Shrug and utter "Ehhh", Larry David style.

Ehhh....

Damn right the price is an unbelievable feature. An unbelievable ripoff. No flash, no e-ink display (or even dual display), no included 3G (must pay extra), and I'll believe their 10 hour battery life claims when I see gizmodo test it. The list goes on...

Meh. . . if I'm gonna spend money on tech I really don't need, it'll be a Logitech Squeezebox Boom. Frankly, I wish Jobs and Co. had put their big brains into making Apple TV be all it could and should be.

Yeah, I wished they'd make it so I could connect to Apple TV and create a brand new way to experience my media or something. Ohwell...

I've been sick with anticipation for months, and I gotta say, this was a bit of a letdown. I was totally waiting for a tablet PC-type device that could virtually act as a stand-in for my laptop, but not a chance. This is basically a "large-print" itouch.

It's cool, but I place it in the same category as the Kindle and Nook... cool, but not really for me.

I'm kind of bummed they didn't announce an Arrandale MacBook Pro :/

this is what we've been waiting for?

not impressed.

Does anyone know how the ebook reader will interact with Guttenberg, Google Books, and public libraries? Will you be limited to books that you buy through Apple or will you be able to get them elsewhere (e.g., digitally check them out from a library)? THoughts?

how is this filling the market where netbooks faltered?

with a netbook you could actually do some work when you wanted to. Besides the apple apps, I don't see any work taking place on it. They probably won't even let microsoft office in, which I (and most of the world) use over iWork.

Plus with a netbook it'll cost me like $300. Have a real Hard drive at like 160gb (16gb, come on, who would buy that?!?!?) USB ports for addons, and some upgradeable things like RAM.

i don't get where apple is going with a lot of this stuff, when there are little things the should be fixing. Small post on my blog last night about a little feature I would love added, but they'll never do because it won't make them another $500 (and i am no apple basher, I've got imacs, ipods, etc, just tired of the stuff they are doing)

www.thelargebear.com

pretty underwhelming. i really wanted to like this.

more like ibad.

There's no Flash (bye-bye Hulu) and you can't even multitask on the iPad, which makes it less useful than my ancient iBook. FAIL.

Start knitting iPad cozy...

I bet they will sell millions of these. I am definitely getting one!

i think this has great potential.

what i don't understand in some of these comments is that most of you are describing the drawbacks as not having accessories or hardware like a netbook or a notebook. they were pretty clear in saying that this isn't a notebook or a smartphone. netbooks sell well, but they are a pain to use, and in no way is this supposed to replace a notebook.

i think it'll be interesting to see how consumers react to this device. apple isn't trying to make a new computer here. they are trying to make a new device.

What does it do that an iphone or ipod touch doesn't do? Like someone else said its not like you can work on it i.e. word or excel.
I love Apple's stuff and have a macbook and iphone, but this seems pointless.
Also the name, ipad? Sounds like a feminine hygiene product, maybe the 2nd generation ipad will have wings!

The point is, it's not a new device. It's an iPod Touch large.
The technology is there already. The OS is the same.

It has iWork so you very well could work on it, I just can't imagine actually doing so.

I think it is just like a lot of things Apple releases. The first version, even if it sells well, seldom if ever represents the product down the line other than form factor. Shit, I remember when the iPod Touch came out, and it wasn't till a good 6 or 7 months later that people stopped going "whats the point, just get the iPhone!" Hell, people started saying that all over again when they started subsidizing them. It wasn't till the app store hit its stride that it made much sense because suddenly it went from being a slightly better media player than the nano/classic to a platform.

I wouldn't care if Apple named it the iDouche or iDepends; the iPad is perfect for me. I wanted something similar to an iPod touch but much larger yet portable for ME. I already have a laptop. iPhone also too small for what I need. Kindle and Nook don't have everything I want either, so this is a perfect light, in-betweener device for ME.

Well, everything i expected... and nothing more. The iPod Touch and iPhone have shown that there's a market for a handheld unit, something that Jobs didn't believe when he axed the Newton. Now the million dollar question is whether a bigger screen will make it more useful, after all, 3 inches is tiny, but it might be all you need. Or perhaps 3 is too little, but 9.7 is too much. I'm interested, but its going to take more than a little convincing that its worth buying.

Nope. Don't plan on getting it. It was a bit of a letdown, but then again, I prefer full-on laptops to paltry tablets. Although the Kindle makes a lot of sense for traveling with a lot of books, you have to repurchase them, and this is something that I'm not willing to do.

The most surprising element is the price. Given that Apple generally keeps prices steady (or lowers them) while it improves the device over successive generations, I can see this developing into a "must have" as additional features are added and the price remains level.

