As I type this Apple is launching it’s new iPad tablet computing device. At first glance it looks like a giant iPhone with with a 9.7″ screen, but it is clearly much much more than that.
Apple is saying that it will run vitrually all iPhone apps in their native iPhone resolution (appearing small on the iPad screen) or can be zoomed to run full screen in a low resolution mode. However, they are also making the SDK available today so that developers can build iPad specific applications which according to Apple will also be available in the iTunes App Store.
Well, I am not a reporter and I am not at the release event so I am not going to go into all the details here, but just about every technology news service is there covering the event and will provide detailed coverage. I’ve included some links below.
This product’s launch is obviously relevant to us as aviators and iPhone users because it provides us with another, and perhaps better, device which can be used as an EFB (electronic flight bag). Many of us have used our iPhones for a variety of aviation related tasks, but the small size of iPhone display has always stood in the way of it being truly useful. Viewing graphical weather, charts, or instrument procedures on the iPhone always involved a lot of zooming and scrolling, but With an 9.7″ screen the iPad will surely solve many of those issues.
What do you think… does this look to be the device aviators have been waiting for?
iPad coverage…
http://gizmodo.com/tag/apple-tablet/
http://www.cnet.com/apple-ipad/
http://www.appleinsider.com/
http://www.apple.com/
The one thing I’d like to see is multitasking. It would be nice to have a few applications running concurrently: moving map, E6B, weather, etc… It seems like the hardware could support this, so maybe a future software update will enable this feature.
Also, looking at Apple’s specs, it looks like a GPS chip is only in the 3G version. The ability to add an external GPS antenna would open up some interesting possibilities.
Hi Mike,
Yea I agree, multitasking would be really nice. However, I wonder if they are holding back on it until the next gen iPhone is released; which is rumored to support multitasking.
I honestly can’t see buying the iPad without 3G. I am so reliant on data, I would hate to have to rely on wifi only.