010,[148] while Popular Science chose it as the top gadget[149] behind the overall "Best of What's New 2010" winner Groasis Waterboxx.[150]
Ars Technica noted the similarity between the iPad and Star Trek's fictional PADD tablet computer, both in name and functionality.[151]
Usage
Business
While the iPad is mostly used by consumers it also has been taken up by business users. Some companies are adopting iPads in their business offices by distributing or making available the iPads to employees. Examples of uses in the workplace include attorneys responding to clients, medical professionals accessing health records during patient exams, and managers approving employee requests.[152][153][154]
A survey by Frost & Sullivan shows that iPad usage in office workplaces is linked to the goals of increased employee productivity, reduced paperwork, and increased revenue. The research firm estimates that "The mobile-office application market in North America may reach $6.85 billion in 2015, up from an estimated $1.76 billion [in 2010]."[155]
Education
The iPad has several uses in the classroom,[156] and has been praised as a valuable tool for homeschooling.[157][158] Soon after the iPad was released, it was reported that 81% of the top book apps were for children.[159] The iPad has also been called a revolutionary tool to help children with autism learn how to communicate and socialize more easily.[160]
Many colleges and universities have also used the iPad. Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio, began offering three-hour rentals for the iPad for its Fall 2010 semester, in addition to rentals for the Amazon Kindle, laptop computers, and Flip cameras.[161]
Sports
During the 2010 Major League Baseball free agent season, the agent for the player Carl Crawford was sending iPads to prospective teams interested in Mr. Crawford. These iPads were pre-loaded with video clips highlighting his player, and how it would benefit their team to have him.[162]
Music
The iPad is able to support many music creation applications in addition to the iTunes music playback software. These include sound samplers, guitar and voice effects processors, sequencers for synthesized sounds and sampled loops, virtual synthesizers and drum machines, theremin-style and other touch responsive instruments, drum pads and many more. Gorillaz's 2010 album, The Fall, was created almost exclusively using the iPad by Damon Albarn while on tour with the band.[163]
See also
Apple Inc. portal
Book:Apple Inc.
Books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.
Tablet computer – general tablet computers.
Comparison of e-book readers
Comparison of portable media players
Comparison of tablet PCs
Comparison of ARM tablets
List of iOS devices
Flexible electronics
Pen computing for a broad history of gesture-based user interfaces
References
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According to a report released by Strategy Analytics, the Apple iPad had gained a 95 percent share of Tablet PC sales at the end of second quarter 2010. During the second quarter 2010, Apple had sold 4.19 million iPads around the world.[15]
The iPad runs the same operating system as the iPod Touch and iPhone—and can run its own applications as well as iPhone applications. Without modification, it will only run programs approved by Apple and distributed via its online store.
Like iPhone and iPod Touch, the iPad is controlled by a multitouch display—a departure from most previous tablet computers, which used a pressure-triggered stylus—as well as a virtual onscreen keyboard in lieu of a physical keyboard. The iPad uses a Wi-Fi data connection to browse the Internet, load and stream media, and install software. Some models also have a 3G wireless data connection which can connect to HSPA data networks. The device is managed and synced by iTunes on a personal computer via USB cable.
Media reaction to the device has generally been neutral or positive, with more positive reaction after the device was launched.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Hardware
2.1 Screen and input
2.2 Connectivity
2.3 Audio and output
2.4 Power and battery
2.5 Storage and SIM
2.6 Optional accessories
2.7 Technical specifications
2.8 Manufacture
3 Software
3.1 Applications
3.2 Digital rights management
3.3 Jailbreaking
4 Books, news, and magazine content
4.1 Censorship
5 Release
6 Reception
6.1 Reaction to the announcement
6.2 Reviews
6.3 Reaction to the international launch
6.4 Omitted features
6.5 Product name
6.6 Recognition
7 Usage
7.1 Business
7.2 Education
7.3 Sports
7.4 Music
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
History
Apple's first tablet computer was the Newton MessagePad 100,[16][17] introduced in 1993, which led to the creation of the ARM6 processor core with Acorn Computers. Apple also developed a prototype PowerBook Duo-based tablet, the PenLite, but in order to avoid hurting MessagePad sales did not sell it.[18] Apple released several more Newton-based PDAs, and discontinued the last, the MessagePad 2100, in 1998.
With the success of the introduction of portable music player iPod in 2001, Apple re-entered the mobile-computing market in 2007 with the iPhone. Smaller than the iPad but featuring a camera and mobile phone, it pioneered the multitouch finger-sensitive touchscreen interface of Apple's mobile operating system—iOS. By late 2009, the iPad's release had been rumored for several years. Mostly referred to as "Apple's tablet", iTablet and iSlate were among the speculated names.[19] The iPad was announced on January 27, 2010, by Steve Jobs at an Apple press conference at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.[20][21]
Jobs later admitted that development started on the iPad before the iPhone.[22][23][24] Upon realizing that it would work just as well as a mobile phone, Jobs put development of the iPad on hold and decided to develop the iPhone instead.[25]
Hardware
Screen and input
The iPad's touchscreen display is a 9.7 in (25 cm) liquid crystal display (1024 × 768 pixels) with fingerprint-resistant and scratch-resistant glass. Steve Jobs backed the choice of screen size, saying a 7-inch screen would be "too small to express the software."[26] He said 10 inches was the minimum for a tablet screen.[26] Like the iPhone, the iPad is designed to be controlled by bare fingers; normal gloves and styli that prevent electrical conductivity may not be used,[27] although there are special gloves and capacitive styli designed for this use.[28][29]
The display responds to two other sensors: an ambient light sensor to adjust screen brightness and a 3-axis accelerometer to sense iPad orientation and switch between portrait and landscape modes. Unlike the iPhone and iPod touch built-in applications, which work in three orientations (portrait, landscape-left and landscape-right), the iPad built-in applications support screen rotation in all four orientations (the three aforementioned ones along with upside-down),[30] meaning that the device has no intrinsic "native" orientation; only the relative position of the home button changes.
In total there are four physical switches on the iPad, including a home button below the display that returns the user to the main menu, and three plastic physical switches on the sides: wake/sleep and volume up/down, plus a third which, as of iOS 4.2, acts as a mute switch.[10] Initially this switch was utilized to lock out the screen rotation function (reportedly to prevent unintended rotation when the user is lying down).[31] However, with the iOS 4.2 update, this functionality was removed and rotation lock is now controlled with a software toggle via the iOS task switcher. There is no means to reassign the physical switches functionality in the official iOS release.
Connectivity
Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, introducing the iPad
The iPad can use Wi-Fi network trilateration from Skyhook Wireless to provide location information to applications such as Google Maps. The 3G model contains A-GPS to allow its position to be calculated with GPS or relative to nearby cellphone towers; it also has a black plastic accent on the back side to improve 3G radio sensitivity.[32]
For wired connectivity, the iPad has a proprietary Apple dock connector; it lacks the Ethernet and USB ports of larger computers.[10]
Audio and output
Back of the iPad 3G
The iPad has two internal speakers that push mono sound through two small sealed channels to the three audio ports carved into the bottom-right of the unit.[13] A volume switch is on the right side of the unit.
A 3.5-mm TRS connector audio-out jack on the top-left corner of the device provides stereo sound for headphones with or without microphones and/or volume controls. The iPad also contains a microphone that can be used for voice recording.
