CRI听力: iPad Ready for US Release

On April 3rd, Apple will release its iPad for nationwide U.S. sales. But whether Apple's release of its new product will start a new trend in the digital market is a question.

Reporter: Starting at a price of 499 U.S. dollars, Apple fans will soon be able to get their hands on what is said to be "the third category of mobile devices."

The iPad is neither a smart phone nor laptop, but something in between. It weighs 1.5 pounds and has a touch screen that is 9.7 inches diagonally. It has a battery that lasts 10 hours and can sit for a month on standby without needing to be charged.

The device comes with 16, 32 or 64 gigabytes of flash memory storage and has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity built in. It doesn't have a keyboard. Everything is done via the iPad's touch screen.

But people are still not all clear about what the iPad really does. Tim Danton, Editor of "PC Pro," says the iPad will not work like your standard MacBook or PC.
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"None of the applications that currently work on a MacBook for example, will work here. So that wipes out things like Photoshop. It wipes out things like Creative Suites. All those things that make up that kind of build in what is a PC, really, aren't going to be there. So that's important for people to realize, that you're not buying a computer; you're not buying a replacement for a laptop. You're buying something new, which is a slate. And we don't even know yet, whether they're going to be used on the move, or whether they're going to be used at home. It's all a great big unknown."

Apple's iPad is likely to stir up the electronic reading market, as it will compete with other e-book readers like Amazon's Kindle. But the iPad's screen is said not to be as good for prolonged reading as the Kindle's, since it uses conventional display technology that you see on a normal computer. Danton says:

"It's never going to be a match for the Kindle. Because (with) the Kindle, you can just read it forever virtually because it's got this lovely screen with excellent contrast and won't tire your eyes out. It's almost as good as a book. Whereas the iPad, if you're going to be looking at it for a whole day, by the end of it you'll have a headache, let's say."

Ben Bajarin, Director of Consumer Technology at Creative Strategies, says it might take a little while until the iPad goes mainstream.

"So, I think at first there's a lot of buzz and speculation about what is it. So I think that we'll see a lot of people look online to see what the reviewers are saying or the tech influencers are saying. Go to the store, the Apple store, see it in action before they really, you know, decide whether or not they want to get it. But I think right off the bat you'll see a lot of early adopters, a lot of people, particularly in major metropolitan areas who'll probably get on the band wagon and buy this thing out the gate. Just because, you know, they're of the early adopter, techy audience, and they're usually who lead some of these things."(www.hXen.com)

Some interviewees believe the iPad is the logical next technological development.

"I think it's a natural progression. It's just an evolution from where we were."

"I'm not tempted about buying an iPad because I guess technology changes so quickly, and I feel like I've got a phone, I've got a home computer, and I've got one at work. I don't need to have another gadget."

For China Drive, I am Li Dong.