Apple iPad Release Date Confirmed, No Internet Sharing

Apple has confirmed that the first iPads will be available to US customers on April 3rd, 2010. However, some users will be disappointed to learn it won't be useable as a makeshift modem for other devices.

The first batch released will be WiFi only. The model adding 3G connectivity, meaning Internet-based apps can be used anywhere, will be available in late-April. Both models are set to be released in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK in late-April as well, before appearing in other countries later this year.

US customers can pre-order both models from Friday, March 12th either online or by reserving one in Apple retail stores.

iPad Pricing And Features Confirmed

Few of the details about the iPad have changed since Apple's initial unveiling. The WiFi only edition is $499 for the 8GB version, $599 for 16GB and $599 for 32GB, with each model available with 3G for an extra $130.

The one new confirmed feature is that there will indeed be an iBooks application (available for free download from the iTunes store on 3 April), accompanied by an iBookstore. Apple has announced deals with Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Group and Simon & Schuster. That's likely to be seen as serious competition to Amazon's Kindle service. (Source: apple.com)

Internet Sharing Won't Be An Option

One feature apparently not included is tethering. That's the ability to connect one mobile device with Internet capabilities to another machine, such as a laptop, and share the connection. A writer from a Swedish website asked Apple's CEO Steve Jobs if tethering would be available on the iPad and received the one-word answer: "No." (Source: appleinsider.com)

This doesn't come as a major surprise, as the iPad doesn't contain any physical connection options and its Bluetooth feature is expected to be limited. Apple would likely block tethering to avoid users paying for a 3G plan and then using the access for another device.

iPad Ad Campaign Gets Oscar Unveiling

Despite its previous hype, the iPad may well have got its biggest exposure to date over the weekend when it appeared in a TV commercial during coverage of the Academy Awards. The commercial simply showed the iPad being used; interestingly enough, the actors employed the device by supporting it on their legs, just like a regular laptop.

One person who won't have seen the ad air was Steve Jobs, who was spotted at the Oscars ceremony. It seems most likely he was there in his role as a major Disney shareholder to support the animated movie 'Up,' though it's also been speculated he may have been meeting entertainment industry bigwigs to talk possible content details for the iPad.