The built-in Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR interface allows wireless headphones and keyboards to be used with the iPad.[33] However, the iOS does not currently support file transfer via Bluetooth.[34] iPad also features 1024 x 768 VGA video output for connecting an external display or television.[35]
Power and battery
iPad in the iPad Keyboard Dock
The iPad uses an internal rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery (LiPo). The batteries are made in Taiwan by Simplo Technology, which makes 60% of them, and Dynapack International Technology.[36] The iPad is designed to be charged with a high current (2 amperes) using the included USB 10-watt (0.013 hp) power adapter. While it can be charged by a standard USB port from a computer, these are limited to 500 milliamperes (half an amp). As a result, if the iPad is turned on while connected to a normal USB computer port, it may charge much more slowly, or not at all. High-power USB ports found in newer Apple computers and accessories provide full charging capabilities.[37]
Apple claims that the iPad's battery can provide up to 10 hours of video, 140 hours of audio playback, or one month on standby. Like any battery technology, the iPad's LiPo battery loses capacity over time, but is not designed to be user-replaceable. In a program similar to the battery-replacement program for the iPod and the original iPhone, Apple will replace an iPad that does not hold an electrical charge with a refurbished iPad for a fee of $99 (plus $6.95 shipping).[38][39]
Storage and SIM
The iPad was released with three options for internal storage size: a 16, 32, or 64 GB flash drive. All data is stored on the flash drive and there is no option to expand storage. Apple sells a camera connection kit with an SD card reader, but it can only be used to transfer photos and videos.[40]
The side of the Wi-Fi + 3G model has a micro-SIM slot (not mini-SIM). Unlike the iPhone, which is usually sold locked to specific carriers, the 3G iPad is sold unlocked and can be used with any compatible GSM carrier.[41] Japan is the exception to this, where the iPad 3G is locked to Softbank.[42] In the U.S., data network access via T-Mobile's network is limited to slower EDGE cellular speeds because T-Mobile's 3G Network uses different frequencies.[43][44]
Optional accessories
The iPad in its case
Apple offers several iPad accessories, including:[10]
iPad Keyboard Dock with hardware keyboard, 30-pin connector, and audio jack
iPad Case which can be used to stand the iPad in various positions
iPad Dock with 30-pin connector and audio jack
iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter for external monitor or projector
iPad Camera Connection Kit including a USB Type A connector adapter and an SD card reader, for transferring photos and videos
iPad 10W USB Power Adapter with 2 A output (10 W)
Technical specifications
Model Wi-Fi Wi-Fi + 3G
Announcement date January 27, 2010[20]
Release date April 3, 2010[3] April 30, 2010[4]
Display 9.7 inches (25 cm) multitouch display at a resolution of 1024 × 768 pixels with LED backlighting and a fingerprint and scratch-resistant coating[10]
Processor 1 GHz Apple A4 System on a chip[11]
Storage Fixed capacity of 16, 32, or 64 GB[10]
Wireless Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR[10]
No wireless wide-area network interface 3G cellular HSDPA, 2G cellular EDGE}}[10]
Geolocation WiFi[10]/Apple location databases[45] Assisted GPS, Apple databases,[45] Cellular network[10]
Environmental sensors Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, magnetometer (for digital compass)[10]
Operating system iOS 4.2.1 [9]
Battery Built-in lithium-ion polymer battery; (10 hours video,[10] 140 hours audio,[46] 1 month standby[47])
Weight 1.5 lb (680 g)[10] 1.6 lb (730 g)[10]
Dimensions 9.56 x 7.47 x .5 in (243 × 190 × 13 mm)[10]
Mechanical keys Home, sleep, volume rocker, screen rotation lock, (mute switch on iOS 4.2)[10]
Manufacture
The iPad is assembled by Foxconn, which also manufactures Apple's iPod, iPhone and Mac Mini, in its largest plant in Shenzhen, China.[48]
iSuppli estimated that each iPad 16 GB Wi-Fi version costs $259.60 to manufacture, a total that excludes research, development, licensing, royalty and patent costs.[49] Apple does not disclose the makers of iPad components, but teardown reports and analysis from industry insiders indicate that various parts and their suppliers include:
Apple A4 SoC: Samsung.[10][50]
NAND flash RAM chips: Toshiba; except Samsung for the 64 GB model.[51][52]
Touch-screen chips: Broadcom.[51]
IPS Display: LG Display
Touch panels: Wintek. (Got the job after TPK Touch Solutions was unable to fulfill its orders, delaying the iPad's release from late March to early April.[53])
Case: Catcher Technologies.[54]
LCD drivers: Novatek Microelectronics.[55]
Batteries: 60% are made in Taiwan by Simplo Technology, 40% by Dynapack International.[36][56]
Accelerometer: STMicroelectronics.[57]
Software
Like the iPhone, with which it shares a development environment (iPhone SDK, or software development kit, version 3.2 onwards),[58] the iPad only runs its own software, software downloaded from Apple's App Store, and software written by developers who have paid for a developer's license on registered devices.[59] The iPad runs almost all third-party iPhone applications, displaying them at iPhone size or enlarging them to fill the iPad's screen.[60] Developers may also create or modify apps to take advantage of the iPad's features.[61] Application developers use iPhone SDK for developing applications for iPad.[62] The iPad has been shipping with a customized iPad-only version of iPhone OS, dubbed v3.2. On September 1, it was announced the iPad would get iOS 4.2 by November 2010.[63] Apple released iOS 4.2.1 to the public on November 22.[64]
Applications
The iPad comes with several applications, including Safari, Mail, Photos, Video, YouTube, iPod, iTunes, App Store, iBooks, Maps, Notes, Calendar, Contacts, and Spotlight Search.[65] Several are improved versions of applications developed for the iPhone.
The iPad syncs with iTunes on a Mac or Windows PC.[20] Apple ported its iWork suite from the Mac to the iPad, and sells pared down versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps in the App Store.[66] Although the iPad is not designed to replace a mobile phone, a user can use a wired headset or the built-in speaker and microphone and place phone calls over Wi-Fi or 3G using a VoIP application.[67] The iPad has lots of third party applications available for it; as of September 1, 2010, there were 25,000 iPad specific apps on the App Store.[68] The iPad cannot run Xcode since it uses iOS.[69]
In December 2010, Reuters reported that iPhone and iPad users have lodged a lawsuit against Apple Inc alleging that some applications were passing their information to third party advertisers without consent.[70]
Digital rights management
For more details on the digital rights management, see iOS.
The iPad employs DRM intended to lock purchased content—including TV shows, movies, and apps—to operate only on Apple's platform. Also, the iPad's development model requires anyone creating an app for the iPad to sign a non-disclosure agreement and pay for a developer subscription. Furthermore, critics argue Apple's centralized app approval process and control and lockdown of the platform itself could stifle software innovation. Of particular concern to digital rights advocates is the ability for Apple to remotely disable or delete apps, media, or data on the iPad at will.[71][72][73]
Digital rights advocates, including the Free Software Foundation, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and computer engineer and activist Brewster Kahle, have criticized the iPad for its digital rights restrictions. Paul Sweeting, an analyst with GigaOM, is quoted by National Public Radio saying, "With the iPad, you have the anti-Internet in your hands. [...] It offers [the major media companies] the opportunity to essentially re-create the old business model, wherein they are pushing content to you on their terms rather than you going out and finding content, or a search engine discovering content for you." But Sweeting also thinks Apple's limitations make its products feel like living in a safe neighborhood, saying, "Apple is offering you a gated community where there's a guard at the gate, and there's probably maid service, too." Laura Sydell, the article's author, concludes, "As more consumers have fears about security on the Internet, viruses and malware, they may be happy to opt for Apple's gated community."[74]
Jailbreaking
For more details on iPad Jailbreaking, see iOS jailbreaking.
Like other iOS Devices, the iPad can be "jailbroken", allowing applications and programs that are not authorized by Apple to run on the device.[75][76] Once jailbroken, iPad users are able to download many applications previously unavailable through the App Store via unofficial installers such as Cydia, as well as illegally pirated applications.[76] Apple claims jailbreaking voids their factory warranty on the device in the United States.[76][77]
Books, news, and magazine content
Reading a book on the iPad
Further information: iBookstore
The iPad has an optional iBooks application that can be downloaded from the App Store, which displays books and other ePub-format content downloaded from the iBookstore.[78] For the iPad launch on April 3, 2010, the iBookstore is available only in the United States.[3][20][65] Several major book publishers including Penguin Books, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan have committed to publishing books for the iPad.[79] Despite being a direct competitor to both the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook,[80] both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble have made Kindle & Nook apps available for the iPad.[81][82]
In February 2010, Condé Nast Publications said it would sell iPad subscriptions for its GQ, Vanity Fair and Wired magazines by June.[83]
In April 2010, The New York Times announced it will begin publishing daily on the iPad.[84] As of October 2010, The New York Times iPad app is ad-supported and available for free without a paid subscription, but will transition to a subscription-based model in 2011.[85] Major news organizations, such as The Wall Street Journal, BBC, and Reuters have released iPad applications, to varying degrees of success.[86]
Censorship
Further information: Apple App Store censorship
Apple's App Store, which provides iPhone and iPad applications, imposes censorship of content, which has become an issue for book publishers and magazines seeking to use the platform. The Guardian described the role of Apple as analogous to that of the distributor WH Smith, a main distributor which for many years imposed content restrictions on British publishers.[87]
Due to the exclusion of porn from the App Store, YouPorn and others changed their video format from Flash to H.264 and HTML5 specifically for the iPad.[88][89] In an e-mail exchange[90] with Ryan Tate from Valleywag, Steve Jobs claimed that the iPad offers "freedom from porn", leading to many upset replies including Adbustings in Berlin by artist Johannes P. Osterhoff[91] and in San Francisco during WWDC10.[92]
Release
Apple began taking pre-orders for the iPad from U.S. customers on March 12, 2010.[3] The only major change to the device between its announcement and being available to pre-order was the change of the behavior of the side switch from sound muting to that of a screen rotation lock.[93] The Wi-Fi version of the iPad went on sale in the United States on April 3, 2010.[3][94] The Wi-Fi + 3G version was released on April 30.[3][4][4] 3G service in the United States is provided by AT&T and was initially sold with two prepaid contract-free data plan options: one for unlimited data and the other for 250 MB per month at half the price.[95][96] On June 2, 2010, AT&T announced that effective June 7 the unlimited plan would be replaced for new customers with a 2 GB plan at slightly lower cost; existing customers would have the option to keep the unlimited plan.[97] The plans are activated on the iPad itself and can be canceled at any time.[98]
The device was initially popular with 300,000 iPads being sold on their first day of availability.[99] By May 3, 2010, Apple had sold a million iPads,[100] this was in half the time it took Apple to sell the same number of original iPhones.[101] By May 31, 2010, Apple had sold two million iPads[102] and by June 22, 2010, they had sold 3 million.[14][103] Between July 1 and September 30, 2010, Apple sold a further 4.2 million iPads. During the October 18, 2010, Financial Conference Call, Steve Jobs announced that Apple had sold more iPads than Macs for the Fiscal Quarter.[104]
The iPad was initially only available online at The Apple Store as well as the company's retail locations. The iPad has since been available for purchase through many retailers including Amazon, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Verizon, and AT&T.
