Is the Apple iPad the best thing since sliced bread? Or is it just another Gee Whiz Wow gadget that'll blast off at first then flame out just as quickly?

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Given the Apple mastery of generating excitement for new products.... and their acumen in actually delivering what they promise..... IMHO I doubt the Apple iPad will be disappear into the "could have been" category. I think with iPad we've seen a definite shift in the realm of what is now possible.

The Apple iPad garnered a lot of attention initially in the pre-launch marketing.... and then even more after Steve Job left the stage. However, it seems a lot of tech folk are disappointed with what has been left out. Yet others are excited that the iPad is going to make technology easy for Grandma to use.

What do you think?

Will the iPad do for Apple what the iPod did..... or is it destined to be a Newton failure?

I believe the iPad will be a success..... with Apple's having created yet another device further defining what will become a broad niche market for a special type of casual user / use. The iPad will likely find popularity in multiple rooms of a home or abroad. Most important of all they will not cannibalize sales from the iPhone. Rather iPad will compliment iPhone and help further strengthen the brand of Apple

Not to throw a downer into the mix.... but in the inital release the iPad does have a few missing items. These are Camera, USB Port, and Multitasking. The ability to store and edit documents also needs to be included. Once these are in place.... likely in a future upgrade.... the device will be very useful. One nitpick I have is that I don't like the idea of installing applications via Itunes..... as this restricts choice. So.... yes, there's still work to do on the iPad. But this is a 1st release..... so expect improvements over time.

Now if VOIP becomes a possibility with iPad then this is excellent news too..... and a real opportunity for the present AND future of Unified Communications.

Kepp in mind that what is left out is usually what makes Apple devices simple and elegant to use. I think it is way to early to tell for this just released version of iPad. I don't think we will know the true impact until this time next year.

Personally I think iPad will be a hit because this type of product is ready to be exploited. The MessagePad failed because it tried to do too many things before its time.... and did not have the connectivity options that we have now. Also, other PDAs were coming out that were a fraction of the size, which was important. The pricing at the time was a bit steep for what some folks got.

Even so, from a useability point of view.... the intial release of The iPad knocks everthing else aside. Microsoft had every opportunity to develop a similar product but has struggled to deliver. Perhaps its not too late (now that they know what everyone wants).

What we need is competition, not complaints and snide comments from other manufacturers. We have a real opportunity here to really use Unified Communications. I say go for it.

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