I am surprised that many of the comments so far are the equivalent of "No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame."<p>I'm excited at the very distinct deviation this is taking from the keyboard/mouse/monitor paradigm in something other than a strictly portable device. I think the OS looks pretty damn good and I can't wait to try using one myself.
I wonder if the folks at Delicious Library are upset about Apple's new 'iBooks' app, that essentially looks the same as theirs.<p><a href="http://www.delicious-monster.com/images/librarypage/screenshots/Delicious-Library.png" rel="nofollow">http://www.delicious-monster.com/images/librarypage/screensh...</a><p><a href="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/136360/thumbs/s-IBOOKS-STORE-large.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/136360/thumbs/s-IBOOKS-...</a>
This is the interesting page from there: <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/" rel="nofollow">http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/</a><p>"1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)" Sounds like a nice display.
I'm going to hold off my criticism until I spend more than 20-30 minutes with it and see how well it fits my ideas of what a device like this should be. Knowing Apple, their product design and eye for aesthetics, I wouldn't jump to conclusions based on specs and photos of it.
I am underwhelmed. I think they might have missed the mark on this product or there are a lot of things they didn't discuss in their presentation today!<p>Multi-tasking?
Flash?
No integrated notes/sketches/diagrams? An odd oversight for a form-factor so perfectly suited to it.<p>No mention of free-form annotation of documents/images? Another weird omission for a device seemingly <i>built</i> to free people from the limitations of traditional mobile interaction.<p>An <i>iWork</i> suite and kickstand/keyboard peripheral? That's positively <i>Microsft-ian</i>.<p>A tri-fold leather folio <i>kickstand</i>? Alright, now we've steered directly into <i>Sharper Image</i> territory.<p>Seriously, what in the world just happened?
I like it...but it's a USB client rather than a host. That's a hard pill for me to swallow. I suspect I'll be getting a competitor's model with somewhat inferior aesthetics and for maybe $100 less. I admire the product (and especially their pricing, which was a surprise) but it doesn't arouse real gear envy for me.<p>TBH I was hoping for haptic feedback and a webcam, or host connections that would allow it to work as a generic console for other devices - which would have driven the entry price to $800 or more, but felt really revolutionary. Apple will do well out of this, but the competition is coming up a lot closer than with the iPhone, where it was unarguably the best of its kind for a long time.
Magical? Sure. Revolutionary? It's a giant iPod touch.<p>If this thing does sell, coupling it with 29.95/unlimited 3G on AT&T should do wonders for the network.
Call me naive but I think my productivity problem can be solved now. I'm thinking to get an iPad just for the email, HN and notes. That is, not check email on my <i>work</i> computer but rather go to iPad whenever feeling the itch to check email/HN and etc. Not sure, but excited to try that idea ;)
I call it le iMerde.<p>The main point for me is how Apple did come up with a such low resolution (1024x768@132ppi) for a screen that you hold so close to your eyes?
The technology is there for much higher density screens.
I was expecting Apple to lead the way.<p>There is nothing that machine do better than any laptop out there (notebook, laptops, etc.)
And it’s the keypoint of the Steve keynote.<p>It’s a luxury machine designed to spend (and possibly waste) time and money by being entertained and by buying more, more and more instant gratification items without having a direct control of your expenses.<p>Kudos to Apple to be the best player in this category but it’s not a tool for people creating stuff.
I'm surprised at the lackluster 3G options. If I can't tether my iphone to this - and the existence of a 3g model, combined with notable omission of any talk of tethering certainly points to a resounding no - why would I have an iphone rather than a rooted nexus one or Pre, which I could tether via wifi?<p>If I were Google/Palm, I'd work hard to get official, viable 3G->WiFi AP tethering working by the time the iPad ships. Then advertise it far and wide.<p>I understand Apple/AT&T want the revenue from an additional data subscription, but the option of saving $130 up front + $30/mo. is a pretty strong case against going all Apple, at least for me.
