Editor's Note: This was a live blog from Jim Goldman reporting from the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco for the unveiling of Apple's newest product, The iPad. To read from the beginning, scroll down to the bottom and read up.
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Apple iPad
2:39 PM/ET: The event is over, I'm in front of the camera and ready to go live!!!
2:34 PM/ET: Apple has always tried to live at the intersection of Technology and Liberal Arts. Intuitive, easy to use, fun to use. That's what let's us make creative products like the iPad.
2:33 PM/ET: Most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.
2:32 PM/ET: Jobs back on stage.
Do we have what it takes to establish a third category of products? We think we've got the goods. Because we've shipped 75 million iPhones and iPod Touches, 75 million people know how to use an iPad.
2:25 PM/ET: So where's the camera? And why no phone-calling plan?
2:23 PM/ET: Showing a video, soon to be posted on the web, extolling the virtues of iPad.
2:22 PM/ET: Neat add-on keyboard, and a protective case that doubles as a stand if you're watching video. Very nice.
2:22 PM/ET: 16GB, $499, 32GB, $599, 64GB, $699.
With wi-fi and 3G, $629, $749 and $829 respectively.
Available in 60 days, and the 3G versions a month later.
2:19 PM/ET: Aggressively priced so it gets into the hands of lots of people.
I am thrilled to announce: $499!
2:18 PM/ET: $999? Nope.
2:17 PM/ET: And the pricing for this? Drumroll please...
2:16 PM/ET: All iPad 3G's are unlocked. They should work internationally, but firm carrier deals overseas will be announced in June.
2:16 PM/ET: AT&T also offers FREE Wi-Fi access of ALL hotspots. No contracts. It's prepay, and you can cancel any time.
This is a totally new pricing paradigm.
2:15 PM/ET: Unlimited plan for $29.99. Breakthrough deal with AT&T!
2:14 PM/ET: A real breakthrough on data costs: up to 250MB of data per month for $14.99.
2:13 PM/ET: Talking about iTunes. iPad syncs just like iPhone, iPod Touch via USB. Talking about Wi-Fi, but some models will also include 3G.
2:12 PM/ET: Steve Jobs back on stage.
2:11 PM/ET: Schiller is still working his way through iWork on the iPad. Wrapping it up. It's a clear nod to potential business customers. iWork will cost $9.99 for each new app.
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2:10 PM/ET: I've said it before: iPod changed digital music by reinventing the concept. But there was a clear market being addressed. Same goes for iPhone. Tablets though are still very unproven. But if tablets are going to catch fire, the iPad is absolutely the match and the kerosene all rolled into one. It's slick.
2:07 PM/ET: As Phil demo's the new iWork, let me offer: the iPad is cool. Games, e-reader, digital media, the power of the App Store for tens of thousands of programs, internet. It absolutely can replace your laptop. But so far, unless you're on Skype, no phone-calling. At least not yet. It's an intriguing device, but how to protect that screen, the way you can when you close up a laptop? Apple runs the risk of creating technology's version of a El Camino : is it a car? A pick-up? Is it a laptop? A smart phone?
I guess the market will decide. Gonna come down to price.
2:02 PM/ET: Phil gets to sit in Jobs' chair: "I get to sit in the chair?!" He asks? Funny.
2:01 PM/ET: Now showing iWork. Phil Schiller is on stage. A suite of apps used to create pro word-processing documents, presentations, spreadsheets. Now, a new version for iPad. Completely new version of Keynote. Pages. Numbers. All specifically for iPad. Showing demos now.
1:58 PM/ET: Use the ePub format, the most popular ebook format in the world. Textbooks also.
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1:57 PM/ET: Flipping from page to page looks like you're really flipping from a paper page to a paper page. It's a very slick interface. Change the font size too. Amazon? Ouch.
1:56 PM/ET: The colors draw a striking difference to what the Kindle offers. Buy a book and it downloads quickly to your Book Shelf. (He downloaded Edward Kennedy's book as the example.)
1:55 PM/ET: Upper left, a button to link to the iBooks Store. NYT Bestsellers list. Penguin , Harper, Simon&Shuster , Macmillan and Hachette have all signed on as partners.
1:54 PM/ET: Jobs back on stage. The Amazon attack is on! We're gonna stand on Amazon's shoulders and go a bit further.
Welcome to iBooks, a new app from Apple.
1:52 PM/ET: Now, MLB.com's Chad Evans. Creating a whole new experience to take advantage of the big screen. This is awesome. Pitch tracking, baseball cards, and video highlights. Box scores, the field, summaries, line-ups, linked to MLB TV, with your choice of home or away announcers. And it's all available while you watch the game.
This is gorgeous.
1:51 PM/ET: Now, Electronic Arts , a major supporter of the iPhone platform already.
Travis Boatman is on stage. Showing Need for Speed. A gorgeous 3D version of the game's BMW. Holding a high-def TV screen inches from your face. Totally different experience.
Fully touch-enabled. So much screen real estate now that EA can add a bunch of things, like mirrors and a stick shift. Wanna go inside the car for a different perspective, just touch it. Very very cool. Again, this platform offers a big challenge to the DS and Playstation from Nintendo and Sony .
1:46 PM/ET: Now on stage: Brushes, a very popular app. Steve Sprang showing the simple but powerful app. Brushes for iPad is a much different experience. Pinching let's you zoom in up to 32x. This is a one-person operation. I gotta think as popular as this already, Sprang is gonna see a huge pop in interest.
1:43 PM/ET: Save articles to reading list and it syncs to iPhone. Reading experience is great; resize text, determine number of columns, click on a video link and right there in the text, a video window opens, and wireless updates. Incredibly excited to pioneer the next wave of digital journalism.
