Well of course you want an iPad. It's shiny, and sleek. It is another beautiful piece of Apple design, lovely to behold. Function and form in a minimalist package. But does it do what you want it to do?
If you want a device that can surf and email, has a calendar and iTunes, can run iBooks and a host of iPhone applications, then the iPad may be for you.
The iPad looks good powered down and even better powered up. The 9.7" backlit LCD screen provides bright colors and deep black. The navigation controls, like the iPhone, are responsive, precise and very easy to use, as is the Virtual Keyboard.
At only ½ an inch thick, and weighing in at 1.5 pounds, the iPad's mass belies its abilities. Easy to carry and to use on your lap the iPad has a lot going for it.
The battery life appears to be as good as Apple claims, with some testers getting 10 hours of continuous use, though not while watching HD movies or running extended download sessions.
So what is wrong with the iPad? There are indeed a few drawbacks.
Firstly the iPad does not multitask well, so running multiple 'line of business' applications is going to be an issue. This is not a business laptop replacement.
Second there is no built in USB port, card reader or webcam. Considering the social nature of this device, that seems to be a very odd omission.
Finally, and most important, the built in Safari web browser does not support Flash. Unfortunately a very large proportion of websites on the internet use the Flash standard to deliver content. This means that a good number of sites will not be viewable in their entirety, or maybe at all.
There will be other offerings out soon. HP has the Slate running Windows 7, and other devices will be running the Android or Google mobile device operating systems.
It also has to be noted that this is iPad version 1.0. iPad version 2.0 could be the deal maker.