" Imagine what a larger scale more powerful version of that can do.  or you can keep thinking up dumb names that make you feel clever.  That's fine too.   "

Yeeeah... I have to agree with Jeff here. Not sure where this fits into... well, anything, really. Considering what the price point is likely to be... thanks, but no thanks.

i can see this being big with doctors, lawyers, businessman etc. its like an entire briefcase in your pocket... well not pocket, more like a man-purse. 

" @Getz:  Classy, when you can't refute arguments, call the guy you are discussing with names.  That always proves points. No, Apple did not invent the first tablet computer.  Guess what, the iPad is a unique device niche, because it can do things previous tablets cannot.  Previous tablets primarily were specialized devices geared mostly towards an artistic/creative crowd that needed something along the lines of a Wacom.  The first tablet PC required a stylus and basically attempted to be a PC with a pen-interface.  This is what some people here claim they want, but tablet PCs have never taken off as a significant market because there was just nothing significant about them. This is a wide-market consumer multimedia device with additional modular specialized options (represented via app store).    I don't really think calling it a tablet is an appropriate moniker anymore than calling it a netbook is.  It is capable of things that previous devices and tablet PCs are not.  It does not make the mistake previous tablets did of trying to be a PC with a touch-interface.  Because why would you want that when you can just have a PC?  Instead, it represents a new niche in the market. "

tablets are one of those things that initially sounds cool, but ultimately is useless to the casual person.  Too big to take anywhere and too much of a downgrade from a laptop to be really that useful.  Plus there are laptops that can be converted into a tablet.  I've seen it marketed as a 'portable tv viewer', most likely for trips to the can.   I guess in this ADD generation that would be a selling point to someone. 

everyone is glossing over the fact that this is an accessory, so you have to already own a computer to use it.  it syncs with itunes to get any updates etc.  it seems like it is intended for people who dont need a phone and dont need a full computer, but it is essentially required to already own a computer to use it? thats broken.
 
personally i was expecting  a macSomething product, not an iSomething product.  macTouch would have been brilliant. to reinvite a full os for touch... would have been exactly what a ton of the population would want...

" i can see this being big with doctors, lawyers, businessman etc. its like an entire briefcase in your pocket... well not pocket, more like a man-purse.  "

" @Getz:  Thank you, much more reasonable, appreciated.  Again, I'm not sure I agree that tablet computers can do everything this can, but that may just be a difference of opinion.  Again, tablet PCs have consistently attempted to emulate laptops or PCs, I have not seen one that has really built itself as its own device.  I could be wrong, but I've seen plenty of tablets, and they all seem to run in varying degrees between cintiq and laptop. 

I'll give Apple one thing over the competition, though. They've got the world's best UI and hardware designers around. Comparing the iPad to a Kindle makes me realize just how lacking Amazon is in the hardware design department, or at least whoever they contracted to build both the Kindle 1 and 2. I'd still probably go with the Kindle over the iPad if I were to only take the e-book functionality into consideration.

Like all things Apple it's double the price for about half the hardware. Any gamer who's following tech knows what's coming down the pipeline in terms of netbook CPUs and GPUs and the iPad is pathetically underpowered and overpriced in comparison.
 
I love me some Apple aesthetics but their pricing and specs are offensive.

@SeriouslyNow 
Yes, but I'm saying the iPad isn't really a tablet PC, at least not in the way past tablet PCs were.  It's the best label for the device probably, but I think you can agree that the functionality (for better or worse) isn't the same at all 
 
@Getz 
Gee thanks, now I'm hungry too -.-.   I think a better metaphor is a home-made sandwich versus one at the restaurant.  You can sit at home, make yourself a nice ham and cheese sandwich, use whatever ingredients you want.  It's tasty, and you're pretty happy with it.  But let's say you are hungry and you go out to a restaurant, you may pay a little bit more and you get a sandwich specifically the way the chef makes it (I understand in the US people can request changes, but that's pretty rare here).  The sandwich is much tastier, but you had to pay a bit more for it, had to leave home, and hopefully you like onions.  But if you like onions, man was that a good sandwich.
 
