Apple iPad in India on Jan 28?

Right after Steve Jobs went on a medical leave, Apple decided to launch iPad in India. Officially that is. The lowest version of iPad will cost Rs. 26000 and the high-end version will cost Rs. 37000. That would be a competition to both Olivepad and Samsung Galaxy Tab. Samsung Galaxy Tab could as well kiss its sales in India a goodbye because, iPad will just dominate it in every aspect.

We never really talked about iPad because it probably is the most talked about tablet across the tech world. iPad has a 9.7 inch screen with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixel. The touch screen is a multi-touch capcitive touch screen with In Plane switch (IPS). IPS will provide the same image quality when watched in any angle in the plane of 178 degrees. iPad is the only tablet which uses IPS.

iPad comes in three storage capacities – 16GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. iPad has two connectivity options – WiFi and 3G. Depending on the combination you choose, the tablet could cost anywhere between Rs. 26000 to Rs. 37000. For example a 16GB iPad with just WiFi should cost Rs. 26000. A 64 GB iPad with WiFi+3G should cost north of Rs. 37000.

The advantage of iPad is not in the hardware. When compared with other tablets they more or less have the same specs. iPad’s real advantage kicks in when you connect it to iTunes store. There are plethora of apps which either can be downloaded for free or can be downloaded by paying. Either way the options iPad has are not to be seen in any of the Android tablets. Android tablets are waiting for their elusive Honeycomb release and the ecosystem to go with it. That would be at least an year for Android club to catch up. By that time iPad 2 will be making the rounds.

The timing of iPad needs a mention. Three things have collided. Steve Jobs is no longer at the helm. Apple will be releasing its iPad 2 and probably be dumping the left-overs in India. And India is finally getting ready to consume a whole lot of tablets. At least 10 tablets – all of them Android – are launched in India before this.

iPad’s will be available in Apple stores only. Flipkart for some strange reason is selling iPad sleeves.

[Via Trak.in]