iPad - Your Thoughts?

Ok, the great event has ended - now we all get to sit around and do the armchair quarterback routine:  evaluating the pros/cons of the Apple announcement of their newest tek toy: the iPad.

Here are my main points:

1. Was disappointed - but could have been due to so much hype prior to event
2. No Flash: a big issue for me - perhaps not for others
3. Pissed off that they went to book publishers and had them raise their prices for the book downloads ($9.99 at amazon.com vs. $14.99 for iPad)
4. It is beautiful... but that was expected
5. No camera; which, if this is going to be a media reader, seems shortsighted at best.
6. NAILED the price point: which was really unexpected

Overall, my reaction to the iPad? Reasonably favorable; but no way I'll buy the first edition out of the gate. Too many items will likely be put into place, and first generation technology from any company is usually only for those with substantial disposable income.

I'm really happy that Apple hit the price point, though: that was unexpected. They come off as too expensive to most people, and this is a reasonable starting point.

I am upset by their deals with publishers to release books at the $14.99 level (as opposed to amazon.com's existing $9.99)- primarily because the under $10 price point already in play is workable for me if a book is available in a used version for a couple of bucks. Hiking the prices will incline me to retain paper for the time being.

One final comment:  the name. It sucks. I know what they were thinking, but it still sucks. My favorite comment to date?

"I'll wait for the bigger / better edition down the road:  the MaxiPad"

oops...  sorry about that...

couldn't help myself

but maybe that was part of the plan?

;-)

S