Who designed the iPad?

The iPad was designed entirely in-house, and like the iPhone, the design team no doubt included Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, Jonathan Ive, the director of Apple's Industrial Design Group and Scott Forstall, Apple's vice president of Platform Experience.

However, it is important to recognize that the iPad was designed by a team of dozens of designers, engineers, and programmers.

What font does the iPad interface use?

Like the iPhone, the iPad interface uses Helvetica. iPod models released prior to the iPhone use either Chicago, Espy Sans, or Myriad and use Helvetica after the release of the iPhone.

Where is the iPad available for purchase? Can it be purchased from Apple Authorized Resellers?

Unfortunately, the iPad is only available for purchase direct from Apple and "select resellers" in the United States like Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart. It is not available from the majority of Apple Authorized Resellers, so one generally will be forced to pay sales tax.

To buy a new or used Mac or iPod -- free of sales tax -- please visit site sponsor PowerMax.

Can you purchase the iPad "unlocked" or is it tied to a wireless carrier?

The original GSM/3G iPad model was available "unlocked" and was not tied to a wireless carrier in the US. Likewise, the iPad 2 (GSM) and iPad 2 (CDMA/A-GPS) are available "unlocked" as well and are not tied to a wireless carrier in the US, either. iPad models may be locked in other countries, however.

It also is worth noting that even though the GSM-based original iPad and GSM-based iPad 2 models are not locked, the devices do not support the Verizon CDMA 3G network nor does either support the 1700 MHz UMTS/HSDPA frequency used by T-Mobile for 3G in the US. Likewise, the CDMA-based iPad 2 does not support GSM networks like AT&T's and is not intended for use on networks other than Verizon's in the US.

Ultimately, even though the original iPad and GSM-based iPad 2 are not locked to AT&T Wireless, the devices are not hardware compatible for 3G with other US wireless carriers. However, either should operate via the slower 2G standard over T-Mobile (assuming that one is willing to prepare a "trimmed" Micro SIM card). CDMA authentication is more complicated than just switching SIM cards on a GSM network, and as a result, using a CDMA-based iPad 2 on a network other than Verizon's in the US -- like Sprint or Cricket -- would be challenging. However, as the CDMA-based iPhone 4 has been hacked to run on Cricket, the same for the CDMA-based iPad 2 certainly is not outside the realm of possibility.