Good god the iPad is a steaming pile of disappointment

I think this one has a good chance of changing your life, whether or not you own one (similar to how iTunes did, whether or not you use it).

It's just a shiny version of stuff which is all already available, that's all. Arguably superior tablets already exist.

And c'mon, no support for Flash? Please.

I am pretty sure it allows you to read without the straining of your eyes. I like my phone, but I do not enjoy reading the tiny words that are on there when looking at websites and what not.

This thing however is like taking 3 steps back. There is so much this can't do that even the iPhone that's a fifth it's size can do, and there is nothing it can do that the iPhone can't.

Apple started the presentation by saying that for a Tablet to succeed, it has to some things better than both the iPhone 3GS and a Macbook Pro do.

Then he unveiled a product that utterly fails this test. There is nothing it does better than either device.

Earlier today Apple launched its next big thing, a 9.7-inch multitouch tablet dubbed the iPad. The gadget starts at $499 and goes all the way up to $829. However, there are hidden charges so don’t grab that credit card yet before you check out the fine print.

Steve Jobs took the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco this morning to deliver Apple’s much-anticipated tablet device dubbed the iPad. An hour and a half later, Apple’s chief executive signed off by calling the iPad “our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price” " the sales pitch also featured on Apple’s site. Hold it right there, Steve " time to decipher that “unbelievable price” claim.

Unlike Apple’s other products sold in two or three variations and price points, the iPad is offered in six price points spawning two models, in addition to an optional 3G data that costs extra. The gizmo comes in two flavors, one with 802.11n WiFi connectivity only and the other with both WiFi and 3G. Apple said that iPad supports the latest 802.11n WiFi specification, while its 3G circuitry is capable of downloading data at a theoretical maximum of 7.2 Mbps over 3G HSDPA cellular networks.

As Geek reported earlier, AT&T is in the process of upgrading its 3G network to support a speedier HSDPA devices, like the iPhone 3GS and iPad. With that in mind, here’s what the price matrix looks like:
WiFi-only iPad

* $499 for a 16GB model
* $599 for a 32GB model
* $699 for a 64GB model

WiFi + 3G iPad

* $629 for a 16GB model
* $729 for a 32GB model
* $829 for a 64GB model

iPad (price points chart)

While Jobs boasted the fact that the iPad goes bellow the $1,000 mark put forth by “pundits” total cost of ownership can be much higher. Besides a $130 premium for WiFi+3G models, don’t forget data charges because there’s no point in buying 3G-enabled models unless you plan on using 3G data, sold separately. Jobs called AT&T’s pre-paid data plans for the device “breakthrough,” noting how carriers typically charge data-only plans at $60 a month.

The AT&T deals for iPad, the CEO noted, will include $14.99 a month for 250MB of 3G data and $30 a month for an unlimited 3G data. Both plans will be offered without an annual contract, allowing you to cancel 3G service at any time directly from the device. In addition, both plans include free access to AT&T’s nationwide WiFi hotspots, Jobs said.

iPad (homescreen, front right angle)Worst case scenario puts the cost of ownership over a two-year period for the entry-level iPad at $929"$629 for a 16GB WiFi+3G iPad and $360 paid in data charges over two years. Worst case scenario means you’ll be spending $1549 over the same period of time: $829 for a flagship 64GB WiFi+3G iPad and $720 to cover unlimited 3G data service. Of course, those sums come on top of whatever monthly charges you already have for your iPhone.

Reading a book or a magazine is something it does better than both for. This is an entry into those markets.

A 10 hour battery life is not good enough for you? That's a rather nice length to me.

Centroles wrote:

This thing however is like taking 3 steps back. There is so much this can't do that even the iPhone that's a fifth it's size can do, and there is nothing it can do that the iPhone can't.

Yes there is: be bigger. Size matters. This is a step forward for netbooks in user experience and it introduces Apple's entry into books and magazines (these are whole industries here) in a way that the iPhone just can't.

what about the fact that you will be able to look at magazines? The fact that it takes what the Kindle can do and expand on it. ( I am not saying I am holding out for an iPad, I will actually be purchasing a Nook)

Nah, that's nothing. A Kindle lasts far longer than that.

Of course, this device does more, but if we're talking about using as a book substitute, it's not superior to what exists out there.