I must admit that I am never the first to buy a new Apple product even though my computing life is entirely Apple. It took about 18 months, a lower price, the addition of 3G, and the birth of the app store for me to warm to the iPhone. I would imagine this device is 2 years (and a name change) away from a "must buy" for me.

This is a big let down. The price is too high, the name is horrible, and I don't want to tote a large iphone that can't run Flash. They really need to work on that.

I'm not sure who they are targeting besides the people who always have to have the latest thing regardless of how bad or good it is.

Come on Jobs! You can do better than this!

I'm not sure who they are targeting besides the people who always have to have the latest thing regardless of how bad or good it is.

No. People who don't want to carry all that stuff around. The iPad will definitely be a notebook computer replacement for me. It's just what I want for traveling/vacationing and a busy parenting life.

Really, it's not that hard to believe that this mobile device suits some people; nobody said it suits everyone.

oh... this is the star of change! that's true. but for now I don't have any use for it lol I wont spend 700$ for something like this : / (it's like 500$ for the iphone... wth??? that's to much! D:)
I will wait for MS response lol, there were rumors about some kind of notebook, that you could really use for writhe and study, and maintain as an agenda etc, it wouldn't be a pc, it would enter the world of mp3 devices... you know? stuff you need to survive outside but relies on de computer.

Pretty underwhelming. But then, all I really want Apple to do is break from AT&T.

Think it's great, but I won't buy one...not until they break from ATT and allow flash. There are so many things that this "web browsing" device won't be able to do. It is so frustrating to constantly run into sites that are completely un-functional because the device your using doesn't support flash.

I'm happy with what it is. It is NOT a laptop. It's everything you could want in an iphone, without the $100 operation cost a month! I never got an iphone because my verizon plan is so darn cheap, i couldn't justify it.

$15 a month for 3G with NO CONTRACT?? sounds great!
I have a macbook pro from a few years ago that's on it's last leg and I've been having a hard time justifying buying a new macbook pro since they are so expensive and I have an imac anyways. All I use my laptop for is browsing the internet, so this is the perfect device for me.

I can't wait!

"Sounds like a feminine hygiene product, maybe the 2nd generation ipad will have wings!"

@jbmoffattmk - could not have said it better myself!

Um, the book reader on this thing makes the Kindle look likes something out of a high school science fair. Apparently it uses EPUB format, so you should be able to read free books from Project Gutenberg on it -- not sure about any DRM issues regarding iBooks purchased from the iTunes Store. If there really is a market for e-books, the iPad just went to the head of the line.

I'll stick to my iphone, thank you very much.
The price is really a rip off.

For me, it's all about the e-reader capability and the fact that it could possibly save the magazine industry. That's why I waited for this as opposed to getting the Kindle. The fact that it can do anything else is just icing. It won't replace my iPhone or my MacBook. It'll be the new way I consume media. But I will wait for an update. :)

You nay-sayers are missing the boat on this. This is unplggd for goodness sake. Think of all of the possibilities as a home automation touchscreen (think, mounted on the wall.) Alarm.com can be in a 10 inch screen on your wall. It can be lighting controls, your morning schedule, DVR remote. It can bring your Sonos to life, it can tell you the weather. You can take it off the wall and read the paper.

It's mobile capabilities are limited as a large iPhone or a super powered kindle, but the base $499 model can do wonders for the way you interact with your home.

@FightTheFuture

but why did the decide not to make it into a netbook or similar device? It's almost there, it has the right size screen, the size, etc. Just a couple additions like a real OS and some additional features. It could STILL do everything they designed it for, but more, and appeal to an even wider base. I doubt it would have even cost that much more.

you comment that netbooks sell well but are a pain to use. exactly, so that is where apple could have came in and made the "netbook killer" and went for the be W - I - N

Excellent device for reading (web, books, magazines) while sitting on the couch or while commuting. This is going to be the best coffee table book I will ever own.

Considering that a kindle, which does absolutely nothing else except for what iBooks does, costs $259 - $500...I don't see why people are complaining about the iPad price.

I think the big draw is that it's not a crappy netbook. I, for one, was glad that it simply wasn't a touch screen laptop, I don't need that. Plus, netbooks are awful - they don't work, they're expensive considering they can barely do what they claim to do, and frankly, they're ugly. This is a great little entertainment unit that addresses all my other needs since I already have the gamut of products doing everything else.

hmm...i dunno....i ride the subway in NYC everyday.....
thats a very pricey piece of electronics to have stolen, bumped, hit or dropped on a crowded "F" Train.

I love it.

