Today, 9/09/09, Apple Computer launched the Apple iPad Computer, or at least it did in a number of predictions floating around the internet.   Rumor has it that on 9/9/09 at 1:00pm EST (10:00am PST) Apple will unveil the much anticipated Apple iPad at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco.   That being said, we couldn’t resist offering our own dissemination on the Apple iPad specs.
 
1. Steve Jobs 2.0   Steve is BACK, new and improved!!!   After a liver transplant and beating back cancer, Jobs will take the stage looking fit and healthy, and introduce new products as well with a 3D holographic of The Beatles playing “Yellow Submarine” in the background.   The new iPlayer will not only offer 3-D projection, but will also be compatible with the new Apple line as 3-D virtual reality sunglasses.   In addition, he will show off a few well thought out dance moves thought up while in recovery.   Apple’s stock price will rise 5.5% as a result in trading between 3 and 5 pm.

 
2. The Apple iPad will be unveiled.   Instead of introducing a 10″ model as most everyone has predicted thus far, Apple will surprise everyone with a mini tablet model with a 6.5″ widescreen capable of outputting 3-D movies.   Live streaming movies are a definite possibility with the addition of HD output and 3.5 G GSM radios.   Other innovations will include gaming capabilities and optional Bluetooth game controllers.   In addition, the Apple iPad will come standard with a still and video camera with user friendly software used to upload video to popular services.   Going another step further, Apple will offer iMedia, an extension of iTunes, which will be comparable to YouTube.   The 10″ iPad will be introduced in March 2010, and will be nicknamed the Maxi.
 
3. The Full Beatles Catalog will be available, and to kick off the celebrations, Yoko Ono Lennon and son Sean as well as Paul McCartney will broadcast a mini concert live to the Apple fans! Steve Jobs will once again amaze the Apple stockholders with his dance moves and ability to lip-synch.
 
4. 3D Movies. Steve Jobs leapfrogs the competition by offering 3D Movies, as well as a 3D display mode.
 
5. The New iTouch will offer a 2x zoom 3 Megapixel camera with face detection, a non-contact power system, and the dock as well as the new iTouch models will be upgraded to USB 3.0.   The iTouch will come with stereo microphones, and Jobs will demonstrate both the new stereo bluetooth headset, as well as the Bluetooth stereo and surround sound speakers and enhanced dock with HDMI output.
 
6. HD 720p becomes the standard.   The iTunes store will drop standard definition video content and replace it with HD 720p video and movies with 5.1 Dolby surround sound.   New movies and TV shows will be upgraded due to the fact that the sales of the HD 720p shows at $2.99 were extremely weak in comparison to the $1.99 SD version but download costs were the samel, within about two cents.   Expect premium video resolution to become the iPad standard as each generation of iTunes has seen the quality and resolution of video content almost double.   Do not look for Apple to introduce full HD 1920p just yet as the download times would be extremely slow for most surfers.
 
7. Apple TV 3.0 is introduced.   In addition to being bigger, stronger and faster Apple TV is now a gaming console.   It will wow the masses with USB 3.0, external hard drive support and easy to use DVR function supported by the included tuner.   CPU speed will double, Bluetooth game pads will be included along with an assortment of demos and one full gamel.   The icing on the cake is the fact that with an external look alike multimedia and amplifier module, it will play Blue-Ray, DVD’s and CD’s.   Simply add external speakers and a screen and you have your home theatre system.
 
8. The Micro Air MacBook will be introduced.   Rumor in our back room has it that instead of producing a Apple iTablet or iPad, the mythical 10″ LCD screens are actually destined for a Micro Air Laptop.   It will be as if Steve Jobs simply took the 3.0 Lb 13.3″ Screen MacBook Air, and put it in the dryer to shrink it down to a 10″ display screen and weight of 1.5 lbs. Oh, and added wireless USB.   Smaller, Smaller… that’s it.
 
9. Apple Gaming Division is announced.   To help kick off the celebration, Apple announces that a special Beatles Edition of Rock Band will be made available for both the iTouch, iPad, and Apple TV 3.0 immediately.   In addition to a free copy of the Beatles Rock Band edition, the first 100,000 customers get free wireless Bluetooth game controllers and free Bluetooth stereo headsets.   Steve really is a huge music fan, and this is his master coup.
 
10. Will the Apple iPad Computer Tablet launch today?   We think not.   Rather we predict the 10″ Micro Air and the 6″ Maxi Ipad / iTouch Max.   But if it does launch today, the Apple iPad Computer will be a breakthrough multimedia device, combining the best of the Apple TV, the iTouch, and a Netbook.   It would look like a Max sized iTouch, or a shrunken down MacBook Air.   Specs will include stereo Bluetooth, Gaming, Remote Control of iTunes and Media.   It may be nicknamed the Media Slate, and will come with software to match.   The real reason why the true iPad will not be announced is that both ATT and Verizon have told Jobs that their networks can not yet handle the volume of traffic expected from the media Pad he has developed, which will have either a 3.5G or 4G radio inside.   Jobs is ready to push technology to the next level but has to wait for everyone else to catch up so that live streaming HD video will play directly through the cell companies’ networks.
 
