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TidBITS#1012/01-Feb-2010

We have a full issue of esoteric cryptography explanations, breaking Mac OS 9 news, and… kidding! Nearly all of this week’s issue revolves around Apple’s just-announced iPad, the latest and most significant addition to Apple’s product line since the iPhone. Jeff Carlson and Glenn Fleishman were present at Apple’s January 27th event, so in addition to a detailed look at what Apple revealed about the iPad, they’ve collaborated to give you their hands-on impressions based on using the iPad for a while. Plus, Jeff has composed a wonderful photo essay documenting what it’s like to attend one of these Apple events, from getting up at 3:30 AM to waving goodbye to San Francisco at the end of the day. And Adam, stuck on the far coast, ponders what the future might bring with regard to new iPhone OS-based devices. Read on, and once you’ve had your fill of iPad coverage, make a note of where you can find us at the upcoming Macworld Expo 2010, and check out the notable software releases this week, which include Mailplane 2.1.4, Keyboard Maestro 4.0.2, BusyCal 1.2, Aluminum Keyboard Firmware Update 1.1, and PGP Desktop 10.

Adam Engst 38 comments

The iPad Arrives

At long last, the orgy of non-stop media speculation is over, and Apple has introduced the iPad, a tablet-sized device that's most easily thought of as a scaled-up iPod touch. Although some models will include 3G data connectivity, it's not a phone. The iPad offers enough enhancements, in addition to its size, that it could take over some key tasks from a MacBook.

TidBITS Staff No comments

ExtraBITS for 1 February 2010

Most of our time last week was taken up with iPad-related writing, but we found the time to check out Fraser Speirs's contention that the iPad is the future of computing, look into the ongoing debate about the proposed Google Books settlement, and note that Google has created a Web app to work around Apple's continuing refusal to approve or deny the Google Voice app. Plus, AT&T admits that its network has problems in New York and San Francisco, and promises to spend an additional $2 billion on improving it.