When Apple dropped the Newton line of palm-computing devices in the late nineties, many people were severely disappointed. The project was abandoned by Apple, but die-hard Newton fans hunkered down and kept the systems going for years afterward. To give credit to Apple, the Newton Messagepad was designed well enough so that even today it is still considered a viable option by some people. Through Apple's ups and downs, there has been speculation on whether or not Apple would revive the Newton, and while recently it has been clear Apple's Newton days are over, the hope for Apple to return to palm and tablet computing devices has not faded.
(Credit: Apple)While the iPhone can be considered Apple's next-generation MessagePad, after much speculation Apple's long-rumored entrance into tablet computing has finally arrived. In the past few weeks the hype has ramped up all over the Web, with fake images, speculation based on domain name registrations, "leaked" advertisements, patent investigations, and comments from various tech and media CEOs, all of which have built quite a stir around the latest "creation" from Apple. Today Apple has put the rumors to rest with the announcement of the iPad; however, what is the purpose of this device and will it succeed?
Apple's Tablet, in a nutshell
At first glance, the device does not look like much, and as rumored it basically resembles a large iPhone, complete with a home button and glass touch screen. True to the style that has come to define Apple products, the device looks simple and well-built, with a rigid glass display and a inch or so of bezel area around the display. The display is a full capacitive multitouch panel, as was expected, but is also an LED-backlit IPS (In-Plane Switching) display that has a great viewing angle. The back is aluminum, and there are various connectors on the sides for power, sleep, and volume controls.