The Apple iPad (Update)

Today Apple released it's newest product...the iPad. It's essentially a ginormous iPod touch with the option of getting 3G data. Overall, it's pretty cool, I suppose. Seems well built and is easy on the eyes. However, I think they have a few problems on their hands:

1. Limited market. Right now I just don't see a very big market for this. This is clearly Apple's shot at the netbook market. It's essentially a web-surfing device that starts at $499. (Netbooks are half the price with better hardware specs. Granted, the iPhone OS is possibly worth the premium on its own.) I can kind of see why some people would like this for around the house or traveling; but for me it's a hard sell. If you have a laptop already, I don't think there is any way this appeals to you. Your laptop has way more functionality (it's a real computer) and nearly just as portable. So why would you need to drop another $499 for this? You don't. If you already have an iPod touch/iPhone, the iPad doesn't bring much to the table except a bigger screen, and better iWork functionality, which would only apply to a very small group of people I would have to think. If all you had was a desktop and an iPod touch/iPhone, I could maybe see the iPad being appealing to you. This is obviously what Apple is banking on.
2. No multitasking. Granted, this may come with iPhone OS 4.0, but even basic netbooks can multitask.
3. No camera. You would think there would be at least a front facing camera for video chat, no? If there was ever a device made for video chat, this would be it. On top of that, this is obviously portable enough that you could take it anywhere you normally go with a backpack, this would be perfect for taking pictures, and then sharing them via 3G when on the road.
4. No flash. I hate flash websites. They bog down my computer no matter what I'm using. But the fact of the matter is, flash is pretty popular and the iPad doesn't support it. Most other netbooks do.
5. Hard Drive storage. This thing is obviously targeted for multimedia usage: photos, music, games, movies, ebooks, etc. Starting at only 16 GB, that could fill up very quickly. If they double that we could start making a case for it.
6. Last but not least, the name. Seriously, iPad? What were they thinking? The last thing I want to be reminded of every time I use my new, cool device, is a feminine product. Well, Apple has just made my worst nightmare come true. Thanks.

I guess I can see how some people could find this useful, but there isn't anything mind-blowing about it. No matter if you love it or hate it, one thing is for sure; NEVER buy 1st generation products from Apple. They inevitably drop the price and/or add more features and/or upgrade the specs within the first few months. Look at the original iPhone. Within two months they dropped the price by $200. If you were patient enough to wait for the 2nd gen iPhone, you were treated to a far superior device. I learned my lesson with the 1st gen unibody Macbooks. Within a couple of months Apple added firewire and an SD card slot. Never again, Apple, never again.

• Update: You know what? After digging a little deeper and watching this video of the iPad in action, I may be changing how I feel about it. It does seem to be a really slick and user friendly way of browsing the web and viewing multimedia; which is exactly what Apple was planning on. To be used as a stay-connected-email-facebook-twitter-multimedia-viewer it seems more than capable. I wouldn't be surprised if it sells really well. This looks like it would be the perfect size to take on a plane to watch movies or play games with. This could be the perfect product for Apple to attract new customers that haven't taken the plunge for an iPod, iPhone or Macbook. It won't appeal to the "power" business users, but I don't think Apple intended it to. Besides the lack of a market, I still stand behind my original arguments. Also, even with becoming more favorable towards the iPad, I would still wait for the 2nd generation!