No doubt you've heard by now about Apple's new product, the iPad. Steve Jobs' latest gadget has the internet world abuzz. The sleek looking 9.56” x 7.47” device has promised to revolutionize the way we consume media and even save the news industry. Does it live up to all they hype? After all, Steve Jobs has reportedly called it the most important thing he's ever done.

As an at first reluctant fan of the multi-functional iPod touch, I was intrigued to hear that Apple would be going after a type of product that so many other manufacturers before had tried at and failed to make successful: the tablet PC. What was finally announced was not at all what I expected. The iPad resembles not a computer, or a larger PDA, but an oversized iPod Touch. The iPod Touch's design is indeed slick, but instead of it making the iPad look sleeker and smaller than your average netbook, the resemblance actually has the effect of making it look like a less-portable iPod or iPhone. Another surprise for me is the lack of stylus, traditionally used with tablet PCs and touch screens for hand-writing purposes. Touch screen technology still suffers from some awkwardness of use, and though the iPad's nearly full size touch keyboard should be somewhat easier to use than the iPhone's, an option for more precise touch screen controls may have been an interesting addition.

The new iPad can also function as video viewer, iBook reader, music player, even a digital photo frame in some cases. It should also run every app available for the iPhone, and new exclusive iPad apps as well. It can't be denied that this is a pretty cool, fun gadget and the price feels just about right at $499.00 to start. But wait, Jobs calls the iPad "so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone." So it's not really a tablet PC in the traditional sense, but meant to bridge the gap between smartphones and laptops. The question is, does that gap really exist?

The iPad seems to do many things that are already done by other devices, only not as well. It cannot replace an iPhone, as it has no camera and no calling capabilities. It doesn't replace a laptop as it lacks flash support, standard USB ports, a replaceable battery, and multi-tasking. It's maps can't replace GPS since they are based on wi-fi and/or AT&T's limited 3G network. It is even being derided as an ebook reader due to its absence of e-ink, the technology that makes it possible to read text on a screen in daylight and with minimal eye strain.

So while the advantage of the iPad may be its varied functionality, it suffers in that it cannot fully replace any of the devices it emulates. The only need the iPad seems to fulfill completely is the need to have the latest slick-looking gizmo. It has a lot of unfulfilled potential, and I certainly can't see it being the most important thing Jobs' has ever done in its present state. As with the iPhone or iPod Touch, I think the iPad's promise can only be revealed in time, with the development of great apps and software that make the device so much more than the sum of it's parts.

Read More

Apple iPad: Everything You Need To Know, Gizmodo.com

Apple Announces Tablet Computer -- 'far better at some key tasks', LAtimes.com

Apple iPad or iBad? What it Lacks?, Technically Personal