iGame Radio

The announcement has been made, and the rumors became true. Not that I had any doubts that Apple would be releasing a tablet Mac. The real rumor would be what it was called.

It’s the iPad (cue Maxipad jokes in 3, 2, 1…).

What is the iPad? It might best be described as a cross between a netbook and an iPhone. A tablet sporting the iPhone OS, using a custom Apple chip running at 1GHz. The screen is 9.7 inches long (basically, 10 inches), 1/2 inch thick, and is an LED touchscreen. The sucker weighs in at about 1.5 lbs, and uses the same mechanisms that an iPhone uses for the home and sleep/awake switches. A battery that Apple claims will hold for 10 hours of normal use is inside. No word yet on whether it can be replaced, but I’m betting not unless you’re an “Apple Certified Technician”.

No USB…connecting via a dock mechanism. I’m not too impressed with that. However, there is a dock mechanism for holding up the thing and connecting a keyboard to type with. Wifi includes 802.11n, also 3G if you’re willing to pay extra. Still AT&T, but big bonus, NO CONTRACT REQUIRED. Bluetooth and GSM also included. Lastly, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB drives available.

For the software side, includes Safari, Mail, iPhoto, YouTube access, iTunes, an iPod app, a new iBook app, and instant access to all of the App Store apps currently available. The iBook app is Apple’s new ebook reader. Yeah, they’ve gone so green that they’ve decided to recycle names now.

When the iPad is available, you can buy it for $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, or $699 for 64GB. This is for the Wifi only version. Want 3G? Add $130 on top of that.

So, what about games? Well, Steve Jobs said that a couple of weeks ago, they invited a few developers to take a look at the iPad and see what they could produce. Gameloft came on stage first to show off what they had done. Nova is a shooter wherein they took advantage of the entire screen real estate to best effect. EA also came on stage to show off Need for Speed, which apparently ran quite smoothly. They were able to add additional features to the game because they had so much more space on the screen, such as the ability to look inside the car.

So, what is the future of this device? What has been the response from people? How will it do with gaming?

First, I’ll start with the response. I noticed that from those who are intimately tied to the programming world…i.e. those that are programmers, and especially those that would have the skill to tweak their own devices for doing what they want…the response has been mostly negative. They are not interested in something that they don’t see will improve performance for them. Basically, they have everything set up the way they want it right now, and the iPad won’t fill a niche for them because, quite frankly, there isn’t a niche to fill.

And I hate to let them in on a big secret that they apparently haven’t figure out, but THEY AREN’T THE TARGET MARKET. The majority of the people who will be buying this device are the folks who overwhelmingly bought the iPod. And they are much more positive towards the iPad. This is a device for the consumer to consume media content. Not for the producer to produce more.

Will it revolutionize the ebook world with the iBook app? No, I don’t really think so. And I don’t think that’s it’s intent. But I have to tell you, when I wake up in the mornings, and when I am finished for the day and spend my evenings in the living room, much of the time I’m sitting on a couch or comfie chair with my laptop open, surfing the web, checking email, and doing work that doesn’t require GHz in speed. Or just playing games that don’t require Teh Pro System to play. This would be the perfect fit for me, because lugging the Macbook Pro around the house is a pain in the butt. And I’m quite certain a significant portion of the population of the US, Canada, Europe, and even Asia will probably agree.

As far as gaming is concerned, obviously you’re not going to be playing Dragon Age: Origins on this thing. And why would you want to? This is the perfect device for the online gaming scene. I hesitate to use the word “casual” at this point, because that word tends to conjure up images of hidden object and puzzle games, when that industry has grown far past that point. The increased real estate allows for a large number of choices that the iPhone did not provide before in gaming.

So, will this actually go anywhere? That’s super hard to say. Frankly, at this point, I’m on the fence about it. I’m excited by the gaming potentials regarding it. If I were a consumer and I was looking for a new electronic device for media consumption, I’d be interested in this device. But I think that I’ll have to really play with it a bit to decide just how useful it is in the everyday world. I think I’ll take the wait and see attitude at this point.

Oh, and for the record? If there were more women in the tech industry, tragedies like calling an electronic device an “iPad” wouldn’t happen. Just sayin’.