Apple Tablet announcement: First reactions

After years of passionate anticipation, the big moment's here. When Apple CEO Steve Jobs steps onstage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST) today, he'll reveal what he calls "the most important thing I've ever done" — a touch-screen tablet computer that resembles an iPhone with a 10-inch full-color screen. To keep you up-to-date on media reactions to the Apple iPad tablet, we'll be regularly updating this posting as the first reactions arrive, using Eastern Standard Time.

Early iPad "bashers" beware: "It's too early to draw any conclusions," says David Pogue in The New York Times. "And anyone who claims to know" the iPad's full potential "will wind up looking like a fool." [NYT]

(3:54 p.m.)

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The low price is good for everyone, especially Apple: The gadget's price — starting at $499 — has "wowed" everyone, including Wall Street. Proof? Apple's stock price "spiked" when Jobs announced the pricing. [TechCrunch]

(2:49 p.m.)

How could it not have a camera? There are some major deficiencies in this device. What missing? A camera ("still or video"), a "non-Internet phone function," and a "removable battery" to name just a few. [NYT]

(2:45 pm)

Nothing exciting here for magazine publishers: Apple's iPad is "a big letdown for magazine and newspaper people," says Ryan Tate at Gawker. Yes, "expectations were insane." But they could have at least included a digital magazine in their demo. [Gawker]

(2:43 pm)

Yup, it's mind-blowing: "iPad is pretty amazing — there, I said it." [Gdgt]

(2:26 p.m.)

We'll actually be able to type on an iPad — hurray! We've been wondering if it would be good for typing — and the answer is yes, courtesy of "an optional keyboard dock." [Engadget]

(2:21 p.m.)

What a ridiculous name: "The 'iPad' name seems at worst odd, and at best — just a little bit funny," says Monica Guzman in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. " Then again, "these things could be called iTurds and Apple would still sell millions" [Seattle P.I.]

(2:15 p.m.)

The gadget is nothing if not 'ambitious': "It is a remarkably ambitious project in terms of all the things — photos, games, video and e-mail — that it is attempting to grab market share in," says NY Times's David Carr. [NYT]

(1:58 p.m.)

The e-book feature looks fantastic: "The book page display is nice. You can turn pages slowly -- really slick looking page animation." [Engadget]

(1:56 p.m.)

Usability questions surface: "I wonder, will people really want to hold this device, other than on an airplane, while they watch TV and movies?" ask NY Times's Brad Stone. [NYT]

(1:29 p.m.)

It's an 'extraordinary' device: iPad can: Browse the web, view and upload photos, use built-in map application and be used to watch TV [Wired]

(1:14 p.m.)

For better or worse, it looks like a big iPhone: As has long been rumored, in fact. But it creates a new product category by integrating the functions of a laptop and a smartphone. [NYT]

(1:10 p.m.)

Steve Jobs thinks it 'magical and revolutionary,' anyway: The Apple CEO describes his new product thus upon taking the stage at the grand unveiling. (Not that he's biased or anything.) [NYT]

(1:03 p.m.)

"Best gadget ever": Tech guru Jason Calacanis preempts the officicial iPad announcement on his Twitter page, calls the device "amazing," saying it has two cameras and finger print identification. Once Calacanis's claims proved to be untrue, some call his comments a hoax, while Clacanis says he was "just joking."[ZDNet]

(Jan. 27, 9:49 a.m.)

The "first Apple Tablet review"? While appearing on CNBC, textbook maker McGraw Hill's CEO confirms the Tablet's existence, calling it "really terrific." [Huffington Post]

(Jan. 26, 5:08pm)

.........................................

SEE MORE OF THE WEEK'S APPLE COVERAGE:

• 6 best and worst Apple Tablet ads

• Apple Tablet rumors: A comprehensive timeline