Apple iPad: CNet & Other Reviews... and Plenty of Spoofs

Steve Jobs launched the Apple iPad with plenty of flair on Wednesday, and the reviewers are weighing it. You can find CNet's Apple iPad review here, which as you'd expect from that site gives a lot of information including an overview, specifications, detailed information, and reader reviews.

In another article, two CNET staffers debate the merits of the iPad, looking at the audience it's meant for, how it meets (or doesn't meet) that audience's needs, what it has and what it's lacking, and how it stacks up as a reading, gaming, and work device.

PC World links to reviews of the iPad here, and also offers its own brief hands-on iPad review.




Of course, if you've been anywhere near the Internet since the iPad launch you've no doubt heard the many jokes about the product's name, which reminds many people of a feminine hygiene product. You can find a collection of a variety of iPad jokes and spoofs here. Lots of folks have pointed out that MadTV did a skit on the feminine protection/iPad idea a few years ago, as seen in the video above.

Of course, if the iPad is a hit, the jokes about the name will be soon forgotten.

The Apple Tablet: OS, Design, Partners, Rumors, Etc.

***UPDATE:*** Apple introduces iPad device - follow the live blog at Mashable at that link.

The worst-kept secret in technology these days is the expected launch of the Apple Tablet, which is to happen Wednesday, January 27th, at 1 p.m. Eastern time. (There is to be live video of the Apple Tablet announcement here, but the server seems to be constantly busy. You can follow a number of live blogs of the event, including Apple Insider [below] and Mashable). 

Steve Jobs will come down from the mountaintop (metaphorically speaking) in Cupertino and have the assembled media masses ooh-ing and ah-ing with the latest shiny gadget from Apple. So what do we really know, and where does that evidence point?  

Though it's a brand-new high-tech device, the Apple Tablet is lifting the hopes of a lot of old-media businesses, says an article in yesterday's L.A. Times. A team from the New York Times has been out in Cupertino working with Apple to work on a large-screen version of the iPhone's application for the paper, and "Condé Nast Publications, publisher of 18 magazines, and HarperCollins Publishers have been approached about developing content for Apple's tablet, according to the Wall Street Journal." 

Speaking of publishers, Apple Insider says that the CEO of McGraw-Hill revealed details on some specific aspects of the Apple Tablet, noting that "the device will run the iPhone mobile operating system" (video above). They also have an article talking about what they think is the Apple Tablet design. And the New York Times notes that the Apple Tablet may give traditional publishers not only a new outlet for their products, but a new way to make money from it.

In addition, Apple Insider has set up a Web site where you can watch the Apple Tablet event live on Wednesday.
And if you're tired of the hype around the Apple Tablet or just want to have fun, the New York Times has posted an Apple Tablet game where you can guess the features and attributes of the latest creation from Steve Jobs & Co.

Apple Looking to Save the Album with Tablet, iTunes Extras

Apple, the company that has sped the downfall of the CD by becoming the top (legal) provider of recorded music, is now said to be making moves to save the album format.

As originally reported in the Financial Times and explained here on All Things Digital, Apple is planning to release a long-awaited tablet computer before the holidays, bigger than an iPod touch but smaller than a MacBook, that is being "prepped to launch alongside a next-generation digital album format Apple is cooking up with the four largest recording companies, one designed to gin up sales of CD-length music."

The Financial Times mentions a September release for the Apple tablet (the same time that the company usually refreshes its iPod lineup), and suggests that the tablet will have a 10-inch screen. It also says that Apple has been working on the project, codenamed "Cocktail," with the four major record labels.

All Things Digital calls the project a "new music format that will gather songs, photos, lyrics sheets, video clips and liner notes into a sort of interactive booklet."

BusinessInsider.com notes that, "The main idea is to get people spending $10-20 at a time on iTunes--on a multimedia-bundled album--instead of $1-2 on one or two single-song downloads." The site notes that the concept will not really bring a lot more money to Apple, but could be a boon for the music labels that partner with the computer maker.

Will these kind of extras encourage people to buy albums instead individual tracks? Would they get you to buy an album? As a guy who grew up with the album format (going all the way back to vinyl LPs, in fact), I've always liked the idea of a cohesive group of tunes, so I buy albums anyway (unless I find during sampling that there are only one or two good tracks on it).

It will be interesting to see if this project, assuming it comes off as predicted, will nudge other music consumers to do the same.