The iPad was launched in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom on May 28.[5][105] Online pre-orders in those countries began on May 10.[4] Apple released the iPad in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore on July 23, 2010.[106] Israel briefly prohibited importation of the iPad because of concerns that its Wi-Fi might interfere with other devices.[107] On September 17, 2010, the iPad officially launched in China.[108] On November 30, 2010, the iPad officially launched in Malaysia.[109]
The South Korean Minister of Culture and Tourism, Yu In-chon was criticized for using an "unapproved" iPad on a public occasion. It is illegal to use an unapproved electronic device in South Korea.[110] However, iPad was released in South Korea on November 30, 2010 through KT which also carries the iPhone.
The iPad launched in India on January 28, 2011. The 16GB iPad costs 27,900 and the 3G variant of the same is 34,900.[111]
Reception
Reaction to the announcement
Media reaction to the iPad announcement was mixed. Walt Mossberg wrote, "It's about the software, stupid", meaning hardware features and build are less important to the iPad's success than software and user interface, his first impressions of which were largely positive. Mossberg also called the price "modest" for a device of its capabilities, and praised the ten-hour battery life.[112] Others, including PC Advisor and The Sydney Morning Herald, wrote that the iPad would also compete with proliferating netbooks, most of which use Microsoft Windows.[113][114] The base model's $499 price was lower than pre-release estimates by the tech press, Wall Street analysts, and Apple's competitors, all of whom were expecting a much higher entry price point.[115][116][117]
Yair Reiner said the iPad will compete against e-book devices such as the Barnes & Noble Nook and the Amazon Kindle while offering 70 percent of revenue to publishers, the same arrangement afforded developers on the Apple App Store.[80] Notably, a week before the iPad's expected release, the Amazon Kindle store increased publishers' revenue share to 70 percent as well.[118]
Several days after the unveiling, Stephen Fry said people must use the iPad to truly appreciate its purpose and quality and commented that common criticisms of the device fall away after use. Fry noted the iPad's speed and responsiveness, the intuitive interface and the richness and detail of the display.[119] Along with Steve Jobs' statements in the announcement, members of the media also said that it established a new class of devices between smartphones and laptops.[120][121]
Reviews
Reviews of the iPad have been generally favorable. Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal called it a "pretty close" laptop killer.[122] David Pogue of The New York Times wrote a "dual" review, one part for technology-minded people, and the other part for non-technology-minded people. In the former section, he notes that a laptop offers more features for a cheaper price than the iPad. In his review for the latter audience, however, he claims that if his readers like the concept of the device and can understand what its intended uses are, then they will enjoy using the device.[123] PC Magazine's Tim Gideon wrote, "you have yourself a winner" that "will undoubtedly be a driving force in shaping the emerging tablet landscape."[124] Michael Arrington of TechCrunch said, "the iPad beats even my most optimistic expectations. This is a new category of device. But it also will replace laptops for many people."[121]
People have been divided over whether to consider the iPad a personal computer. Forrester Research has argued that the iPad should be considered a form of personal computer in spite of Apple's restrictions on creating and editing files with the iPad.[125] In contrast, PC World argued when the iPad was announced that it is not a personal computer due to Apple's omission of several key features, including Adobe Flash.[126]
PC World criticized the iPad's slim file-sharing and printing abilities,[127] and Ars Technica said sharing files with a computer is "without a doubt one of our least favorite parts of the iPad experience."[128]
Reaction to the international launch
On May 28, 2010, the iPad was released in Australia, Canada, and Japan, as well as several larger European countries. Media reaction to the launch was mixed. The media noted the positive response from fans of the device, with thousands of people queued on the first day of sale in a number of these countries.[129][130] The media also praised the quantity of applications, as well as the bookstore and other media applications.[131][132] In contrast they criticized the iPad for being a closed system and mentioned that the iPad faces competition from Android based tablets.[129] With regard to its books application, The Independent criticized the iPad for not being as readable in bright light as paper. However, they also praised the device for being able to store a large number of different books.[131]
Omitted features
CNET and Gizmodo listed features that were missing from the iPad at launch that they believe customers expect, including a camera for video chat, a longer and narrower "widescreen" aspect ratio suitable for watching widescreen movies, the ability to multitask (run more than one application at once), a USB port, HDMI output, and a more flexible wired-data port than the iPod dock connector.[59][133] Apple's iOS 4 unveiling and demonstration on April 8, 2010, promised multitasking for the iPad and multitasking was added to the iPad with the release of iOS 4.2 on November 22, 2010.[134][135] The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Gizmodo noted that the iPad officially only supports installing software from the App Store.[59][136] CNET also criticised the iPad for its apparent lack of wireless sync which other portable devices such as Microsoft's Zune have had for a number of years. The built-in iTunes app is able to download from the Internet as well.[137]
CNN and Wired News defended Apple's omission of a number of features, including support for Adobe Flash, noting that YouTube and Vimeo have switched to H.264 for video streaming. They also said that "[multitasking] will not matter at all to the target user", as its absence is responsible for "a large part of [the iPad's] ten-hour battery life." Of the aspect ratio: "16:9 ratio in [portrait mode] would look oddly tall and skinny ... [4:3 is] a compromise, and a good one." Of the lack of a USB port: "The iPad is meant to be an easy-to-use appliance, not an all-purpose computer. A USB port would mean installing drivers for printers, scanners and anything else you might hook up." [138][139]
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 trademark application was listed as "abandoned" in April 2009, and the ownership of the mark is unclear. Fujitsu consulted attorneys over what, if any, action it might take.[140][141] On March 17, 2010, the Fujitsu iPAD U.S. trademark was transferred to Apple.[142]
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.[143][144][145][146] Shortly after the launch announcement, the hashtag "iTampon" became the number-two trending topic on the social networking site Twitter.[145][147]
Recognition
The iPad was selected by Time Magazine as one of the 50 Best Inventions of the Year 2010,[148] while Popular Science chose it as the top gadget[149] behind the overall "Best of What's New 2010" winner Groasis Waterboxx.[150]
Ars Technica noted the similarity between the iPad and Star Trek's fictional PADD tablet computer, both in name and functionality.[151]
Usage
Business
While the iPad is mostly used by consumers it also has been taken up by business users. Some companies are adopting iPads in their business offices by distributing or making available the iPads to employees. Examples of uses in the workplace include attorneys responding to clients, medical professionals accessing health records during patient exams, and managers approving employee requests.[152][153][154]
A survey by Frost & Sullivan shows that iPad usage in office workplaces is linked to the goals of increased employee productivity, reduced paperwork, and increased revenue. The research firm estimates that "The mobile-office application market in North America may reach $6.85 billion in 2015, up from an estimated $1.76 billion [in 2010]."[155]
Education
The iPad has several uses in the classroom,[156] and has been praised as a valuable tool for homeschooling.[157][158] Soon after the iPad was released, it was reported that 81% of the top book apps were for children.[159] The iPad has also been called a revolutionary tool to help children with autism learn how to communicate and socialize more easily.[160]
Many colleges and universities have also used the iPad. Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio, began offering three-hour rentals for the iPad for its Fall 2010 semester, in addition to rentals for the Amazon Kindle, laptop computers, and Flip cameras.[161]
Sports
During the 2010 Major League Baseball free agent season, the agent for the player Carl Crawford was sending iPads to prospective teams interested in Mr. Crawford. These iPads were pre-loaded with video clips highlighting his player, and how it would benefit their team to have him.[162]
Music
The iPad is able to support many music creation applications in addition to the iTunes music playback software. These include sound samplers, guitar and voice effects processors, sequencers for synthesized sounds and sampled loops, virtual synthesizers and drum machines, theremin-style and other touch responsive instruments, drum pads and many more. Gorillaz's 2010 album, The Fall, was created almost exclusively using the iPad by Damon Albarn while on tour with the band.[163]
See also
Apple Inc. portal
Book:Apple Inc.
