I watched the keynote and yawned a lot. Far too limited. No Flash support, ridiculous. A big iPhone/iPod Touch. No thanks.

I couldn't agree more, my Dad was already texting me asking which size he should get. I'm reminded of the first iPhone when it came out overall the feeling was that the touch screen keyboard would never be adopted. I can't even look at a BlackBerry now without disgust.

oh and you can only use apple approved apps. No firefox, no google voice ect

I think for the most part you are right except with the e-reader market. The ipad doesn't offer 7 days of usage, ability to read in direct sunlight, and ease of eye strain (as you are staring at an ultra bright HD screen).

Bottom line: readers will not want the ipad and it certainly does not do away with the “useless ebook reader”. The ipad market is not focused on readers, seeing that it is basically a giant iphone. It's essentially another toy.

How much of the e-reader market do you think reads in direct sunlight? I've never understood this big problem that people have with glossy screens. I've maybe used my computer outside all of 2 times total. I just don't think I'll ever see a bunch of people sitting around the pool with e-readers. People like reading in comfy chairs and airplanes and in bed.

I think the fact that Apple is now selling e-books shows that they are heavily invested in the e-book market. It's definitely a money making opportunity for them.

No one wants to read a book off a computer screen. It strains the eyes and isn't even healthy. Readers are aware of this and will take that into consideration.

People don't always read in direct sunlight but in place where there is a saturation of light. Think of people wanting to read as they lay by the pool in the sunlight (usually direct). People wanting to read at the beach (an umbrella is a maybe). People wanting to read outside in their back yard, enjoying the outdoors. Happens all the time. Reading helps by giving you a break from staring at a screen causing your eyes to water. No one chooses to read from a computer screen over a book. Hence why ipad won't be for readers.

I'm not against the ipad. It's a neat toy but impractical if reading for extended periods of time.

I completely agree with Chrishall – I don't understand this whole “sunshine” aspect that keeps getting brought up. If your main goal is reading at the pool in the blinding sunshine, you're a moron not to just stick with paper anyway. Why should everyone be designing devices for these weird direct-sunshine pool readers? I do 90% of my reading these days in bed with the lights out while my spouse is already asleep. I know I'm not the only one.

I've got a great laptop and an iPhone already. The next $500 I have earmarked for tech will go for a tower with a quad-core or an i7 in it (don't need a monitor). After that, a tablet PC for art and Flash animation on airplanes and trains. If I have a couple hun left over, I think I'll get a refurb Sony Reader, the little touchscreen one that doesn't have a big-ass bezel.

The iPad runs all the 140,000+ iphone/itouch apps out there — games, productivity, social networking, etc PLUS iTunes music and movies, so there's already built-in massive content. Further, Apple has already set up delivery systems with currently print-based publishers to bring books online.

And all of that happens through iTunes, which has revolutionized the delivery system of media to computers — i.e. people will actually pay for downloads of music, movies, and apps rather than stealing them — and independent developers will constantly create new product. It's a winner.

Also, games and movies often seem just a tad bit too small on the iTouch/iPhone, but they'll look great on the iPad.

As for some saying it's not so different than previous hardware…sure, and the iPod wasn't so different from other MP3 players, and the iTouch isn't so different from my PDA that I never used (but I use my iTouch constantly), and the iPhone isn't so different from other smart-phones. In a competitive war, Apple's got a discernable advantage, from both proprietary technology and marketing coolness, and that's all it takes to create a critical mass of sales, at which point everyone else buys one because everyone else is buying one.

And as for reading books: I'm a life-time book lover, but now I prefer reading books on my iTouch to paper copies. I can hold it in one hand, flip pages at a touch, create multiple book marks, and have an entire library held in my hand. Anecdote: my wife was catching a plane recently and we passed the airport bookstore and she thought about going in to buy a book for the flight, then checked her iPhone and realized she already had 72 books in memory. For me, that was one of those moments when you realize that a fundamental change is taking place in the way people do ordinary things.

But for reading, I'd love to have a bigger screen and the iPad will give me one. And the market for textbooks is huge, because students will be able to buy excellent quality PDF versions for less than paper copies, won't have to carry 50 lbs of books to college in their backpacks, and the publishers won't lose dollars to poorly scanned B&W pirated PDF copies.

Still think people won't buy it? Yah, right, and no one needs a personal computer in their home, and only geeks use the internet.

Without purpose built apps, the iPad, like it's predecessors, still cannot stream internet radio and videos. There are a few exceptions but, for the most part, the internet is unavailable to the iPad user whose likes lean towards music and video. Of all things to say about the much vaunted Apple, the iPad seems to show little capability upgrade and is too *cumbersome* when it comes to streaming.

I can definitely understand why some wouldn't like it. Even for a lot of the issues you mentioned. Just have to chime in with my views on these:

A Big, Ugly Bezel

It is big. Ugly is subjective. Usage-wise, if you don't want a huge amount of broken screens on release, the bezel has to be as wide as the widest dimension of the average person's thumbpad. Mine's about an inch and a quarter, so I'd guess that they cut it down a little. This allows the user to firmly grasp it without setting off multi-touch. People say they know that unintentional touches must be accounted for, but they seem to want touch interaction to be as awkward as they think the keyboard will be.

No Multitasking

This thing's fast, really fast. Saved states in apps and a better way of switching may be just as useful as multi-tasking. I tend to think this'll be the way apple goes.

The Name iPad

This is my favorite. Worst reason not to buy anything in existence. People who complain that Apple's style over substance should be appalled that their disciples are so shallow.

No Flash

I'm still trying to figure out where the useful non-video flash sites are. As for video, the best thing Apple can do is to keep on gaining marketshare without flash support. Anyone who hated/hates IE6 should understand this. Flash is only slightly less damaging to the future of the web than IE's legacy.

It's Not Widescreen

It never will be. Yes, there will be bars on widescreen videos. That's a small sacrifice compared to crippling ebooks, iWork, and browsing. Widescreen castrates the portrait orientation, and portrait is more useful for almost anything regarding reading (or even writing). That'd be the only way you'd want to use it. Might be useful for status updates, but nothing else.

As a cop, I have found the iPhone to be useful. The Google Map feature really helps with perimeters. And for building entries, I can get an overhead view of possible exits and pathways on all sides of the building. I'm looking forward to the iPad. On top of all the above, now I'll be able to type reports without going back to the station, and without having to lug around a laptop. Cool stuff.