Apple iPad: Seriously, Has Apple Lost It?

Today Apple unveiled its newest techie gadget called the iPad, and it's safe to say this Amazon.com Kindle wannabe is going to fail in today's market, but just for one second, let's pretend all of us who are already fully stocked with laptops and 3G phones have an extra $499 to drop on the low-end version of the iPad.

Here's what the iPad does. Starting at $499, the iPad stores virtual books and newspapers, plays MP3s, movies, stores pictures, and is compatible with iPhone apps. In other words, the only difference between this device and your beloved iWhatever is the fact that you can download and read books or newspapers. Yes, you can read The New York Times for $499-$899 depending on whether you want 3G access and more storage.

Suffice it to say, as a typical middle class consumer, I'm not impressed, and neither is my pocketbook. Why on Earth would you buy an iPad if you already own a laptop, or if you already get a lot of use out of your iPhone or iPod Touch?

Here's what really made me laugh. The techies, the ones who held and salivated over this thing for the first time today had one complaint. The iPad has no camera. Okay, seriously? Imagine holding something the size of a dinner plate up to take a picture.

For those pesky occasions where you need to access your iPhone, you can throw down even more dough and purchase a docking station and a keyboard for your iPad. Nauseous yet?

While the iPad makes sense in hospital settings or small (very small) business meetings, it seems absurd for every day at-home, or on-the-go use. If you want to watch a movie, you have to hold it up the entire time. Where's the fun and relaxation in that?

Perhaps I could wrap my brain around the concept of Apple's new iPad if I think of it as a low cost/low end laptop. The expensive model, with ten hours of battery life, a 64GB flash drive, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth technology costs $899 (minus the mystery cost of the docking station), and unlimited data for $29.99 a month, sounds like a decent deal. The problem is, I shouldn't have to force myself to appreciate a concept - the product should speak for itself, which is why the iPad is a tremendous disappointment.

Knowing that Apple notoriously and predictably holds out cool features on first generation models, and lowers the cost of future generations, this is one girl who won't be jumping on the iPad bandwagon anytime soon. I'm quite happy with my laptop, even if it does get hot. Are you going to buy an iPad in the near future?