Books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.
Tablet computer – general tablet computers.
Comparison of e-book readers
Comparison of portable media players
Comparison of tablet PCs
Comparison of ARM tablets
List of iOS devices
Flexible electronics
Pen computing for a broad history of gesture-based user interfaces
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^ "Frustration in NZ over iPad". Straits Times. July 23, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
^ "Israel retira prohibición para importación del iPad | TecnologÃa". El Nacional.com. March 23, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
^ "Massive crowds turn out for iPad launch". China Daily. Xinhua. 18 September 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
^ Apple’s iPad on sale in Malaysia from today in The Star Date:20 November 2010
^ "South Korean Official’s iPad Causes a Stir". Wall Street Journal. April 26, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
^ http://www.pcworld.in/news/apple-ipad-3g-belatedly-launched-india-bsnl-unlimited-3g-rs-999-44922011
^ Walter S. Mossberg (January 27, 2010). "First Impressions of the New Apple iPad". All Things Digital. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
^ Eric Lai (January 28, 2010). "Apple iPad versus netbook: features compared: We compare design, functionality and storage". PC Advisor. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
^ Simon Tsang (February 2, 2010). "iPad vs the Kindle, tablets and netbooks". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
^ Eaton, Kit (January 27, 2010). "The iPad's Biggest Innovation: Its $500 Price". Fast Company. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
^ Peers, Martin (January 28, 2010). "Apple's iPad Revolution: Price". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
^ Stokes, John (January 29, 2010). "Tablet makers rethinking things in wake of iPad's $499 price". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
^ Jacqui Cheng (January 20, 2010). "Amazon hikes Kindle royalties to 70%, with a catch". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
^ Stephen Fry (January 29, 2010). "Stephen Fry: Why the Apple iPad is Here to Stay". The Guardian (London). Retrieved January 31, 2010.
^ Paczkowski, John (February 23, 2010). "Initial iPad Demand Greater Than Initial iPhone Demand". All Things Digital. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
^ a b Michael Arrington (April 2, 2010). "The Unauthorized TechCrunch iPad Review". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
^ Mossberg, Walter S. (March 31, 2010). "Apple iPad Review: Laptop Killer? Pretty Close". All Things Digital. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
^ Pogue, David (March 31, 2010). "Reviews: Love It or Not? Looking at iPad From 2 Angles". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
^ Gideon, Tim (March 31, 2010). "Apple iPad (Wi-Fi)". PC Magazine. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
^ Arik Hesseldahl (June 17, 2010). "Forrester: Tablets Will Outsell Netbooks By 2012". BusinessWeek. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
^ Jason Cross (January 27, 2010). "Apple's iPad Mistakes". PC World. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
^ Nick Mediati (April 5, 2010). "iPad Struggles at Printing and Sharing Files". PC World. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
^ Jacqui Cheng (April 7, 2010). "Ars Technica reviews the iPad". Arstechnica. Condé Nast. p. 4. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
^ a b "iPad fans mob Apple stores for international launch". BBC News online (BBC). May 28, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
^ "iPad-mania as thousands queue for global roll-out". France24. May 28, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
^ a b David Phelan (May 26, 2010). "The iPad: what is it good for?". The Independent (London). Retrieved May 31, 2010.
^ Kate Bevan (May 31, 2010). "The best iPad media apps". The Guardian (London: Guardian Media Group). Retrieved June 10, 2010.
^ Scott Stein (January 27, 2010). "10 things Netbooks still do better than an iPad". CNET. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
^ "Apple: Multitasking coming to the iPhone this summer, iPad in the fall". Yahoo. April 8, 2010. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
^ "Apple releases iOS 4.2 with free Find My Phone for some". Arstechnica. Condé Nast. November 22, 2010. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
^ Nick Eaton. "iPad's downside is Microsoft's upside: third-party apps". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
^ Matt Rosoff (January 30, 2010). "How to make the iPad a better music device". CNET. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
^ Charlie Sorrel (January 28, 2010). "10 things missing from the iPad". Wired News. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
^ Charlie Sorrel (January 28, 2010). "Ten things missing from the iPad". CNN. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
^ Tabuchi, Hiroko (January 28, 2010). "IPad? That's So 2002, Fujitsu Says". The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
^ Nilay Patel (January 28, 2010). "Apple and Fujitsu inevitably caught up in iPad trademark dispute". Engadget. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
^ "Trademark Assignment Abstract of Title". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
^ Priya Ganapati (January 27, 2010). "Would You Buy an iPad? Wired Readers Weigh In". Wired News (Condé Nast). Retrieved February 1, 2010.
^ Dawn Chmielewski and Alex Pham (January 27, 2010). "Women mock the iPad, calling it iTampon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
^ a b "The iPad? Also available with wings?". France 24. Agence France-Presse. January 27, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
^ Zennie Abraham (January 27, 2010). "Apple iPad tablet called iTampon on Twitter; women tweet". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
^ Brian Barrett (January 27, 2010). "iTampon Is the #2 Trending Topic on Twitter". Gizmodo. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
^ Harry McCracken (2010-11-11). "The 50 Best Inventions of 2010: iPad". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
^ Best of What's New 2010: Gadgets Popular Science. Accessed: 5 December 2010.
^ Jannot, Mark. Best of What's New 2010: Our 100 Innovations of the Year Popular Science, 16 December 2010. Accessed: 5 November 2010.
^ Chris Foresman (August 9, 2010). "How Star Trek artists imagined the iPad… 23 years ago". Ars Technica. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
^ "iPad creeping into business offices". Computer World. September 13, 2010.
^ "Rise Of The Tablet Computer". Forbes. September 13, 2010.
^ Worthen, Ben (August 24, 2010). "Businesses Add iPads to Their Briefcases". The Wall Street Journal.
^ "MicroStrategy's Corporate Apps Boost Productivity". Bloomberg Businessweek. November 1, 2010. "About 42 percent of respondents in the survey, which was released in August, sought an increase in user productivity, followed by reduced paperwork (39 percent), and increased revenue (37 percent). The mobile-office application market in North America may reach $6.85 billion in 2015, up from an estimated $1.76 billion this year, Frost & Sullivan estimates."
^ Teleread.com: Teaching with the iPad. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
^ Spotty Banana: iPad in the Homeschool.. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
^ How Will the Apple iPad Change Our Kids' Lives?, Wired.com. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
^ 81 Percent of Top Book Apps Are Kids Titles, AOL News. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
^ iHelp for Autism, San Francisco Weekly. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
^ Shelly Xiaoli Zhu, Library Webmaster (2010-09-01). "blogs in Library". Maag.ysu.edu. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
^ Mark Topkin, Staff Writer (2010-11-28). "Rays Rumblings". tampabay.com. Retrieved 2010-12-07.
^ "Gorillaz are to release a free album on Christmas Day". BBC Newsbeat. BBC. December 10, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Mac
The Macintosh (pronounced /ˈmækɨntɒʃ/ MAK-in-tosh),[1] or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a graphical user interface rather than a command-line interface.[2] The company continued to have success through the second half of the 1980s, only to see it dissipate in the 1990s as the personal computer market shifted toward the "Wintel" platform: IBM PC compatible machines running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows.[3]
Years later, Apple consolidated its multiple consumer-level desktop models into the 1998 iMac all-in-one. This proved to be a sales success and saw the Macintosh brand revitalized, albeit not to the market share level it once had. Current Mac systems are mainly targeted at the home, education, and creative professional markets. They are: the descendants of the original iMac and the entry-level Mac mini desktop models, the Mac Pro tower graphics workstation, the MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops. The Xserve server will be discontinued in early 2011.[4]
Production of the Mac is based on a vertical integration model in that Apple facilitates all aspects of its hardware and creates its own operating system that is pre-installed on all Mac computers. This is in contrast to most IBM PC compatibles, where multiple sellers create and integrate hardware intended to run another company's operating software. Apple exclusively produces Mac hardware, choosing internal systems, designs, and prices. Apple does use third party components, however, such as graphics subsystems from nVidia and ATi. Current Mac CPUs use Intel's x86 architecture; the earliest models (1984–1994) used Motorola's 68k and models from 1994–2006 used the AIM alliance's PowerPC. Apple also develops the operating system for the Mac, currently Mac OS X version 10.6 "Snow Leopard". The modern Mac, like other personal computers, is capable of running alternative operating systems such as Linux, FreeBSD, and, in the case of Intel-based Macs, Microsoft Windows. However, Apple does not license Mac OS X for use on non-Apple computers.1979 to 1984: Development
Part of the original Macintosh design team, as seen on the cover of Revolution in the Valley.
Left to right: George Crow, Joanna Hoffman, Burrell Smith, Andy Hertzfeld, a Macintosh, Bill Atkinson, Jerry Manock.
