Before Apple released the iPad, many were expecting that it will be a killer to many devices already established and existed with great popularity. Many believed the iPad will be the newest portable computer to replace laptops and will be a better book reader than Amazon's Kindle.
But a few days ago, many were also disappointed when the iPad finally made its public appearance. Not because of its name, which MadTV has predicted years ago (video below, very funny), rather because it's not the full computer you're looking for. And although it has lots of potential, it's not yet a Kindle killer as well, at least for now. But in any case, as soon as critics pointed this and that, Apple will surely respond. There's still hope. After all, there's always the next iPad version.
The iPad does not have a camera. The tablet that size would have been good for video conferencing. The iPad's size is between an average laptop and the iPhone, but larger than portable gaming handhelds such as PSP and NDS. If Apple is telling people the iPad is good for gaming for short periods of time, then I'll go with them. But to held a gaming platform that "big" (for a console), will surely be tiresome.
It would also help if Apple included add-on features such as SD card ports and a keyboard. The on-screen keyboard is nice but like me, my typing can be very devastating to the screen as I type with a lot of force. A stylus would have been really good as well especially for students who would like to jot down notes instead of typing with their fingers, which would be unorthodox for a student. That is, if schools will allow devices such as this in classrooms.
The iPad also do not have Flash support. It has not been a problem for the iPod and the iPhone but for a tablet that boasts of a better browsing experience, it's almost a dealbreaker. Sure, you can live in the internet without Flash but hundreds of websites out there opens with Flash and do not have HTML versions. I kill time playing Flash games and with my age, I still do Neopets. Secondly, if you are devoted to taking care of your farms and your restaurants in Facebook, this device is not for you.
Moreover, at $499, it's not very expensive for an Apple product. But what you can spend for that price is spent on a full computer, on a laptop with more capabilities other than just great aesthetic appearance, then it would have more worth it.
However, even if I point these things, I am still pretty sure the iPad will sell like pancakes to the millions of Apple Fanboys out there.
