iPad

I am not going to comment on this one – the message is straightforward and well illustrated – draw your conclusions…

Kudos to the folks at iFixit, a “how-to site for crazy folks”.

Audio:

Freq response: 20 Hz to 20 KHz
Formats:
- AAC (16-320 Kbps)
- AIFF and WAV
- Apple Lossless Format
- Audible (formats 2, 3, 4)
- Audio formats supported: HE-AAC (V1)
- MP3 (16-320 Kbps)
- MP3 VBR
- Protected AAC (from iTunes Store)
Volume Range: User-configurable maximum volume limit

Video/TV:

Support for the following video resolutions:
- 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter,
- 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable,
- 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable

Also support for H.264 video up to:
720p 30 frames per second
Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v
.mp4 file format;
.mov file format;
MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps
Resolution 640 by 480 pixels – 30 frames per second
Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps 48kHz stereo audio in .m4v
.mp4 and .mov file formats;
Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps 1280 by 720 pixels 30 frames per second – audio in ulaw – PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Here is the official list of languages, keyboard layouts and dictionaries supported by the iPad (source link below):

Full language support for the following languages:

• Dutch
• English
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Russian
• Simplified Chinese
• Spanish

Keyboard support for the following keyboard layouts:

• Dutch
• English (USA)
• English (United Kingdom)
• Flemish
• French (France and Canada)
• German
• Italian
• Japanese (QWERTY layout)
• Russian
• Simplified Chinese (Pinyin/Handwriting)
• Spanish

Dictionary support for the following languages:

• Dutch
• English (USA)
• English (United Kingdom)
• Flemish
• French
• French (Canadian variant)
• French (Swiss variant)
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Russian
• Simplified Chinese (Pinyin/Handwriting)
• Spanish

See Apple’s site for more details (link)

From the Wired Gadget Lab comes an interesting story on the A4 chip. Wired claims that the chip is a SOC with the following components:

• ARM’s Cortex A8 single-core processor – http://www.arm.com/products/processors/cortex-a/cortex-a8.php
• Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR SGX GPU – http://www.imgtec.com/PowerVR/sgx.asp

Here is a quote regarding PA Semi’s role in the chip development:

If the A4 SOC’s parts were outsourced, the role of PA Semi, a semiconductor manufacturer that Apple acquired in April 2008, remains unclear. Stokes speculates that the PA Semi team may have helped optimize the A4 to extend battery life for the iPad, which Apple claims will last 10 hours with active usage and one month on standby.

Read more at the Wired’s site here.

iSupply just posted a virtual teardown manufacturing cost numbers for all models – I’ve shuffled the numbers a bit bit it seems that Apple has a hefty margin on each model (50%+) and I would not be surprised if we were to see big price drops within first three months after the release. If I had to predict I’d probably say that we will be seeing a $100 to $150 price drop as sometimes in June. Needless to say – the most expensive element of the system is the screen, followed by memory and 3G components. Take a look at the table below and hit the comments sections…

• (1) Li Ion Polymer 25W
• (2) ARM Core with GPU Integrated SoC (iSupply assumes this)
• (3) 4GB (512MB, PoP)
• (4) Single chip solution
• (5) Accelerometer, Compass – assumed present in all configurations
• (6) Baseband, RF, PA, etc.

A quick note on a brief article published in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (link):

The article focuses on Apple’s decision to go with A4 instead of Intel or Qualcomm’s chips. I reckon this topic will become more discussed in next couple of months as it underline’s Apple’s strategic decision to keep focus on hardware in order to shape its future growth.

Also, I’ve seen a number of iPad unit sales volume projections for the iPad but interestingly enough Goldman’s projection seems to keep popping more frequently than others.

Goldman Sachs estimates that Apple will sell 6 million iPads this year. By contrast, the market for mobile phones will reach 1 billion units and PC sales will be about 300 million. Still, the iPad is a high-profile attempt to crack a market that Qualcomm and Intel have set their sights on, said Jagdish Rebello, an analyst at research firm ISuppli Corp.

“Intel would have wanted to get into this device, Qualcomm would have wanted to get into this device,” Rebello said. He also expects Apple to use the A4 in future models of the iPhone.

“IPad is powered by our own custom silicon,” Jobs said at the iPad’s introduction. “We have an incredible group that does custom silicon at Apple.”

The A4 image comes to you via iFixit’s Twitter feed

Here is the listing with the iPad specifications (it’s a long list so hang in there) – some of the items will need further clarification (e.g., 10 hours battery life is claimed for both video and audio use – the two should not be the same) but overall the list is pretty extensive. The connectivity geeks will be a bit disappointed (see below) as options are rather limited (in this respect iPad more resembles the iPhone than a Mac laptop).

