[Best of the Web -- Wednesday, 27 January 2010]

The iPad has landed: Finally, it’s here. Steve Jobs has shown his hand by introducing the iPad (no, not the iSlate), a tablet computer that the Apple CEO hopes will change the way people read books, play videogames and access the Internet.

Calling it a “magical and revolutionary” addition to Apple’s product line, Jobs told a captive audience in San Francisco the tablet was “way better than a laptop [and] way better than a smartphone”.

These are some the key details:

• Starts at US$499 for a 16GB version without 3G, rising to $829 with 3G and all the bells and whistles
• Just under 700g in weight, and half an inch thick
• Up to 10 hours of battery life and a month on standby
• iBook Store launched in partnership with HarperCollins, Penguin, and others. No mention of McGraw-Hill, despite earlier speculation
• Integrated accelerometer and compass, as in the iPhone
• Will run all 140 000 iPhone and iPod Touch applications, with pixel-doubling to fill the screen
• Custom microprocessor known as the A4, running at 1GHz
• Shipping in March (Wi-Fi versions) and April (3G versions)
• Not yet known when the product will be available in SA and which companies will distribute it

TechCentral will bring you all the news on the SA launch of the iPad in the upcoming days. Stay tuned to this website for the very best quality local coverage. [CNN] [BusinessWeek] [Engadget] [CNet News] [The Telegraph] [Gizmodo] [The Wall Street Journal]

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