I find it really strange that they advertise 720p playback, but they didn't give it a 720p screen. I would expect the device to have a 1280x720 resolution display (like some netbooks) instead of a 1024x768. I'm not sure what their target user is, but I guess one who watches HD video isn't it. Still, it does look interesting.
My feeling is that it is fairly non-essential. But the same holds for the iPod, and they sold loads of them. So it seems possible they might find buyers for the iPad, too. The price is OK.<p>I guess the real need it is filling will be "I really want to buy something right now, but I already own everything I need".
Am I the only one who was expecting a killer feature that they don't seem to have? The calendar looks like it'd work well, and iBook would be decent at the right price, but much of the rest is basically "like a big iPhone."<p>I was expecting them to dominate the textbook market with live-updates to etextbooks at an affordable price, annotations, social annotations, digital bookmarks, etc. If tertiary students are having to spring $100ish/book and buying x books/year, then blowing $500 on something to cart around campus might be an easier decision.<p>No real play at sketching or note taking either? Might not be as easy as it should be (always gave up on handwriting recognition with an old Dell handheld) but they could've included it I'm sure.<p>And after seeing a proof of concept of a multimedia version of Sports Illustrated, I was positive that Apple would take a crack at magazines and newspapers with an app-type store that handled subscriptions, editions, upgrades, premium/sealed sections, easy sales and links direct from magazines, etc.<p>The price is good and I actually could make use of this (replacing my iPhone for basically browsing the net at home on the couch or in bed, playing Freecell, etc) but I am very surprised that there's not more to it.
Was disappointed by lack of multitasking. Already ditched my iPhone for Android, and the difference is huge.<p>Is this going to be another thing with Apple like the single mouse button? Seems like they are really trying to stick to their guns. I mean, why would anyone want to use more than one app at a time right?
If this thing can store and play arbitrary video files (to the limit of Quicktime's capabilities) and gets an app for Netflix streaming, I actually think it'll be extremely useful for me in that I can finally separate my entertainment machine from my work machine. It looks like it's only MPEG-4/H.264 friendly, but that may be enough if that becomes the standard. (Letting it somehow play DVD's--even with just a "DVD dock"--would be helpful as well, but I have a laptop fully capable of converting DVD's into H.264 anyhow.)<p>My suspicion is that next year's iPad will be the one to push the concept over the top for me. Though it's already compelling as an ebook reader and part time laptop replacement, one more iteration will seal the deal.
I can't help but wonder if this thing is related to Amazon's wild success with the Kindle.<p>Jobs never saw a consumer market he didn't like. Certainly if I was given the option to go with the Kindle or an iPad, my choice would be clear - I want the device with more functionality. The Kindle DX is the same price as the iPad, with a slightly smaller screen.<p>Kindle killer? Time will tell.<p>Edit: At the Kindle DX price point the iPad does not provide 3G access though. And that's one of the biggest selling points for Amazon's device.
I'd really like to see limited floating licenses for all the apps I bought on my iPhone, similar to the way DRM from the iTunes store works. You can authorize 1 iPhone and 1 iPad per purchased application. Maybe use Mobile Me to sync settings.
I'm surprised there's no way to write on it, like an oversized Newton!<p>EDIT: Also, are there any new on support for arbitrary pdfs under iBooks? I have a gazillion articles for which the iPad would be perfect.
This is going to change the whole computer market forever.<p>Why would anyone (edit: a user who buys a below $1k machine) be inclined to purchase a netbook or even a 13" PC instead of this?
iPad + Bespin. Is anyone else interested in this potentially tasty combo-meal?<p>The App Store may not allow language interpreters, but as long as Bespin plays well with Safari and JavaScript, Bespin is just another valid webapp. And with a $30 unlimited 3G plan, I can code wherever I want (ok, wherever AT&T lets me). And to be very generous, the lack of multitasking would reduce coding distractions.<p>I'm extremely looking forward to trying this out!
i kind of think this summarizes my feelings about the ipad:<p><a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/frantic_steve_jobs_stays_up" rel="nofollow">http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/frantic_steve_jo...</a>