Apple confirms 128GB iPad. A hundred bucks for an extra 64GB
The Cupertino hipster-tax operation targets biz bosses
Apple has slapped an extra 64GB - and a $100 price increase - on its fondleslab range to create the 128GB iPad. An announcement today from Cupertino confirms the device's existence after references to the hardware were found in the newly released iOS 6.1.
The new iPad will be available from US Apple stores, the company's website and selected resellers on Tuesday, 5 February. It comes with Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, and in black or white. The Wi-Fi-only version will cost $799, and the mobile-network-enabled slab will cost $929.
Otherwise the specs for the 9.7-inch tablet and its Retina screen remain the same. The 64GB version is priced at $699 and $829 for Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi+cellular, respectively.
Taking a pot shot at the ailing desktop computer market, Apple marketing veep Phil Schiller suggested iPad owners could use the extra space on their tablets to store all their work and media without needing "their old PCs”.
And it's not just fanbois carrying around multi-gigabyte HD videos of Lord of The Rings that Apple wants to target. The secretive company aims to deepen the iPad's reach into the professional market, too. Schiller claimed the extra storage is ideal for customers who use 3D design tools, CAD and other such packages.
No news* on when the data-hungry device will be available in Europe. ®
* We learned after publication that the iPad 128GB will be available in Europe from 5 February. UK pricing will be £639 for the Wi-Fi-only model and £739 for the mobile network-enabled tab.
COMMENTS
Re: Shine going off your business?
How many more years until they announce the first USB port?
Re: Shine going off your business?
How many more years until they announce the first USB port?
About 2 years and they'll claim to have invented it, sparking another patent war.
The first iPadu™ with USB will have 1 USB port and it will cost an extra $100.
The iPadu2™ will be released 6 months later and will have 2 USB ports so $200 extra.
Usable with non apple USB devices only with an adapter. Which will cost $50.
Re-ThornH
You can't be serious! As an ex CAD draughtsman, the iPad comes in as the equivalent as the back of a fag packet, against a full size drawing board. Marginally OK for showing pictures, so long as you don't want to see detail. As for meetings, you'd probably get more attention by passing round a picture of a pin-up
"Taking a pot shot at the ailing desktop computer market, Apple marketing veep Phil Schiller suggested iPad owners could use the extra space on their tablets to store all their work and media without needing "their old PCs”.
Yup they sure could store 128Gb data in their 128Gb iPad or a 128Gb USB key.
What's that? I hear yells of... "it's much more than a storage device".
Yes it is, one can watch movies on it, browse the Internet, listen to music and buy software from Apple with it.
The iPad like all tablets is a toy and not a serious computing device. There is a reason I use a laptop and a desktop for work and a tablet as a media player and a browser.
"without needing their old PCs"
If Apple would just include a keyboard, mouse (a real mouse, not an apple mouse), 22" monitor, and a gigabit network jack (for when the wireless is down) for that $799, then it might be a good substitute for my old PC.
