Secondly – I definitely see your argument concerning typing term papers/reports. Going back and forth between Pages and Safari could get very difficult and frustrating. Until multitasking is implemented, that will be a big hinderance. However, don’t colleges have computer labs or computers in the libraries? I’m sure someone could type their reports somewhere else if necessary. Also, presentations and slideshows will be better on the iPad due to Keynote’s special presentation tools built-in specifically for the iPad. For example, a “laser pointer” effect can be chosen from a menu, allowing you to move your finger around a slide as if you were moving a red laser over the screen.

This isn’t meant to replace your laptop – yet. This is a new device meant to complement your existing computer setup. Basically, you need to ask yourself, “what do I use my computer for?” and then base your purchase on the answer. If all you do is surf the Web, check email, share photos and watch movies – get an iPad. If you have a job that requires a workhorse (coding, heavy research, multimedia editing, etc…) get a real computer.

I know I sound like a total fanboy, but I’m not. In fact, when I first watched the keynote presentation, I asked my self, “why would anyone buy this? A laptop is so much more capable and my iPhone does almost the same stuff.”

Then I realized – I’m not the target audience and I wouldn’t buy this in place of a laptop in my current situation. I’d buy one as a secondary device for when I go away on short trips or don’t need the full functionality of a laptop (like when I’m writing a review or want to watch a movie).

For $499, you’re getting a portable media player, eBook reader, Web-enabled Internet device that runs 140k apps at launch. Pretty good deal to me.

Yes, everyone loves their iPhones (including me) so why wouldn’t people love a huge version for computing tasks. Firstly, it’s not ergonomic and will be uncomfortable to type on. The iPhone packs all of this functionality into your pocket, the iPad does not. A student won’t buy an iPad because they can’t do the important tasks on them. If you’re getting a laptop for collegiate classes, you know going in that you’ll need it for composing reports, doing presentations, viewing slideshows, all of which I’m sure are possible on the iPad, they just won’t be easy. Picture this scenario: Bill is typing a report in which he’s fact checking on the Internet just to keep things going smoothly. With his laptop, he can minimize, fact check, spell check, and he just has to open back up his report with no long processes. If he has the iPad, this changes. He must save, close, open Safari, do his job, close Safari, and then re-open his saved document. Also, if he doesn’t get the keyboard add-on, it’s quite uncomfortable to type on a flat surface and leads to lots of mistakes.

If anything, the fact that it has very little differentiation from an iPhone has pissed off many people who I know (girlfriend, trendy friend who only buys Apple products, etc) because they wanted something that was a unique product.

You were not the intended audience.

It’s ok if you don’t like Apple – a lot of people don’t like Apple. I happen to think they make some of the greatest computers available and I don’t know where I’d be without my iPhone. That’s me.

Apple’s iPad was designed with the lowest common denominator in mind – People who buy a $700+ computer and only use 7-10% of what it can actually do. That’s a big market for an iPad.

Also, try not to think of this as a slate computer. To Apple, this is a whole new category of machine and maybe we should look at it as such. It runs almost 140k+ apps right out of the box and has an intuitive UI designed with the multi-touch screen in mind. Rather than shoehorning features into their touch UI the way Microsoft does (who wants to fumble with touching little Xs in the corners of windows?), Apple has redesigned each core application for optimal use on the iPad.

I’m going to assume you don’t own any Apple products and please correct me if I’m wrong, but if you’re this quick to put down an Apple device (and Apple users) before it’s even released, you were never going to buy it in the first place – no matter what Apple threw in it.