iPad

From what I've read so far it seems to have had a lukewarm welcome by the enthusiast (read: geek) press. I was more surprised at what it can't do rather than what it can. For instance the two worst things appear to be that you can't multitask on it which is pretty poor for a slab that size and it won't run Adobe Flash which is integral to a shitload of web sites.

I can see the attraction of the iPhone as it's tiny and convenient if you need info on the road but for something this size (and price) I'm not seeing any huge benefits. Not as if you can just slip it back into your pocket either.

Aside from maybe being a more attractive target to muggers on the tube.

As always with Apple a very fair and attractive price tag (not!).

Oh it's just the first version.. give it some time.

Right now, it IS a big iPod touch (no phone, no camera, so..) indeed.

But I am pretty sure this concept IS revolutionary, and this thing will end up being more useful than laptop computers to take notes at a meeting, take notes in class, in other words, finally adequately replace paper.

I can truly see my mother use that to surf the web and play solitaire instead of using a laptop.. the touch screen is much more intuitive for those people.

It will find its niche, really.. and once applications will be done for it and they will be at 3rd generation, I'm pretty sure this will actually have an impact.

This *will* be a proper replacement for a "NOTEBOOK" as opposed to a laptop computer. Now I just wonder if they will make the screen able to support pens so you can actually take written notes on it.

Spotnick wrote: This *will* be a proper replacement for a "NOTEBOOK" as opposed to a laptop computer. Now I just wonder if they will make the screen able to support pens so you can actually take written notes on it.

Unless they sort out the bizarre feature of not being able to multitask I really doubt they'll threaten the Netbook market too much. Especially as you can get a pretty decent Netbook for 300 quid these days that will run Windows 7 Basic well enough.

Don't get me wrong I do like some of Apple's range (own an iPod) but the iPad is increasingly looking like style over substance and missing a tonne of features to make it worth the price tag. As always with Apple it's a pretty hefty price tag too.

You could be right though, if they develop it maybe by the third or fourth generation it will approach something threatening to the Netbook market.

I've read enough about the iPad now to know now it's a total rip off to be honest.

I reckon the people who buy this immediately will be stuck with a large overpriced coaster come 12 months when Apple release a second generation (I would hope) capable at least of multitasking... so that's 400-600 quid well spent. Recession? What recession? Etc.

The crap thing is as with all things Apple - like it or not - there are are some (and before Mac users on here go ape, I don't mean all) that simply buy it for the look and the notoriety rather than what it can do. Apple go to town on this customer base and fucking milk them for all they're worth... partially why the iPad is a pretty underwhelming product. They don't even have to promote it, it's like a new Harry Potter book. It could be an iTurd and people would be queuing overnight on Oxford St freezing their gonads off for the first whiff of it.

The best thing you could say about it is it's a conversation starter at parties