Buy apple ipad tablet

The Apple iPad is the new tablet computer from Apple.

It aims to combine the benefits of an iPhone with an ereader and a tablet computer, allowing people to browse the net, create documents and read books using the portable device.

This page explains the features of the Apple iPad and tells you where you can buy an iPad online.

The Apple iPad weighs just 1.5 pounds and has a 9.7 inch multi-touch display. Because the tablet uses touchscreen technology, the screen is coated with a special finger-print resistant layer so the screen is always clear.

It comes with the 2010 version of iWork (Apple's Office software), which allows you to create and read documents, spreadsheets and presentations. iWork is compatible with Microsoft Office documents and can also read pdf files.

The built-in browser is Apple's Safari - iPhone users will already be familiar with it as it is the default browser on the phone. Note that you will not be able to install Firefox, Google Chrome or Internet Explorer onto your iPad.

Apple have launched iBook - their own bookstore, from which you should be able to buy and read ebooks on your iPad. However, the iPad also supports ePub, so you should be able to read any ebooks on in this format, and Amazon have announced that they are going to build a free Kindle for iPad app, so that you can read Kindle ebooks on your iPad. the Apple iPad ereader function is not as gentle on the eyes as Kindle's eink ereader, but the iPad is backlit, which should make reading in bed easier.

The multimedia function allows you to play games, watch movies and videos and listen to music on the iPad as well.

Apple have also launched a software developer kit so that software houses can produce apps specially for the iPad. Some are already available - for instance the New York Times has an app allowing you to read their newspaper on the iPad. iPhone apps should also work on the iPad.

The video below was made by someone who attended the iPad launch - all delegates were given one to try out, and he walks you through all the functions and gives a personal review of the Apple iPad.

 * It doesn't have any flash enabled. Apple have done this to preserve battery life. What this means in practice is that you won't be able to see adverts that flash at you or play a small movie, and on some pages you won't be able to see images. Does this matter? Well iPhone users have long done without flash and it hasn't bothered them. The only time it will make a difference is when you want to watch movies online through sites such as Hulu - you won't be able to.

* There is no video conferencing feature in the iPad at the moment and no camera. This will affect business users but should not have a bearing on domestic users.

* no built-in USB port. This is actually quite a serious drawback for those who want to be able to simply stick in a memory stick into their i{ad, work on the move and then use the memory stick to transfer their work onto their PC. However, what Apple have done is build a series of dongles which do have a USN port, and you can attach the dongle to your iPad and then attach the memory stick. They've also built in a USB port into the keyboard dock they are selling (the keyboard dock is for those who want to use a normal keyboard - you attack your iPad to the dock and use it like a laptop). The dongles and docks come at extra cost.

If you already do a lot of browsing on your iPhone and would like the option to work on documents and read books on the move as well, then the iPad is the tablet for you.

It's also handy for those who like to connect online or read books while they are in bed or in the garden - it has all the attributes of a laptop except it's smaller and more portable.

With devices like the iPad, a lot depends on the apps that are written for it. When the iPhone first came out, people dismissed it as just another smartphone, till the number of apps written for it made it indispensible. We should know closer to the release date which apps have been built for it, and based on that, whether you should decide to buy an Apple iPad.

The wi-fi version of the iPad will available at the start of April with the 3G version available at the start of May. International buyers will need to wait till June to Buy iPad.

Official prices start at $499 for the 16GB tablet, $599 for the 32Gb model and $699 for the 64GB model. If you want 3G it costs $130 dollars extra.

3G users will be able to get a pay-as-you-go contract from AT&T which costs $29.99 a month for unlimited usage or $14.99 for 250 megabytes of data.

If you are buying from places other than Apple, expect to pay more as the iPad is in very short supply.