Well, just got back from Yerba Buena Gardens for the announcement, and I have to say that people in general seemed underwhelmed by the iPad. I can't say at this point that I disagree either. The iPad is really sleek and doesn't weigh much. But, the assumptions that this is just a larger version of an iPhone or iPod Touch wouldn't be off the mark. That's exactly what it is, although the typing experience seems as natural it can be on a touchscreen. If Apple is hoping to get the business audience to use this right now, that's not going to happen. It's fairly limited and pointless if you already have a laptop. If you have an e-reader, then honestly, you won't get this unless you're a gadget geek. On the other hand, if you're looking for an e-reader and want as much functionality as you can get with some money to burn, the iPad would be the way to go. At this point, and this is just my two cents, if you really want a tablet computer, you may want to wait the for inevitable price drop on the iPad or hold off until Google releases its own later this year. If you're not into tablet computers, this likely won't win too many new converts.
I agree that there are a lot of uses for an iPod touch with a bigger screen. I wouldn't get much use out of it myself outside of very few instances (on shoots, for instance), but that's not the point. Apple is hailing what is pretty much a giant iPhone/touch as "magical" and "revolutionary". I mean...c'mon now...it apparently doesn't have multitasking (which, if true, is EPIC FAILURE any way one slices it). I just find it odd that Apple is making a big deal out of what is really a reactionary device. Some folks wanted an Apple netbook and Apple pointed to iPhone as their solution, to which the folks pointed out that the screen is too small, and it didn't have "full" office software. So Apple makes a bigger iPhone with it's own version of iWorks. "Revolutionary" and "magical" this is not.
What Google and HTC are cooking up has some potential. I saw a working model last month, and that version had multitasking which is essential if you're working on a laptop. HP and Dell may be the sleeper in all this because that will likely include a real OS. Of course, price point will be one of the factors.
Come on dude, it's a big iPod Touch posing as a tablet. No USB, no multitasking, no Flash, so goodbye to viewing most sites properly, sketchy integration with upscaled Appstore apps... what are we missing?
It was an event to announce the tablet. This is like the idiots who got pissed off that there were no iPod announcements at WWDC. (Worldwide Developers Convention)
And what, exactly, would that point be, Eli? It's a giant iPhone/touch. It's a "do all" device. Apple is putting it out there as such. But all it really amounts to is bigger iPhone/touch. This is neither "revolutionary" or "magical" - it's anything but. Is there a market for it? Sure. I never stated that there wasn't. But that market is, IMHO, quite niche and in no way will likely start any sort of revolution.
