Apple has poo-pooed reports that the iPad has been hit by delays. And while financial titans reckon the soon-to-be-released tablet is a PC killer in the making, there are still some vital unanswered questions about the iPad that we think need answering sharpish. Intrigued? Dive in now and we’ll tell you the queries Apple needs to settle before the big launch.
What will the UK price be?
A simple question. Apple’s UK iPad site currently says, “UK pricing to be announced,” the same five words that have been sitting there since it was officially launched on 27 January. That’s the very same day US punters were told the cheapest Wi-Fi only model would set them back $499. Surely if Cupertino knows how much it will cost Stateside, it knows how much it’ll batter our wallets for this side of the pond. The iPad is due in just a few weeks and we need a definite price now.
How much will 3G access cost here in Blighty?
Apple says it will announce international 3G pricing in the summer, but that seems a tad late seeing as the 3G-toting iPad will be in the palms of sweaty Mac-fanatics from April. Once again, our pals across the pond already know the score, with $14.99 a month getting 250MB access and $29.99 scoring unlimited web time. Both will be 30 day contracts, but will that translate over here? We need an inkling of just how much a beefed up iPad is going to cost.
Which networks will use those essential micro SIMs?
As yet, no UK network has come out and officially confirmed it’ll be flogging the must-have micro SIM the iPad needs to get online via 3G. The suggestion is O2 will be at the front of the queue, desperate to lap up lost Apple customers after the end of its iPhone-exclusivity deal. Word is it has already ordered micro SIMs, along with Orange. Will Vodafone get involved too? Only time will tell.
Is it really a netbook beater?
Apple’s Tim Cook seems to think so. The Apple COO has been bigging up the tiresome company line about the iPad being “magical” and that it’ll batter netbooks into submission. But will it? Early reports suggest the keyboard isn’t up to touch typing and the lack of multitasking is a frankly ludicrous. This is one that can only be answered once we get a chance to put the iPad head-to-head with a top notch netbook like the LG X200.
How exactly will iBooks work on the iPad?
Apple has been disconcertingly vague about just how the iBooks store will work, on both your Mac and iPad. Aside from the squabbles with publishers over pricing, we want to know whether you can but iBooks on your Mac and sideload them to your iPad? Or will you have to buy them on your iPad when you’re out and about in a Wi-Fi hotspot? Will you be able to see your iBooks collection in iTunes? And will you be able to read iBooks on your PC or Mac, a la Kindle? Apple needs to deliver answers now before we prime our credit card for action.
What do you want cleared up about the Apple iPad before it hits the shelves? Tell us now in the comments section!