1:41 PM/ET: Now on stage, The New York Times' Martin Nisenholtz.
Showing the Times new app, developed only 3 weeks ago. The iPhone app has already been downloaded 3 million times. But this new app is developed specifically for this new device.
1: 40 PM/ET: Mark Hickey from Gameloft is on stage. Showing beautiful gameplay after a only a few short days of development of its game Nova for iPad.
1:35 PM/ET: Enhanced software developers kit, releasing today, so developers can create for the new iPad. Includes an iPad simulator. We think it's gonna be a whole other gold rush as developers focus on iPad.
1:34 PM/ET: I guess all these details kinda shoots to hell Jason Calacanis'claims earlier today that set the net on fire. What was he thinking? I hesitate to even mention this, but after the wildfire this morning, I sort of have to.
1:32 PM/ET: Scott Forstall is on stage now talking about the App Store. All legacy apps will run on the device. Pixel Double allows apps developed for the iPhone to fit the new, larger iPad screen.
1:32 PM/ET: The chip news is significant. Homegrown technology moves away from Samsung,Qualcomm , Intel . That's a big piece of the news today.
1:30 PM/ET: Battery life is 10 hours! Astounding, especially if the chip really moves this fast. San Francisco to Tokyo on one charge and 1 month of standby time.
1:29 PM/ET: 1GHz Apple A4 chip, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flash memory. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
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Apple iPad
1:28 PM/ET: Going back to hardware now. A half-inch thin, weighs 1.5 pounds. Thinner and lighter than any netbook. 9.7 inch IPS display.
Full capacitive multi-touch.
1:27 PM/ET: Showing a clip from Up. Awesome movie, he says. (Personally, I agree. Loved this movie. But I digress...)
1: 26 PM/ET: Showing availability of movies and TV shows. Showing Star Trek. Video is really nice. Crystal clear.
1:25 PM/ET: Showing Wet and Woofy in high def from YouTube.
1:25 PM/ET: A great maps app too. Showing Paris, and now San Francisco. Types in Sushi, and finds all the nearby places. Google StreetView brings you right to the restaurant.
1:23 PM/ET: A great calendar and contacts application.
1:22 PM/ET: Moving through his library of music now. A great way to enjoy your entire music collection.
1:22 PM/ET: Showing a built-in iPod and iTunes.
1:21 PM/ET: Built-in slide shows.
1:20 PM/ET: Photos as individual shots, or as albums. Essentially the same iPhoto you might have on a MacBook.
1:19 PM/ET: Showing email capabilities. Big, screen-wide virtual keyboard. Showing photos too.
1:17 PM/ET: Going to Time Magazine's site now. Fandango now. The whole Web site in the palm of your hands. National Geographic now. Landscape mode too, or portrait. Just like an iPhone. But bigger.
1:16 PM/ET: Demo'ing the product now. Sitting in the leather chair now. He says, So much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone. Showing the New York Times Web site. Scrolling through. Zooming in. Tap a story, and you're in.
1:15 PM/ET: Addresses, calendar, maps, iPad is an awesome way to enjoy your music collection. ITunes store built right in. Youtube in high-def, and it's awesome to watch TV and movies on.
1:11 PM/ET: Displaying the iPad. Looks like a big iPhone. Very thin. Looks like aluminum casing though. What this device does is extraordinary. The best browsing experience you've ever had. Unbelievably great.
1:10 PM/ET: A netbook? No. Not at all. Showing the iPad!!
Official name.
1:10 PM/ET: Browsing the web, but doing it better than a laptop? Email, photos, videos, music, games, ebooks. If there's gonna be a third category, it's gotta be better than a laptop for these categories.
1:08 PM/ET: Going through Apple's history of mobile. Between a laptop and a smart phone, is there something that can live in a new category?
1:06 PM/ET: After 34 years, ended last quarter doing $15.6 billion in revenue. Ipods, iPhones and Macs. All of them are mobile devices. Apple is a mobile devices company. That's what we do. How does Apple stack up against other mobile device companies? Apple is the largest mobile device company in the world. Larger than Sony , bigger than Samsung's mobile business, even bigger than Nokia .
1:04 PM/ET: Next update: App Store, an incredible phenomenon. Over 140,000 apps, and 3 billion downloads in 18 months.
1:04PM/ET: Second update: 284 retail stores. It's amazing, he says, last quarter alone: 50 million visitors. Newest store is on Broadway near Lincoln Center.
1:03 PM/ET: A truly magical product is coming, he says, but first an update on iPod: Apple's sold 250 million of them since 2001.
1:02 PM/ET: A standing ovation. He looks thin, but that's his new normal, I suppose. Looks pretty good.
1:01 PM/ET: Steve Jobs is on stage. A single leather chair and a table.
1:00 PM/ET: Event is starting. Lights dimming.
12:59 PM/ET: There must be 30 camera crews here.. And the whole crowd seems to have Macs.
12:56 PM/ET: The word on the ground here, and the way Apple will position this device: it's 1984 all over again. In the same way the Mac changed computing, the tablet will re-shape the way we all think of computing. Heavy buzz factor.
12:54 PM/ET: Also here, Cellist Yo Yo Ma!
12:51 PM/ET: Awaiting the Apple event.
Inside Yerba Buena.
Broke the news that Bob Iger is here.
Also spotted, Al Gore, venture capitalist John Doerr.
Editor's Note: This is a live blog from Jim Goldman who is in San Francisco attending an event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts where it is expected Apple will unveil and share details of its newest product, The Tablet.
Previous Posts On The Tablet:
- What's Old Could Become New for Mac Tablet Publishers
- Apple Tablet's Specs?
- Apple Meets Moses: The Mac Tablet
Questions? Comments? TechCheck@cnbc.com