The Macintosh project started in the late 1970s with Jef Raskin, an Apple employee, who envisioned an easy-to-use, low-cost computer for the average consumer. He wanted to name the computer after his favorite type of apple, the McIntosh,[5] but the name had to be changed for legal reasons as it was too close, phonetically, to that of the McIntosh audio equipment manufacturer. Steve Jobs requested a release of the name so that Apple could use it, but was denied, forcing Apple to eventually buy the rights to use the name.[6] Raskin was authorized to start hiring for the project in September 1979,[7] and he began to look for an engineer who could put together a prototype. Bill Atkinson, a member of Apple's Lisa team (which was developing a similar but higher-end computer), introduced him to Burrell Smith, a service technician who had been hired earlier that year. Over the years, Raskin assembled a large development team that designed and built the original Macintosh hardware and software; besides Raskin, Atkinson and Smith, the team included George Crow,[8] Chris Espinosa, Joanna Hoffman, Bruce Horn, Susan Kare, Andy Hertzfeld, Guy Kawasaki, Daniel Kottke,[9] and Jerry Manock.[10][11]
Smith’s first Macintosh board was built to Raskin’s design specifications: it had 64 kilobytes (KB) of RAM, used the Motorola 6809E microprocessor, and was capable of supporting a 256×256 pixel black-and-white bitmap display. Bud Tribble, a Macintosh programmer, was interested in running the Lisa’s graphical programs on the Macintosh, and asked Smith whether he could incorporate the Lisa’s Motorola 68000 microprocessor into the Mac while still keeping the production cost down. By December 1980, Smith had succeeded in designing a board that not only used the 68000, but increased its speed from 5 MHz to 8 MHz; this board also had the capacity to support a 384×256 pixel display. Smith’s design used fewer RAM chips than the Lisa, which made production of the board significantly more cost-efficient. The final Mac design was self-contained and had the complete QuickDraw picture language and interpreter in 64 KB of ROM – far more than most other computers; it had 128 KB of RAM, in the form of sixteen 64 kilobit (Kb) RAM chips soldered to the logicboard. Though there were no memory slots, its RAM was expandable to 512 KB by means of soldering sixteen IC sockets to accept 256 Kb RAM chips in place of the factory-installed chips. The final product's screen was a 9-inch, 512x342 pixel monochrome display, exceeding the prototypes.[12]
The original 1984 Mac OS desktop featured a radically new graphical user interface. Users communicated with the computer not through abstract textual commands but rather using a metaphorical desktop that included icons of real life items with which the user was already familiar.
The design caught the attention of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple. Realizing that the Macintosh was more marketable than the Lisa, he began to focus his attention on the project. Raskin finally left the Macintosh project in 1981 over a personality conflict with Jobs, and team member Andy Hertzfeld said that the final Macintosh design is closer to Jobs' ideas than Raskin's.[7] After hearing of the pioneering GUI technology being developed at Xerox PARC, Jobs had negotiated a visit to see the Xerox Alto computer and Smalltalk development tools in exchange for Apple stock options. The Lisa and Macintosh user interfaces were partially influenced by technology seen at Xerox PARC and were combined with the Macintosh group's own ideas.[13] Jobs also commissioned industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger to work on the Macintosh line, resulting in the "Snow White" design language; although it came too late for the earliest Macs, it was implemented in most other mid- to late-1980s Apple computers.[14] However, Jobs’ leadership at the Macintosh project did not last; after an internal power struggle with new CEO John Sculley, Jobs resigned from Apple in 1985,[15] went on to found NeXT, another computer company,[16] and did not return until 1997 when Apple acquired NeXT.The Macintosh 128K was announced to the press in October 1983, followed by an 18-page brochure included with various magazines in December.[18] The Macintosh was introduced by the now famous US$1.5 million Ridley Scott television commercial, "1984".[19] The commercial most notably aired during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII on 22 January 1984 and is now considered a "watershed event"[20] and a "masterpiece."[21] "1984" used an unnamed heroine to represent the coming of the Macintosh (indicated by a Picasso-style picture of Apple’s Macintosh computer on her white tank top) as a means of saving humanity from the "conformity" of IBM's attempts to dominate the computer industry. The ad alludes to George Orwell's novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, which described a dystopian future ruled by a televised "Big Brother."[22][23]
Two days after the 1984 ad aired, the Macintosh went on sale. It came bundled with two applications designed to show off its interface: MacWrite and MacPaint. It was first demonstrated by Steve Jobs in the first of his famous Mac Keynote speeches, and though the Mac garnered an immediate, enthusiastic following, some labeled it a mere "toy."[24] Because the operating system was designed largely around the GUI, existing text-mode and command-driven applications had to be redesigned and the programming code rewritten. This was a time consuming task that many software developers chose not to undertake, and could be regarded as a reason for an initial lack of software for the new system. In April 1984 Microsoft's MultiPlan migrated over from MS-DOS, with Microsoft Word following in January 1985.[25] In 1985, Lotus Software introduced Lotus Jazz for the Macintosh platform after the success of Lotus 1-2-3 for the IBM PC, although it was largely a flop.[26] Apple introduced Macintosh Office the same year with the lemmings ad. Infamous for insulting its own potential customers, the ad was not successful.[27]
The Apple Macintosh Plus at the Design Museum in Gothenburg, Sweden.
For a special post-election edition of Newsweek in November 1984, Apple spent more than US$2.5 million to buy all 39 of the advertising pages in the issue. Apple also ran a “Test Drive a Macintosh” promotion, in which potential buyers with a credit card could take home a Macintosh for 24 hours and return it to a dealer afterwards. While 200,000 people participated, dealers disliked the promotion, the supply of computers was insufficient for demand, and many were returned in such a bad shape that they could no longer be sold. This marketing campaign caused CEO John Sculley to raise the price from US$1,995 to US$2,495 (adjusting for inflation, about $5,200 in 2010).In 1985, the combination of the Mac, Apple’s LaserWriter printer, and Mac-specific software like Boston Software’s MacPublisher and Aldus PageMaker enabled users to design, preview, and print page layouts complete with text and graphics—an activity to become known as desktop publishing. Initially, desktop publishing was unique to the Macintosh, but eventually became available for other platforms as well.[30] Later, applications such as Macromedia FreeHand, QuarkXPress, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator strengthened the Mac’s position as a graphics computer and helped to expand the emerging desktop publishing market.
The limitations of the first Mac soon became clear: it had very little memory, even compared with other personal computers in 1984, and could not be expanded easily; and it lacked a hard disk drive or the means to attach one easily. Many small companies sprang up to address the memory issue, by upgrading the 128K Mac to 512 KB, by removing the computer's 16 memory chips and replacing them with larger-capacity chips, a tedious operation that was not always successful. In October 1985, Apple increased the Mac’s memory to 512 KB,[31] and offered an upgrade for 128K Macs that involved replacing the logic board. In an attempt to improve connectivity, Apple released the Macintosh Plus on January 10, 1986 for US$2,600. It offered one megabyte of RAM, easily expandable to four by the use of socketed RAM boards, and a SCSI parallel interface, allowing up to seven peripherals—such as hard drives and scanners—to be attached to the machine. Its floppy drive was increased to an 800 KB capacity. The Mac Plus was an immediate success and remained in production, unchanged, until October 15, 1990; on sale for just over four years and ten months, it was the longest-lived Macintosh in Apple's history.[32]
The Macintosh II, one of the first expandable Macintosh models.
Updated Motorola CPUs made a faster machine possible, and in 1987 Apple took advantage of the new Motorola technology and introduced the Macintosh II, which used a 16 MHz Motorola 68020 processor.[33] The primary improvement in the Macintosh II was Color QuickDraw in ROM, a color version of the graphics language which was the heart of the machine. Among the many innovations in Color QuickDraw were an ability to handle any display size, any color depth, and multiple monitors.
The Macintosh II marked the start of a new direction for the Macintosh, as now for the first time it had an open architecture with several NuBus expansion slots, support for color graphics and external monitors, and a modular design similar to that of the IBM PC. It had an internal hard drive and a power supply with a fan, which was initially fairly loud.[34] One third-party developer sold a device to regulate fan speed based on a heat sensor, but it voided the warranty.[35] Later Macintosh computers had quieter power supplies and hard drives.
In September 1986 Apple introduced the Macintosh Programmer's Workshop, or MPW that allowed software developers to create software for Macintosh on Macintosh, rather than cross compiling from a Lisa. In August 1987 Apple unveiled HyperCard, and introduced MultiFinder, which added cooperative multitasking to the Macintosh. Apple began bundling both with every Macintosh.
The Macintosh SE was released at the same time as the Macintosh II, as the first compact Mac with a 20 MB internal hard drive and one expansion slot.[36] The SE's expansion slot was located inside the case along with the CRT, potentially exposing an upgrader to high voltage. For this reason Apple recommended users bring their SE to an authorized Apple dealer to have upgrades performed.[37] The SE also updated Jerry Manock and Terry Oyama's original design and shared the Macintosh II's Snow White design language, as well as the new Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) mouse and keyboard that had first appeared on the Apple IIGS some months earlier.