11. iTunes Store offers iMedia and iTunes Virtual Community.   Having seen album sales slide quarter after quarter, Steve Jobs and music industry bosses have formulated a plan to bring back the album.   A new format will be introduced that emulates and improves upon a vinyl album, including 3d album liner, lyrics, photo gallery, audio notes, and more.   iTunes Virtual?   Expect hyper links galore at minimum and even possibly a Wikipedia/Myspace social networking mashup.   Apple wants to make iTunes a community and social destination where you can discuss your favorite music, movies, concerts and tv shows.   We think that only Apple can pull this off by building a easy to navigate yet full featured interactive music community.   Will it be virtual? Will it be 3-D?   At this point, only Apple knows the answers to all we speculate…
 
We will all know the truth only after the curtain rises, and the magic show is over, until next time, that it. Hopefully, Steve will not do “The Robot” dance as planned. Now, did we mention the Apple Robot being introduced? Hmmm.   Either way, today will leave us with new products to use and analyze, and we will have a greater understanding of what the future holds for Apple and it’s rapidly expanding Media empire.

What is an iPad Computer?

An iPad computer, or iPad tablet computer, with the “i” meaning “INTERNET”, is a touch sensitive computer designed for surfing the net, media play and portability, made by Sony, HP, Apple (pending), Nokia, Dell, and more.
 
* The iPad Computer should cost somewhere between $400 and $1,000.
 
What makes the iPad different from the first generation tablet computers?   In addition to size and weight, companies like Apple and Sony are introducing advanced communication features such as webcams, bluetooth and 802.11 N WiFi.   However, this is only projected information as Apple has not yet announced the release of an iPad or tablet type computer.
 
The size and weight of present and projected iPads range anywhere from 5×7, 12 ounces to 8.5×11 and two pounds.   Possible advanced features of the iPad could include a Bluetooth keyboard that “docks,” a stereo Bluetooth headset optimized for audio, voice recognition and 3G/4G capability.
 
For those of us trying to envision what the iPad may look like when it is unveiled, the possibilities are endless.   Imagine the MacBook Air minus the keyboard and the addition of a touch sensitive screen.

 
Decreasing the MacBook screen from the current 13 inches to 10 inches would perhaps make it a 1.5 Ib super iPad. Going one step further and equipping the iPad with USB 3.0 and a high resolution camera with face tracking, would put a power touch on the system.
 
Conversely, Apple may simply take the phenomenally popular iTouch and put it on steroids, thereby increasing the screen size from 3.5 inches to six inches.     This would allow sufficient resolution for both e-book legibility and downloadable and on demand high-definition movies.   Industry rumblings also suggest that Apple may turn the iPad into an iGame machine by adding a higher speed graphic coprocessor.
 
This would be Apple’s first move into the gaming arena and would be significant if the iPad came equipped with Bluetooth wireless controllers, wireless media server and iCamera – preferably one with 3-D capability.   The icing on the cake would be to pair the iPad with the Apple TV, as an ultra remote, drawing table and content controller.
 
Other issues surrounding the iPad include those about operating systems and battery life.   Of great importance is the fact that Apple had previously shrunk the OS X for the iTouch, therefore they would have an insignificant amount of re-writing to do in order to ready an OS for a larger, faster iPad.   Apple has already addressed the battery life issue by installing non-removable batteries, with a promised life of between five to seven years, in the Air portable and new generation 13, 15 and even 17 inch MacBooks.   These non-removable, ultra capacity, long life batteries are exactly what is needed to not cripple processor speeds, while at the same time still pleasing the “must watch a three hour movie” crowd.
 
It is widely expected that Apple will make a move into both the textbook and book publishing market in order to counter [/caption] Amazon’s Kindle, now in its second generation, and Sony’s e-book readers, two of which were just announced with mention of a third model coming.   Sony has teamed up with industry heavyweight Google to offer more than one million e-books at launch.
 
Sony has been in the position to release a tablet for years, as the PSP has always had the processing power and the graphics capability necessary.   Imagine the Sony PSP, now in its 2.5 generation, upgraded with a touch sensitive screen.   Many people who have attempted to watch movies or surf the Web on the PSP have been hoping for a larger version for years.   It is now or never.   If Sony does not make a move soon it will miss the opportunity of a lifetime.
 

  Speculation has arisen that cell phone giant Nokia would make a move into the iPad/iTablet arena as well.   For several years, Nokia has been incrementally improving its Wifi internet browsing mini tablet.   I bet you never heard of it, but I had one three years ago.   By the way, the Nokia has been running at 800×480 resolution for years.
 
And what if Apple joins with Garmin and installs the Garmin GPS Map software and a GPS chip on all systems?   Instant car karma.
 
If you wanted to get fancier, you could have two iPads side by side, and drag content from one to the other.   (Take THAT, Microsoft!)
 
We predict that between Fall 2009 and Spring 2010, the battle will be on, and it will be the year of the iPad tablet Computer.