I think it is superior for the same reasons you seem to think it's a problem, because the software is going to be designed specifically for the device in question.  That has always been Apple's biggest advantage and to its detractors, their biggest disadvantage.  The closed system approach guarantees that their system will run faster and smoother than the alternatives, but the increased efficiency comes at the cost of less options.  However, the app store greatly expands the amount of options all focused on one specific type of device, that is what is staggering about it. 
 
No, you can't use photoshop, but that's the point.  A desktop version of Photoshop wouldn't work worth a crap on the iPad.  Could Adobe make a version of photoshop for the iPad that worked perfectly for it, yes they could and you'd find it on the App Store.  I understand the point, and I understand why it's a problem for you, but at the same time it is Apple's largest asset.  There are always going to be people that agree with you, that want that open environment where they can do anything, even at the cost of efficiency, which is absolutely okay, different type of consumer.  Then there are the other users (myself included I suppose) who are willing to work with a more closed model, but the sandwich is a lot tastier for it.  I feel the iPad is for the second category of people, which (by estimations of the iPod and iPhone market) are a substantial category of people.  It probably isn't for everyone, and it may not be for you.  I feel it will be a success with a sizable market though. 
  
 I think the same can be said about a lot of the way a company like say...Sony functions.  Their devices work amazingly together, as long as you just use their devices.   It's a similar concept with Apple.  You can get your restaurant sandwich or you can make one at home.  Myself, I think I'm going out to eat.  (But seriously, I'm making a sandwich now) 
 
EDIT: One question, why 650?  If I get one, I'm probably getting the 499 model.

@SeriouslyNow  
Well I actually hate Flash with a passion, so ANY device that helps encourage it to die quickly is a boon in my eyes.  The iPhone was great for that, lots of sites started being redesigned without Flash specifically because of it. 
  
I also don't like physical keyboards on my portable devices (which is why I wouldn't buy a phone like the Droid, but I did briefly consider the Pre) so I consider that a plus as well.  That said, since I doubt either of us have got to use the keyboard on the iPad yet, I can't speak for the efficacy there.   
 
Multi-touch (though I think it is a bit of a silly name, as with most apple things) provides a great deal of functionality that didn't exist in previous tablets.  Sure they had touch or pen interfaces, but the ability for a screen to independently recognize so many different level of input gives developers hopefully a much wider variety of possiblities with the interface.  Additionally, it makes the interface 100% modular, and you can have any configuration of controls or interfaces you may choose to use as a developer.  Most tablet OSs are still based on a desktop OS, so are a bit constrained in how much an app can really take over the core interface.  I've seen some innovative apps on other tablets before, but they always seemed constrained by the UI, not aided by the UI.  I studied UI design for a while in college (additional minor in it, but it's honestly boring as hell) and I never found a tablet interface that really clicked with me (and I always was looking).  They were great for certain things, like taking notes or working on an art project.  But they never felt as modular as what I was looking for.

@Getz 
 
Sounds good to me, and I agree.  Glad we could have a discussion about it, and came to roughly the same conclusion, we just went different ways with the conclusion.  Sorry if I came across as a bit snooty originally, internet arguments make one a cynical bastard :p.   I think your points are perfectly legit too, I frankly agree with you about apple's app store policies, and hope that they lighten up there.   (Oh, and I think when I was mentioning the netbooks the first time, I was addressing the other poster moreso than you, I forget)
 
Cheers.

" @AndrewB:  There's no doubt that this new Apple device is far prettier and friendlier than anything as utilitarian as the Kindle, but that won't be enough to maintain its place in an already highly contested arena.  As you said, even with the lack of bells and whistles, you'd take the Kindle over the far more user friendly iPad.  I see that as being a pretty common point of view. "

@SeriouslyNow 
 
We'll probably just have to agree to disagree, I doubt either of our opinions are really relevant to the overall market.  Though I can assure you plenty of people dislike Flash, try writing something for Flash and you'll quickly start hating it too.  
 