In 1987, Apple spun off its software business as Claris. It was given the code and rights to several applications that had been written within Apple, notably MacWrite, MacPaint, and MacProject. In the late 1980s, Claris released a number of revamped software titles; the result was the “Pro” series, including MacPaint Pro, MacDraw Pro, MacWrite Pro, and FileMaker Pro. To provide a complete office suite, Claris purchased the rights to the Informix Wingz spreadsheet on the Mac, renaming it Claris Resolve, and added the new presentation software Claris Impact. By the early 1990s, Claris applications were shipping with the majority of consumer-level Macintoshes and were extremely popular. In 1991, Claris released ClarisWorks, which soon became their second best-selling application. When Claris was reincorporated back into Apple in 1998, ClarisWorks was renamed AppleWorks beginning with version 5.0.[38]
The Macintosh Portable was Apple's first battery-powered Macintosh. It was available from 1989 to 1991 and could run System 6 and System 7.
In 1988, Apple sued Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard on the grounds that they infringed Apple’s copyrighted GUI, citing (among other things) the use of rectangular, overlapping, and resizable windows. After four years, the case was decided against Apple, as were later appeals. Apple’s actions were criticized by some in the software community, including the Free Software Foundation (FSF), who felt Apple was trying to monopolize on GUIs in general, and boycotted GNU software for the Macintosh platform for seven years.[39][40]
With the new Motorola 68030 processor came the Macintosh IIx in 1988, which had benefited from internal improvements, including an on-board MMU.[41] It was followed in 1989 by a more compact version with fewer slots (the Macintosh IIcx)[42] and a version of the Mac SE powered by the 16 MHz 68030, the Macintosh SE/30.[43] Later that year, the Macintosh IIci, running at 25 MHz, was the first Mac to be “32-bit clean,” allowing it to natively support more than 8 MB of RAM,[44] unlike its predecessors, which had “32-bit dirty” ROMs (8 of the 32 bits available for addressing were used for OS-level flags). System 7 was the first Macintosh operating system to support 32-bit addressing.[45] Apple also introduced the Macintosh Portable, a 16 MHz 68000 machine with an active matrix flat panel display that was backlit on some models.[46] The following year the Macintosh IIfx, starting at US$9,900, was unveiled. Apart from its fast 40 MHz 68030 processor, it had significant internal architectural improvements, including faster memory and two Apple II CPUs dedicated to I/O processing.
Years later, Apple consolidated its multiple consumer-level desktop models into the 1998 iMac all-in-one. This proved to be a sales success and saw the Macintosh brand revitalized, albeit not to the market share level it once had. Current Mac systems are mainly targeted at the home, education, and creative professional markets. They are: the descendants of the original iMac and the entry-level Mac mini desktop models, the Mac Pro tower graphics workstation, the MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops. The Xserve server will be discontinued in early 2011.[4]
Production of the Mac is based on a vertical integration model in that Apple facilitates all aspects of its hardware and creates its own operating system that is pre-installed on all Mac computers. This is in contrast to most IBM PC compatibles, where multiple sellers create and integrate hardware intended to run another company's operating software. Apple exclusively produces Mac hardware, choosing internal systems, designs, and prices. Apple does use third party components, however, such as graphics subsystems from nVidia and ATi. Current Mac CPUs use Intel's x86 architecture; the earliest models (1984–1994) used Motorola's 68k and models from 1994–2006 used the AIM alliance's PowerPC. Apple also develops the operating system for the Mac, currently Mac OS X version 10.6 "Snow Leopard". The modern Mac, like other personal computers, is capable of running alternative operating systems such as Linux, FreeBSD, and, in the case of Intel-based Macs, Microsoft Windows. However, Apple does not license Mac OS X for use on non-Apple computers.1979 to 1984: Development
Part of the original Macintosh design team, as seen on the cover of Revolution in the Valley.
Left to right: George Crow, Joanna Hoffman, Burrell Smith, Andy Hertzfeld, a Macintosh, Bill Atkinson, Jerry Manock.
The Macintosh project started in the late 1970s with Jef Raskin, an Apple employee, who envisioned an easy-to-use, low-cost computer for the average consumer. He wanted to name the computer after his favorite type of apple, the McIntosh,[5] but the name had to be changed for legal reasons as it was too close, phonetically, to that of the McIntosh audio equipment manufacturer. Steve Jobs requested a release of the name so that Apple could use it, but was denied, forcing Apple to eventually buy the rights to use the name.[6] Raskin was authorized to start hiring for the project in September 1979,[7] and he began to look for an engineer who could put together a prototype. Bill Atkinson, a member of Apple's Lisa team (which was developing a similar but higher-end computer), introduced him to Burrell Smith, a service technician who had been hired earlier that year. Over the years, Raskin assembled a large development team that designed and built the original Macintosh hardware and software; besides Raskin, Atkinson and Smith, the team included George Crow,[8] Chris Espinosa, Joanna Hoffman, Bruce Horn, Susan Kare, Andy Hertzfeld, Guy Kawasaki, Daniel Kottke,[9] and Jerry Manock.[10][11]
Smith’s first Macintosh board was built to Raskin’s design specifications: it had 64 kilobytes (KB) of RAM, used the Motorola 6809E microprocessor, and was capable of supporting a 256×256 pixel black-and-white bitmap display. Bud Tribble, a Macintosh programmer, was interested in running the Lisa’s graphical programs on the Macintosh, and asked Smith whether he could incorporate the Lisa’s Motorola 68000 microprocessor into the Mac while still keeping the production cost down. By December 1980, Smith had succeeded in designing a board that not only used the 68000, but increased its speed from 5 MHz to 8 MHz; this board also had the capacity to support a 384×256 pixel display. Smith’s design used fewer RAM chips than the Lisa, which made production of the board significantly more cost-efficient. The final Mac design was self-contained and had the complete QuickDraw picture language and interpreter in 64 KB of ROM – far more than most other computers; it had 128 KB of RAM, in the form of sixteen 64 kilobit (Kb) RAM chips soldered to the logicboard. Though there were no memory slots, its RAM was expandable to 512 KB by means of soldering sixteen IC sockets to accept 256 Kb RAM chips in place of the factory-installed chips. The final product's screen was a 9-inch, 512x342 pixel monochrome display, exceeding the prototypes.[12]
The original 1984 Mac OS desktop featured a radically new graphical user interface. Users communicated with the computer not through abstract textual commands but rather using a metaphorical desktop that included icons of real life items with which the user was already familiar.
The design caught the attention of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple. Realizing that the Macintosh was more marketable than the Lisa, he began to focus his attention on the project. Raskin finally left the Macintosh project in 1981 over a personality conflict with Jobs, and team member Andy Hertzfeld said that the final Macintosh design is closer to Jobs' ideas than Raskin's.[7] After hearing of the pioneering GUI technology being developed at Xerox PARC, Jobs had negotiated a visit to see the Xerox Alto computer and Smalltalk development tools in exchange for Apple stock options. The Lisa and Macintosh user interfaces were partially influenced by technology seen at Xerox PARC and were combined with the Macintosh group's own ideas.[13] Jobs also commissioned industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger to work on the Macintosh line, resulting in the "Snow White" design language; although it came too late for the earliest Macs, it was implemented in most other mid- to late-1980s Apple computers.[14] However, Jobs’ leadership at the Macintosh project did not last; after an internal power struggle with new CEO John Sculley, Jobs resigned from Apple in 1985,[15] went on to found NeXT, another computer company,[16] and did not return until 1997 when Apple acquired NeXT.The Macintosh 128K was announced to the press in October 1983, followed by an 18-page brochure included with various magazines in December.[18] The Macintosh was introduced by the now famous US$1.5 million Ridley Scott television commercial, "1984".[19] The commercial most notably aired during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII on 22 January 1984 and is now considered a "watershed event"[20] and a "masterpiece."[21] "1984" used an unnamed heroine to represent the coming of the Macintosh (indicated by a Picasso-style picture of Apple’s Macintosh computer on her white tank top) as a means of saving humanity from the "conformity" of IBM's attempts to dominate the computer industry. The ad alludes to George Orwell's novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, which described a dystopian future ruled by a televised "Big Brother."[22][23]
Two days after the 1984 ad aired, the Macintosh went on sale. It came bundled with two applications designed to show off its interface: MacWrite and MacPaint. It was first demonstrated by Steve Jobs in the first of his famous Mac Keynote speeches, and though the Mac garnered an immediate, enthusiastic following, some labeled it a mere "toy."[24] Because the operating system was designed largely around the GUI, existing text-mode and command-driven applications had to be redesigned and the programming code rewritten. This was a time consuming task that many software developers chose not to undertake, and could be regarded as a reason for an initial lack of software for the new system. In April 1984 Microsoft's MultiPlan migrated over from MS-DOS, with Microsoft Word following in January 1985.[25] In 1985, Lotus Software introduced Lotus Jazz for the Macintosh platform after the success of Lotus 1-2-3 for the IBM PC, although it was largely a flop.[26] Apple introduced Macintosh Office the same year with the lemmings ad. Infamous for insulting its own potential customers, the ad was not successful.[27]
The Apple Macintosh Plus at the Design Museum in Gothenburg, Sweden.
