First of all, lets see how it stacks up to the laptop (no comparisons will be made to the iPod touch in this as that is its basis). Being almost a replacement for a laptop it has a tall order to fulfill, and it doesn't quite get there. First of all, it does not have Flash. iPhone OS is one of the only operating systems in the world that does not have Flash*, and is essential for viewing web pages(70% of games and 75% of videos on the internet use Flash), especially on a device that is "The best way to experience the web ... Hands down". Its next short-coming is that it has no USB ports, so devices cannot plug in. Not a big deal? Well if you are replacing a laptop, you kinda need somewhere to back up your photos. And that may not even be necessary if it had any sort of camera. The only way to get photos onto your device is BASICALLY through your computer. Which basically means iTunes. Yep thats right, the laggy, slow and unresponsive piece of software that the world has come to rely on. And again, a computer is required just to USE the iPad. And, typical Apple, no multitasking... Come on...
Next, lets take a look at it versus a eBook reader. Even though the e(or i)Book reader will not be available anywhere other in the US (probably for a long time). And one of the major complaints is the iPad's battery life. Lasting 10 hours, that is pretty good for a laptop, and a month on standby would beat most of its competitors, but the Kindle DX, probably the main competitor in this market, has up to 2 WEEKS** of battery, making 10 mere hours look like a 9mm compared to a thermonuclear warhead. The next problem that arises is that Apple has to get publishers to agree to the sale of their books through Apple, and while a few publishers have been announced, some may be locked in with other readers, and others may not want to have anything to do with eBooks. So iPad, it looks like another fail.
Last but not least, seen as though it runs the iPhone OS, I may as well compare the iPad to it, and the iPad is meant to take the best of it. So the smartphone part is the only part the iPad does REALLY well. However, even then, features like running almost all the existing iPhone apps, is pathetic. On a 9.7 inch screen, you are forced to play in standard resolution of a 3.5 inch device. OR, you can double up the pixels for a larger experience, at the cost of graphical detail (even doing this leaves blank areas around the app screen). And Apple's promise of new and exclusive apps for the device is a hollow one, nobody knows if smaller developers will even bother re-writing it when it run as-is. However, the iPad takes all the good things, AND everything else from the iPhone, except one key thing which I shall mention later. For example, the whole locking/home screen system is the same, which is kind of a problem on the scaled up device. Sure nobody wants to slide to unlock across the bottom of a screen the size of the iPad's, but making it the same size of the iPhone just looks tacky, especially when there is no effort whatsoever to blend it in. And on the home screen, the application icons are no the same size, just with a MASSIVE space between them. Another port straight from the iPhone is the 30-pin connector. So Apple is going on about how you can still connect you your favorite dock... Well, good luck; with a device that big it probably won't fit into half the docks support areas. And my final point... We all know how annoying it is to have to use an iPhone while plugged in (especially to a wall), well I just know that I can't wait to do that with a tablet!
THE VERDICT
While the iPad isn't that revolutionary or game changing, anybody who wants an iDevice just to run the apps and for music, should probably take a look at this, and with a pretty good price-tag (We'll see about international prices), it's kinda hard to not think about. But hopefully Apple can make up for some short comings with upgraded features ie. a better speaker.
Pre-release score: 6/10
*Well basically every known OS has it, so...
**With wireless turned off, 1 week with it on
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