Keyboard is more a personal thing, but I doubt it's as big a deal as some people think.  The iPhone did fine without a physical keyboard, some people won't buy it for one, and they probably won't get the iPad either.

" @SeriouslyNow  We'll probably just have to agree to disagree, I doubt either of our opinions are really relevant to the overall market.  Though I can assure you plenty of people dislike Flash, try writing something for Flash and you'll quickly start hating it too.   Keyboard is more a personal thing, but I doubt it's as big a deal as some people think.  The iPhone did fine without a physical keyboard, some people won't buy it for one, and they probably won't get the iPad either. "

@SeriouslyNow 
  
Since you care to continue very well:  I find ActionScript obnoxious to work with yes, I also find the nature of Flash to be annoying as well.  If you read my other posts, you'd know I have the same problem with Apple's App Store, and I do wish they would be more liberal with the apps that they'd let through (I think it's a brilliant service that is core to the devices, just not run in necessarily an ideal way.  I understand policing the apps they add, but I wish they had a more consistent scheme for what is approved/rejected)
 
I'm not sure what you want from me that you don't just dismiss as a personal thing.  I offered the niche the iPad offers (Hardware platform for uniquely developed apps), reasons people would (see previous) and would not like it (already have a kindle/laptop/smartphone and are a poweruser), the type of consumer it is for (General broadbase consumers, not gamers or the technological elite) as well as my own personal reasons for while I feel it will be an important device, whether you adopt it yourself as not.  The only 'personal thing' I've really offered is that I dislike keyboards on portable devices, and perhaps that I dislike Flash.  Neither of which are remotely important issues in regards to the device as a platform.   It's not for everyone like an iPod is, it's closer to the iPhone in that it targets a bit more of a specialized audience.
 
Is there a specific area you wanted me to highlight more that was unclear?  I felt I offered plenty of less personally focused points.

@seriouslyNow 
  
The iPhone doesn't have a keyboard or Flash support, but it was successful.  Not opinion.   Could that actually be an issue on the iPad instead, sure it might, but there's no real reason to expect that it should.  I think we both need to be able to actually try the keyboard before we can say what a difference it'll actually make.  Which may not be long at all if they have them in apple stores.
 
There were professional publications, many of them, that said the iPod was going to fail and that the iPhone was going to fail.  Publications often seem to be pretty offbase when it comes to Apple announcements.  Somewhat hard for me to take claims of 'the iPad will fail' seriously when I have heard that about every huge success that Apple has had.  I remember the claims that nobody would use iTunes (and thus the iPod) and that Apple would only sell a handful of the devices.  I also remember claims that the iPhone was overpriced (which it was, but they still sold like hotcakes)  and that it couldn't do anything other phones couldn't do.
 
The thing about the criticisms the publications point out is that they were entirely correct, they were indeed flaws of the devices.  It just...didn't really impact sales significantly.  The design of the devices played a role I am sure (Design DOES matter in anything, not just devices) as did the features that it could do.  Now, you may think that's ridiculous, which is entirely your prerogative.  I think it shows a strong trend to the contrary though.  Not in everyone, probably not even amongst a lot of the techie crowd.  But maybe that is why these devices do well, iPhone aside (which I feel appeals to both an average consumer and a techie consumer).   
 
EDIT: Also, going to bed, so cheers.

I don't know if anyone posted this over here yet, but I found it over at Comic Vine. 
See if you can watch / listen to it past the first bit. 
It's the iPad Video walk through.

Does your Laptop have ten hours of battery life? I think they will fix flashsupport, 
But your right its not a laptop its a substitute for all the crappy netbooks.

Why use this when you can use a laptop? Won't this take away from selling Macbooks? I don't get this product at all. They took the fact that people are familiar with the iPhone and basically made it big, with no phone. Apple is just a fashion statement to be different. 
 
I can see it now, college kids sitting around their lobbies and couches, sipping on Starbucks with their iPad in their lap. Wearing scarves. 