For a special post-election edition of Newsweek in November 1984, Apple spent more than US$2.5 million to buy all 39 of the advertising pages in the issue. Apple also ran a “Test Drive a Macintosh” promotion, in which potential buyers with a credit card could take home a Macintosh for 24 hours and return it to a dealer afterwards. While 200,000 people participated, dealers disliked the promotion, the supply of computers was insufficient for demand, and many were returned in such a bad shape that they could no longer be sold. This marketing campaign caused CEO John Sculley to raise the price from US$1,995 to US$2,495 (adjusting for inflation, about $5,200 in 2010).In 1985, the combination of the Mac, Apple’s LaserWriter printer, and Mac-specific software like Boston Software’s MacPublisher and Aldus PageMaker enabled users to design, preview, and print page layouts complete with text and graphics—an activity to become known as desktop publishing. Initially, desktop publishing was unique to the Macintosh, but eventually became available for other platforms as well.[30] Later, applications such as Macromedia FreeHand, QuarkXPress, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator strengthened the Mac’s position as a graphics computer and helped to expand the emerging desktop publishing market.
The limitations of the first Mac soon became clear: it had very little memory, even compared with other personal computers in 1984, and could not be expanded easily; and it lacked a hard disk drive or the means to attach one easily. Many small companies sprang up to address the memory issue, by upgrading the 128K Mac to 512 KB, by removing the computer's 16 memory chips and replacing them with larger-capacity chips, a tedious operation that was not always successful. In October 1985, Apple increased the Mac’s memory to 512 KB,[31] and offered an upgrade for 128K Macs that involved replacing the logic board. In an attempt to improve connectivity, Apple released the Macintosh Plus on January 10, 1986 for US$2,600. It offered one megabyte of RAM, easily expandable to four by the use of socketed RAM boards, and a SCSI parallel interface, allowing up to seven peripherals—such as hard drives and scanners—to be attached to the machine. Its floppy drive was increased to an 800 KB capacity. The Mac Plus was an immediate success and remained in production, unchanged, until October 15, 1990; on sale for just over four years and ten months, it was the longest-lived Macintosh in Apple's history.[32]
The Macintosh II, one of the first expandable Macintosh models.
Updated Motorola CPUs made a faster machine possible, and in 1987 Apple took advantage of the new Motorola technology and introduced the Macintosh II, which used a 16 MHz Motorola 68020 processor.[33] The primary improvement in the Macintosh II was Color QuickDraw in ROM, a color version of the graphics language which was the heart of the machine. Among the many innovations in Color QuickDraw were an ability to handle any display size, any color depth, and multiple monitors.
The Macintosh II marked the start of a new direction for the Macintosh, as now for the first time it had an open architecture with several NuBus expansion slots, support for color graphics and external monitors, and a modular design similar to that of the IBM PC. It had an internal hard drive and a power supply with a fan, which was initially fairly loud.[34] One third-party developer sold a device to regulate fan speed based on a heat sensor, but it voided the warranty.[35] Later Macintosh computers had quieter power supplies and hard drives.
In September 1986 Apple introduced the Macintosh Programmer's Workshop, or MPW that allowed software developers to create software for Macintosh on Macintosh, rather than cross compiling from a Lisa. In August 1987 Apple unveiled HyperCard, and introduced MultiFinder, which added cooperative multitasking to the Macintosh. Apple began bundling both with every Macintosh.
The Macintosh SE was released at the same time as the Macintosh II, as the first compact Mac with a 20 MB internal hard drive and one expansion slot.[36] The SE's expansion slot was located inside the case along with the CRT, potentially exposing an upgrader to high voltage. For this reason Apple recommended users bring their SE to an authorized Apple dealer to have upgrades performed.[37] The SE also updated Jerry Manock and Terry Oyama's original design and shared the Macintosh II's Snow White design language, as well as the new Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) mouse and keyboard that had first appeared on the Apple IIGS some months earlier.
In 1987, Apple spun off its software business as Claris. It was given the code and rights to several applications that had been written within Apple, notably MacWrite, MacPaint, and MacProject. In the late 1980s, Claris released a number of revamped software titles; the result was the “Pro” series, including MacPaint Pro, MacDraw Pro, MacWrite Pro, and FileMaker Pro. To provide a complete office suite, Claris purchased the rights to the Informix Wingz spreadsheet on the Mac, renaming it Claris Resolve, and added the new presentation software Claris Impact. By the early 1990s, Claris applications were shipping with the majority of consumer-level Macintoshes and were extremely popular. In 1991, Claris released ClarisWorks, which soon became their second best-selling application. When Claris was reincorporated back into Apple in 1998, ClarisWorks was renamed AppleWorks beginning with version 5.0.[38]
The Macintosh Portable was Apple's first battery-powered Macintosh. It was available from 1989 to 1991 and could run System 6 and System 7.
In 1988, Apple sued Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard on the grounds that they infringed Apple’s copyrighted GUI, citing (among other things) the use of rectangular, overlapping, and resizable windows. After four years, the case was decided against Apple, as were later appeals. Apple’s actions were criticized by some in the software community, including the Free Software Foundation (FSF), who felt Apple was trying to monopolize on GUIs in general, and boycotted GNU software for the Macintosh platform for seven years.[39][40]
With the new Motorola 68030 processor came the Macintosh IIx in 1988, which had benefited from internal improvements, including an on-board MMU.[41] It was followed in 1989 by a more compact version with fewer slots (the Macintosh IIcx)[42] and a version of the Mac SE powered by the 16 MHz 68030, the Macintosh SE/30.[43] Later that year, the Macintosh IIci, running at 25 MHz, was the first Mac to be “32-bit clean,” allowing it to natively support more than 8 MB of RAM,[44] unlike its predecessors, which had “32-bit dirty” ROMs (8 of the 32 bits available for addressing were used for OS-level flags). System 7 was the first Macintosh operating system to support 32-bit addressing.[45] Apple also introduced the Macintosh Portable, a 16 MHz 68000 machine with an active matrix flat panel display that was backlit on some models.[46] The following year the Macintosh IIfx, starting at US$9,900, was unveiled. Apart from its fast 40 MHz 68030 processor, it had significant internal architectural improvements, including faster memory and two Apple II CPUs dedicated to I/O processing.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
iPad 2 rumors????
It’s nearly impossible to keep up with the chatter surrounding the iPad 2. Every day it seems like there’s a new rumor about a new model, a new launch date or even a USB port. It’s a bit overwhelming.
That’s why we decided to scour the web for the most prominent iPad 2 rumors and create a comprehensive guide detailing what we think is likely to be in the next generation of the iPad.
We’ve picked out our top 10 rumors and provided not only our analysis, but the percentage chance a specific iPad 2 rumor will actually come to fruition. We’d bet money on some of these rumors (two cameras), while others will only happen when pigs learn how to fly (the mythical 7-inch iPad).
Without further ado, here is our comprehensive guide to the iPad 2 rumors:
Rumor #1: There Will Be Three Versions of the iPad 2
One of the biggest rumors sweeping the web recently is that there will be three version of the iPad 2. One will be Wi-Fi only, one will support Wi-Fi and UMTS, the 3G technology utilized by AT&T Mobility, and the third model will support Wi-Fi and CDMA, used by Verizon Wireless for its 3G network. In other words, there will be a Verizon iPad.
According to DigiTimes, Apple will be shipping the Wi-Fi, UMTS and CDMA iPad 2 models in a 3:4:3 ratio, specifically because nearly two out of three of current iPad shipments are 3G models. There are currently two models of the iPad, a Wi-Fi version and a Wi-Fi + UMTS version that works exclusively on the AT&T network in the U.S.
This rumor makes total sense: Apple wants to expand the reach of the iPad, and adding a CDMA model for Verizon would complement a Verizon iPhone perfectly. Recently, Verizon started selling the Wi-Fi iPad with the Verizon MiFi 2200. We’re sure Verizon would much rather sell a CDMA iPad instead.
Likelihood of Happening: 85%
Rumor #2: iPad 2 Will Have a Front and Back-Facing Camera
Ever since the iPhone 4 was released, there have been multiple reports claiming that the new iPad will finally come with a front and a back-facing camera.
The primary reason cited for the change from the original iPad is Facetime. In order for Facetime to succeed as a product, Apple needs to flood the market with as many Facetime-capable devices as possible.
