Apple is launching many interesting accessories along with iPad.  Few of them which seem to be very interesting are the iPad dock and iPad Keypad dock.  The simpler of the two docks offered by Apple is iPad Dock.   It is stylish and compact in design.

The light weight and small iPad dock allows the iPad to stand up on the tall edge.  This iPad accessory is used to dock and charge the iPad.

The  iPad is having  a 30 pin dock connector right at the bottom, under the power switch.  The dock’s 30 pin connector can be plugged to an electrical outlet with a USB power adapter.  It  can be connected to be charged from the mains.

The iPad dock can also be used for syncing the iPad with the ‘Camera Connection kit’.  It can also be synced with a wide range of other accessories for the iPad.  It will have to be connected using the USB 30 pin connector point.  The iPad dock allows you to feel the amazing Apple syncing experience with wide variety of options open to use.

There is an audio jack in the dock as well.  This can be use to connect the iPad to external speakers or headphones.  So this lets you use the iPad as a Juke box.  The sound system can make it like an entertainment center for your home.

It is also a good idea to keep the  iPad docked if you are viewing movies or a slideshow of photos.  It can also be effective if you would want to use the  iPad like a photo frame.

The dock is a safe place to store your iPad in while it is getting synced or charged.  It is also a safe place to keep while storing or not in use.  It is better than let the iPad lie around somewhere where it could be knocked off or could get scratched.

The Apple branded iPad dock is available separately, at a price of $29.

After the launch of Apple iPod, the market was flooded with iPod accessories from various third party suppliers; the same trend is expected for iPad accessories.   During the unveiling of the much awaited iPad,  Steve Jobs announced some of the iPad accessories that could be used along with it.  These iPad accessories would be branded by Apple Inc.  One of them is the keyboard dock and another is a protective case.

iPad Accessory – Keyboard Dock

The keyboard dock behaves  like a charging station and also acts as an integrated full size keyboard.  This is useful versus iPad’s on screen keypad when there is large amounts of typing to be done.

The keyboard dock has a 30 pin connector that can be used to sync the device to a Mac or PC while it is still docked using a USB power adaptor.  Other devices can also be attached to this 30 pin connection such as the Camera Connection Kit.  An audio jock is also available in the dock.  Hence speakers can be plugged to enjoy a full on experience.  This iPad keyboard dock will sell at around $69.

iPad Accessory – Case

The iPad presents an ergonomic dilemma.  It is difficult to hold iPad for long periods of time.  You cannot watch a film without hunching over a table .  Also, you can only type from your lap.  To solve these problems, this iPad accessory has been introduced.

Apples protective case for iPad also dubbed iPad case look like an attractive leather case.  It is actually made from a rubbery micro fiber material.  The soft rubbery case has a triangular stand with it.   So the iPad case may be used to prop the iPad device in different positions and angles which are comfortable for viewing.

You can watch movies and videos with the iPad propped up on the iPad case.  This also makes it easier to type and view photos.  A picture frame stand comes along with the iPad case.  This ipad accessory will sell at around $39.

We will cover more such Apple branded iPad cases and other accessories in the next posts.

With all the latest gadgets coming in to the market there is one thing that remains the same they all need to be powered.  Now days USB is becoming the standard way for powering most gadgets.  Hence it was a good thing that Apple introduced a 10 Watt USB power adapter for iPad.  It is amongst the essential  iPad accessories.  This makes it very simple to charge your device.  You can just plug in your iPad to your wall socket and let it charge.

The iPad 10 Watt USB Power Adapter has a six ft long cable.  The length is certainly useful when you want to charge the iPad from a distance.  Since it is taken for granted  that many people would want to use the iPad where they use their laptop.  It now becomes easy to sit in your favorite place with the iPad in easy reach of an electrical socket.

The cable of iPad is most likely to become the standard length of USB cable as it is for other popular Apple gadgets like iPod and iPhone.

The launch of iPad suggests there will be an explosion of alternative iPad accessories in the market from third party companies.  Since the iPad has a standard power connector,  patent issues don’t exist.  Hence, it is easy to create alternative versions of iPad accessories for official apple device users.

Belkin is a company which already makes many accessories for Apple products.  It is predicted that it will soon come up with power adapters, cases and connectors and other accesories for iPad.  Ingenious products could come out from third party manufacturers in the coming days and weeks but till then it is a game of wait and watch.

Now that the much awaited iPad has finally been launched by Apple, industry watchers have been wondering how Kindle, Amazons most popular  e-reader device will get affected by it.

Steve Jobs, celebrity CEO of Apple claims that the iPad is better for book reading aiming at and naming Kindle specifically.  “We’re gonna stand on their shoulders and go farther” is what Mr. Jobs has to say about Kindle.

The iPad is slated to release in April. First looks suggest it to be the same as an oversize iTouch.  It has a touch screen that is  9.7 inches in size.  It seems like a larger version of the iPhone.

The iPad will allows online features like iBookstore.  This allows the user to download and purchase books, functioning in pretty much the same way as the iTunes store.  Five major publishing houses have already signed up for iBookstore.  These include Macmillan, Penguin, Harper-Collins, Hachette Book Group and Simon & Schuster. Although Random House, the biggest book publisher of the world was absent.  This means that many major titles will not be available at Apple’s e-book store for now at least.

Many e-Book readers will prefer the E-ink display of the Amazon Kindle in comparison to the LED back lit display of the iPad.  This is because it is easier to read for long periods of time since it is eye friendly.  Also, there are no other applications to distract you.  But the kindle does not have a touch screen and is unlike Apple iPad which supports multi-touch.

Another noticeable advantage that iPad has over Kindle is that iBooks allows a reader to flip pages.  It can support videos and other pictures.  This is quite a plus point in comparison to Kindle which is static.  Also, although Kindle allows users to subscribe to newspapers and magazines and has a PDF reader, 3G and a rudimentary web browser the iPad offers much more than an ordinary e-book reader.  The users of iPad can access email, iTunes App store, media players, Safari browser and games. It also has wifi and Bluetooth with 3G available in some models.

But the iPad stands to lose from Kindle owing to the fact that it has a battery life of just 10 hours whereas Kindle works for a week with wireless and for two weeks without it.

The iPad also has a serious flaw and this  is its lack of allowing multi tasking.  For a non-phone device not being able to run non current apps simultaneously seems to be a big limitation which needs to be rectified soon by Apple.

The Kindle is priced at $259 and Kindle DX at $489.  This includes 3G.  The iPad with Wi-fi is for only $499 for 16 GB, 32GB at $599 and 64GB at $699.  With  3G and WiFi  the iPad is priced at $629, $729, $829 for 16, 32 and 64 GB respectively.  You would also need to pay $15 for 250Mb & $30 for unlimited 3G data monthly.

In the midst of all this there are rumors floating that Amazon is exploring possibilities of providing free Kindles to its best customers to push up its sales.  Although the iPad seems promising it is really the consumers who will decide the fate of the Kindle. Hope you’d find this comparison of iPad vs Kindle useful in your buying decisions.