Ok, so if you haven't heard of the iPad, you've definitely been living under a rock. When it first came out it was all the rage and it seemed like everyone had to have one. But release, and the overshadowing iPhone 4 (or perhaps the overshadowing of the iPhone 4 "antennagate"), there has been very little coverage of the iPad. However, since I was in a local electronics store the other day (purchasing an Android phone incidentally), I couldn't help noticing the iPad on full display in all it's iPadish glory. It definitely has reason to be proud. It stands in a class all by itself and there was literally nothing in the whole electronics store to compare it too. But then, maybe there's a reason for that.
For instance, other than selling a few hundred thousand (ok, so maybe it's more like a couple million), what is there really to do with the iPad? Sure it's a netbook replacement or so they say. But what do you do with your netbook that you can do better on an iPad? I mean do you really want to lug that keyboard around with you just so you can chat with your friends on facebook? It might eventually replace the iPhone, but it's really a little to big for that. It's a nice little gaming device, but what games can you plan on it that you can't play better on a full blown PC? Besides, most online games are in Flash, which according to Steve Jobs is like the PC in being a prehistoric beast headed for distinction at a rate so fast it'll be sitting next to the original Macintosh in dumpster soon.
Just when most of us thought that what I'd posted in a previous post was pretty much just a hoax sprung upon us by some crazy Vietnamese blogger, the magic touchpad appears. I must say that it does have some appeal too it and that I could see myself at least trying one out. I'm not sure how much benefit it would have to anyone and quite frankly, I'm not sure exactly who they're targeting with this. The mouse that I currently have from Apple that I use with my iMac already basically has a touchpad on it.