Hit the list and please let me know your thoughts.

Dimensions/Physical Dimensions

• Height: 9.56 inches (242.8 mm)
• Width: 7.47 inches (189.7 mm)
• Depth: Half inch (13.4 mm)
• Weight Wi-Fi iPad: 1.5 lbs (0.68 kg)
• Weight Wi-Fi with 3G model: 1.6 lbs (0.73 kg)

Screen

• Diagonal 9.7-inch fully LED-back-lit glossy wide-screen
• Multi-Touch display with In-Plane Switching technology (IPS)
• 1024×768 pixel resolution (132 px/inch – aka ppi)
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating (olephobic = lacking affinity for oils)
• Support for display of Unicode, multi language/character in a simultaneous fashion

Data Storage Capacity

• 16GB flash memory
• 32GB flash memory
• 64GB flash memory

CPU/Processor

• 1GHz Apple A4 processor
• It’s a custom-designed chip claimed to be a high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip unit

Sensors/Embedded

• Accelerometer
• Ambient light sensor

Wireless Capabilities/Cellular

Wi-Fi model

• Wi-Fi (802.11 a, b, g, n)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology

Wi-Fi + 3G model

• UMTS/HSDPA (2100, 850, 1900 MHz)
• GSM/EDGE (2100, 850, 1900, 900 MHz)
• No telephone, No Voice and Data only. Data plan will have to be purchased by the user.
• Wi-Fi (802.11 a, b, g, n)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology

Geo-positioning/Location Mapping

• Via Wi-Fi
• Via Digital compass
• Via Assisted GPS (for Wi-Fi + 3G units only)
• Via Cellular Connection (for Wi-Fi 3G units only)

What’s in the box

• iPad
• Dock Connector to USB Cable
• 10W USB Power Adapter
• Documentation

Eco Friendly Features

• Arsenic-free display glass
• Brominated flame retardant free (no BFR)
• Mercury-free LCD display
• PVC-free
• Recyclable metal (aluminum) and glass housing

Accessibility Options

• CC (closed-captioned) content display enabled
• VoiceOver screen reader
• Full-screen zoom magnification
• White on black display
• Mono audio

Language Support

• Language support for English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish
• Keyboard support for English (U.S.) English (UK), Canada), Dutch, Flemish, French (France, German, Italian, Japanese (QWERTY), Russian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Spanish
• Dictionary support for English (U.S.), Dutch, English (UK), Flemish, French, French (Canadian), French (Swiss), German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Simplified Chinese (Handwriting and Pinyin), Spanish

Document/File Format Support

• .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images), .doc and .docx (Word), .htm and .html (web pages), .key (Keynote), .numbers (Numbers), .pages (Pages), .pdf (Preview and Acrobat), .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint), .rtf (rich text format), .txt (text), .vcf (contact information), .xls and .xlsx (Excel)

Video Quality (Definition) Support

• Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter
• 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable
• 576i and 480i with Apple Composite Cable

Video Formats

• H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second (fps), Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov formats
• MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 fps, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov formats

Audio Support

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Audio formats supported: AAC (16 – 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 – 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4), Apple Lossless Audio Format, AIFF, and WAV Audio Format
• User-adjustable max volume limit

Power and Battery Specs

• Built-in 25 Watt Hours rechargeable lithium-polymer built in non-replaceable battery
• Up to 10 hr of surfing the internet on Wi-Fi connection, watching video, or listening to music
• Charging via Apple iPad power adapter or USB port

Connectivity (Input/Output Options)

• Docking: Dock connector
• Audio: 3.5-mm stereo headphone connector jack
• Sound: Built-in speaker
• Mic: Microphone
• Cellular: SIM card tray (Not available for non 3G units)

Controls and Buttons

• On/Off Sleep/Wake Button
• Mute Button
• Volume (Up/Down) Button
• Home Button

Host System Requirements (Mac) – see below for Windows

• OSX based computer with USB 2.0 port
• Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later
• iTunes 9.0 or higher
• iTunes account
• Internet access

Host System Requirements (Windows) – see above for Mac

• Windows based computer with USB 2.0 port
• Windows 7, Vista or XP Home/Professional (min SP 3 required)
• iTunes 9.0 or higher
• iTunes account
• Internet access

Environmental requirements

• Working temperature: 32° to 95° Fahrenheit (0° to 35° Celsius)
• Able to withstand in non-operating mode the following temperature ranges: -4° to 113° Fahrenheit (-20° to 45° Celsius)
• Relative humidity range: 5% to 95% (non-condensing)
• Maximum operating altitude:  10K ft (3 km)