I got a Kindle DX as a X-mas present and returned it because I felt the B&W interface and single use of the device wasn't worth the price. Throw in the full web capability, a touchscreen, and color and I feel like this is a much better device for a similar price as the Kindle DX. It will be a great addition to the coffee table and will come along with me when I travel to watch movies, read a book and surf the web when away from home. And the 3g option is nice, but since I have an iphone already I would probably just get the wifi version.

Is this device for everybody? No. But it is a great in-between for those who found Kindle too limiting but a netbook too much.

For better or for worse, this WILL SELL LIKE KUH-RAZY. A few have said it in the comments here in their own way, but this will be an easy media hub that anyone can find a use for. It drives me crazy with what it could be (64 gigs max? no camera? no removable battery? {much more}) but like so many friendly things in life, you can't help but fall in love with a smiling face. Boomers will likely go ape-stink over it and everyone else is going to just love the social aspect that the iPhone almost could have captured. Sharing photos and all of those pseudo-markets that advertising has been trying to convince us we really care about for the last 10 years are about to become real and present.

I read all about this on my iPhone at lunch yesterday. Kinda cool I guess. But I have never considered myself a candidate for Kindle either. I can't see getting one of these, at least yet. I have read fairly extensive passages from books on my iPhone, but it is not like holding a book in your hand. I mean, would I really need to carry one of these and an iPhone? Can the iPhone transfer files to the iPad?

I'm not grossed out by the name, but it could have been better.

this thing seems underpowered to run a real OS on...

The Ipad is not meant to replace your laptop. Apple is just trying to fill that pricepoint between an ipod touch and a macbook, and I think this does that. I just wish they promoted the ability to view magazines more, I really think this is the ideal solution for that declining market.

I'm neither for or against it. After watching the excruciating long keynote (1 1/2 hours); I feel relatively informed about it... Here's the basic rundown.

1. Target market: Soccer moms, starving students, starving anyone, really... 1st time Apple consumers. Pretty much every app out there is meant to do all the things these people do in a "computer-less" manner, and it's quite impressive. Most of the surfing will probably be Youtube and porn, and it can very effectively do that. (Plus, easy cleanup!... for using it in the kitchen as a recipe holder)

2. Price: at only 200 bucks more than the iPod touch, you get a bigger screen, a faster machine and what's even better... all the enhanced apps. This thing isn't even out yet and I'm sure Photoshop clones, music and photography nerds and hardcore tablet users will want to give it a go after all sorts of app suites get unleashed.

3. Why?: Reasons are various... It isn't a laptop, so there's virtually no upkeep, no setup of any kind, and we LOVE dumbed-down. MONEY! Apple's going to make a killing out of a device that you can't pirate, it's proprietary as hell and the only place you can get content from IS their store.

.... now, the reasons why I hate it...

Let’s be honest, the mere lack of real-life USB ports (not a camera connector) makes the iPad almost immediately obsolete, (bound to the update crumbs Cupertino shares from it’s bounty) whereas the iMac, MacBook and iPhone will keep on truckin’ (literally) ‘till they fall apart.

The iPad is just that… a quick-fix to our media-menstruation problems… and just like a feminine hygiene product, it’s bound to be used and discarded.

Why are so many people upset that it doesn't do what a laptop does? If that's what you want, get a laptop. For me this is great. It does everything my ipod touch does plus the e-reader I was thinking of getting.

I already have an iPad Nano!

my iPhone!

I was really hoping that since it's touch sensitive it might be artist friendly. No such luck, so I'm bummed, even though I get it. I think tablets are a good idea whose time hasn't yet come upon us.

My magic device that this isn't, but I hope it will lead to, is a sketchpad (wacom style), with wii style brushes and pencils, a built in camera (so you can take a picture of the thing you are sketching, and return to it later), a notebook app, so you can take notes, and email so you can send all that stuff you drew and wrote to yourself, and a book app. That would be sweet.

Come on people, let's think outside of the box shall we? First of all this is a new appliance. And it is the first release. I look forward to what this thing will be next year and the year after that. This is sound business practice to me. Provide entry features and develop your market. If the market does not develop, dump out. If the market does develop you develop a following that is willing to upgrade to the "next big thing". Isn't this what Apple did with the iPod-come-iPhone? I am not much intrigued by this device now, but I can see the potential for this device to evolve into the next iWantIt....

no thanks. it's a touch screen laptop without a keyboard. I'll just keep my laptop thank you very much.

Now i might pay for THIS....
http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet

iPad is a trademark owned by STMicroelectronics, in Europe.

I'm all over this with this particular write-up, I really believe this particular site desires much more thing to consider. I’ll most likely be once again to understand a lot more, many thanks for your data.

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Hubert If its Apple, then its sure to be a masterpiece. I mean they are masters in their field and they do their job the best. I am sure everybody agrees with me. I am sure this new invention called the ipad will be a huge success and something I want to buy.

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