" I can see it now, college kids sitting around their lobbies and couches, sipping on Starbucks with their iPad in their lap. Wearing scarves.  "

" @SeriouslyNow: I do. Griefers who refuse to listen to any reason, just keep saying the same thing over and over. "so it's useless, useless useless, bla bla bla, what can you use it for?" people say stuff they'll use it for. "so it's useless, useless useless, bla bla bla, what can you use it for?" over and fricken over. I really don't see why you can't just see that people want this device for stuff you don't need. Do you do any music production stuff, do you have any idea how OSC or midi works? Any knowledge of synthesis and the poorly laid out interfaces common to VSTi and audio units? Probably not. So that part of the tablet is useless for you, that's all good and dandy. Do you read books or comic books? Bet you read green lantern, so you could use it for that, if that's ever happening, which I hope. Do you like visual arts, like drawing or whatnot? Cause it's probably getting some input device that'll make that fun to do.   I don't know what to tell you, dude.. You've allready made up your mind. Now let the guys who want this device buy it without labeling them fanboys or whatnot.  Enough of this juvenile bickering, though. It serves no purpose.   Don't buy one. Easy as that. "

One of my professors was pretty psyched as they looked at it as a Kindle, but hopefully with more books. I'm very indifferent towards it as well, doesn't seem at all worth the expense. And why no flash support? Most sites kind of need that.

" @SeriouslyNow: Classy. "

Mah meh mei mo mu 
 
Is what I say about the iPad. It certainly looks pretty though...

I already have an iPod Touch; why would I want one that doesn't fit in my pocket.

I think it could be great for reading comic books, but really, have we learned nothing from the original Iphone?  Never buy Apple products until the 3rd or 4th generation because Apple holds back even the most basic of functionality to keep sales up over time.  No Flash on a tablet that is supposed to change the way you use the internet is a joke.  No multitasking of programs means I am slaved to doing just one operation at a time.  No camera for video conferencing and no GPS removes more functionality found on even the Iphone.  Also 16 gigs in the base model?  My 3 year old Ipod has more memory than that.  That is why the worst offending item left off the list is no USB.  With a USB port, users could at least have access to expanding their storage via new flash drives, but no...that would dip into Apple's sales of their 32 and 64 gig systems.
 
Between Sony's PSP GO and Apple's IPad (heh-heh), something's gotta be in the water the product designers are drinking because they are not listening to what the consumer is asking for in new media devices.   The Ipad is a shell of what might have been and maybe one day will be a good device.  Today, it's just a waste.

" Very popular to bash Apple stuff around here I see. "

 For a $499 gaming device I'd rather get a PSP go and $200 worth of games to be honest. Also, they really need to bunble the 3G service for existing iphone customers. I'd wager that Apple is expecting their target market are people already purchased the iphone. So why would you pay for two 3G data plans when you could do 90% of the wireless functions on the iphone?

IPad.  What a flop.  I hope this doesn't sell well, so they are forced to redesign it into something that is actually useful.

I agree with Jeff and everyone else for the most part, but I also felt this way about the Kindle and to my surprise I see more and more people with one on the subway every morning.  (And that device, basically only does one thing) Forget the fact that I can read books on my iTouch or better have it read to me! and I'm sure you could say the same for most PDA's these days.
 
I think their OS is mostly great, but their prices are too high. If they could bring the price down to at least a little higher than a netbook, make it 3G (if it isn't already)  they may just steal the show. Don't forget why the ipod is so popular, those apps! If the same, cheap apps become available on the iPad... expect that thing to sell through the roof.

" Didn't Apple in collaboration with Bandai made a game machine once and dubbed it 'Pippin'? And what a fiasco that was? Apple should stay out of the gaming business. "

I just found out more reasons not to get one:
- no Flash support
- no Java support (?) 
- no multitasking
 
That's a huge chunk of the web that won't run properly on it.  Also, 10 hours battery life sounds like a lot until you compare that against ebook readers that use eInk.