We expect Apple to rectify its biggest omission from the original iPad with the next generation model.
Likelihood of Happening: 99%
Rumor #3: Slimmer, Lighter and Retina Display
Earlier this month, reuters was told by its sources that the new iPad would be slimmer and lighter than its predecessor and would have a “better resolution display than the first iPad.”
Well, duh. Apple always tries to make its products slimmer and lighter. Just look at the iPhone’s evolution or the new MacBook Air for proof. It’s also a no-brainer that the iPad 2 will support Retina Display.
Likelihood of Happening: 99%
Rumor #4: The iPad 2 Will Have a Flat Back
This week there has been buzz about the 2nd generation iPad sporting a flat back after a supposed third party case was leaked to the web.
There’s no way that case is real, and you can take that to the bank. Why? Because Apple never releases the specs for new products to third party accessory makers; they’ve been burned too many times by leaks from third parties to make that type of rookie mistake.
This was completely apparent with the launch of the iPhone 4. There were no third party cases available at launch because none of the manufacturers knew the dimensions of the device. So trust us when we say the supposedly leaked iPad 2 case is total crap.
With that said, we wouldn’t be surprised if Apple did decide to make the back of the device flat. It makes more sense ergonomically. Still, the new iPod touch has a curved back, so it’s anybody’s guess what Apple plans to do.
Likelihood of Happening: 40%
Rumor #5: iPad 2: Now With Wide-Range Speakers?
Another rumor, this one from a Japanese blog, claims that the iPad 2 will not only have a thinner bezel, but that it will have a wide-range speaker covered with a metal mesh that will have far greater speaker capabilities.
This rumor kind of makes sense, given that there’s a greater need for the device to project sound. The iPad is a family device, and in order for a family to enjoy a movie together on the iPad, it needs to have decent speakers. We expect an upgraded speaker.
Still, we agree with Engadgett: the source has no track record and should be taken with a grain of salt. It won’t look like Mac Otakara’s CG render.
Likelihood of Happening: 50%
Rumor #6: The iPad 2 Will Have a USB Port
This rumor, courtesy of the Chinese publication Economic Daily News, claims Apple’s new tablet will have a USB port so it can connect to other devices. This would be a huge development because it would allow for the easy movement of files and information from USB drives and peripherals like printers or mice.
Unlike some of the other rumor sources on this list, Economic Daily News has a good track record. As PC World points out, it was the first one to figure out that Apple was building a tablet, not a netbook. DigiTimeshas also reported that the next generation iPad will sport a USB port.
Frankly, we’re not sure how much truth there is to this one, but it could happen. We just wouldn’t put our money on it.
Likelihood of Happening: 33%
Rumor #7: The iPad 2 Will Have a Dual-Core CPU
An analyst for Rodman & Renshaw made a stir just before Christmas by saying that the next generation iPad and iPhone will utilize a dual-core processor powered by two 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 cores.
A dual-core processor would give the iPad 2 and iPhone 5 far greater multitasking capabilities and would be a significant development in mobile technology.
The iPad 2 wouldn’t be the first mobile device to utilize a dual-core, though. That honor goes to the LG Optimus 2X Android smartphone. Do you really think Apple’s going to let Android beat them? No way.
Likelihood of Happening: 75%
Rumor #8: Non-Smudge Screen & Gyroscope
We won’t dive into these rumors too much, but suffice it to say, a screen that smudges less and an iPad that supports gyroscope functionality and apps just makes sense.
Likelihood of Happening: 90%
Rumor #9: A 7-Inch Version of the iPad?
We’ve heard multiple rumors claiming that Apple is not only building a 9.7-inch version of the iPad 2, but it’s also making a smaller, 7-inch model. The thinking is that a smaller model would be cheaper and more useful in certain situations.
Well, forget it. In an epic rant during Apple’s most recent earnings call, Steve Jobs himself shot down the possibility of a 7-inch iPad. The reason, he said, was that there simply wasn’t enough screen real estate for creating great tablet apps.
“While one could increase the resolution of the display to make up for some of the difference, it is meaningless unless your tablet also includes sandpaper, so that the user can sand down their fingers to around one quarter of their present size,” Jobs said during the earnings call.
In other words, the 7-inch iPad isn’t happening.
Likelihood of Happening: 2%
The Big Question: When Will the iPad 2 Launch?
Cameras, Facetime, a new speaker and a dual-core processor are all great potential additions to the iPad, but what we really want to know is when we will have one of the next generation iPads in our hands.
Nobody can seem to agree when it will launch. We’ve heard that the new iPads are coming in January (exactly a year after the original iPad’s launch), but we’ve also heard March and April.
The release date of the iPad likely depends on the launch date of the Verizon iPhone. Apple is unlikely to launch the iPad 2 and the Verizon iPhone at the same event, so if the Verizon iPhone comes out in March, we expect the iPad 2 in January, and if the Verizon iPhone arrives in January, then don’t expect the iPad 2 until March.
If we had to venture a guess, we’d say the new iPad will come out of the shadows in March, but it’s likely Apple hasn’t set the launch date for the next generation of its tablet, so it could come at almost any time.
Monday, January 31, 2011
iPad
The iPad is a tablet computer designed, developed and marketed by Apple primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. At about 1.5 pounds (680 grams), its size and weight fall between those of contemporary smartphones and Apple computers. Apple released the iPad in April 2010, and sold 3 million of the devices in 80 days.
According to a report released by Strategy Analytics, the Apple iPad had gained a 95 percent share of Tablet PC sales at the end of second quarter 2010. During the second quarter 2010, Apple had sold 4.19 million iPads around the world.
The iPad runs the same operating system as the iPod Touch and iPhone—and can run its own applications as well as iPhone applications. Without modification, it will only run programs approved by Apple and distributed via its online store.
Like iPhone and iPod Touch, the iPad is controlled by a multitouch display—a departure from most previous tablet computers, which used a pressure-triggered stylus—as well as a virtual onscreen keyboard in lieu of a physical keyboard. The iPad uses a WI-FI data connection to browse the Internet, load and stream media, and install software. Some models also have a 3G wireless data connection which can connect to HSPA data networks. The device is managed and synced by iTunes on a personal computer via USB cable.
Media reaction to the device has generally been neutral or positive, with more positive reaction after the device was launched.
Apple's first tablet computer was the Newton Messagepad 100, introduced in 1993, which led to the creation of the ARM6 processor core with Acorn Computers. Apple also developed a prototype PowerBook Duo-based tablet, the Pen Lite, but in order to avoid hurting MessagePad sales did not sell it. Apple released several more Newton-based PDAs, and discontinued the last, the MessagePad 2100, in 1998.
With the success of the introduction of portable music player iPod in 2001, Apple re-entered the mobile-computing market in 2007 with the iPhone. Smaller than the iPad but featuring a camera and mobile phone, it pioneered the multitouch finger-sensitive touchscreen interface of Apple's mobile operating system—iOS. By late 2009, the iPad's release had been rumored for several years. Mostly referred to as "Apple's tablet", iTablet and iSlate were among the speculated names. The iPad was announced on January 27, 2010, by Steve Jobs at an Apple press conference at the Yerba Buena Center For The Arts in San Francisco.
Jobs later admitted that development started on the iPad before the iPhone. Upon realizing that it would work just as well as a mobile phone, Jobs put development of the iPad on hold and decided to develop the iPhone instead.
The iPad's touchsreen display is a 9.7 in (25 cm) liquid crystal display (1024 × 768 pixels) with finger-print resistant and scratch-resistant glass. Steve Jobs backed the choice of screen size, saying a 7-inch screen would be "too small to express the software." He said 10 inches was the minimum for a tablet screen. Like the iPhone, the iPad is designed to be controlled by bare fingers; normal gloves and styli that prevent electrical conductivity may not be used, although there are special gloves and capacitive styli designed for this use.
The display responds to two other sensors: an ambient light sensor to adjust screen brightness and a 3-axis accelerometer to sense iPad orientation and switch between portrait and landscape modes. Unlike the iPhone and iPod touch built-in applications, which work in three orientations (portrait, landscape-left and landscape-right), the iPad built-in applications support screen rotation in all four orientations (the three aforementioned ones along with upside-down), meaning that the device has no intrinsic "native" orientation; only the relative position of the home button changes.
In total there are four physical switches on the iPad, including a home button below the display that returns the user to the main menu, and three plastic physical switches on the sides:wake/sleep and volume up/down, plus a third which, as of iOS 4.2, acts as a mute switch. Initially this switch was utilized to lock out the screen rotation function (reportedly to prevent unintended rotation when the user is lying down). However, with the iOS 4.2 update, this functionality was removed and rotation lock is now controlled with a software toggle via the iOS task switcher. There is no means to reassign the physical switches functionality in the official iOS release.
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