I totally agree, the critics have missed the point. The iPad is designed to do some things really well; to be a light weight, magazine sized e-reader for ebooks/enewspapers/pdf docs etc.
It's not though. Steve Jobs did not explicitly call it an e-reader. He called it the revolutionary tablet that will do a better job than netbooks. All the ebook stuff is extra and I'm sure it will be available on the iPhone and iTouch once the new version comes out. The iPad looks as if it wants to be jack of all trades, but an expert of none. It really does no more than any other tablet and the experience will be compromised with it's huge limitations.
I really don't think Apple really knows what it should be. Especially with the iPhone software. It totally voids the business market (which could of been potentially large with a mobile version of OS X) and Apple expect people to buy a device that only "adds" and doesn't replace any of their products.
However, Apple knew they would have to have internet connectivity to get these documents so they have incorporated a lot of other net related functions and the iPad will be a fairly good, light-weight option to check the internet like you are reading a magazine.
But a 13" MacBook does the same thing? I personally won't be replacing my MacBook Pro for one in a few years time. To me, the iPad is a gimmick and shows a lack of ambition from Apple to give the tablet a place in the market for the general public. Again, it's another pointless product that was over-hyped and heavily under-delivered by Apple. I'd place it under the same category as the iPod Shuffle.
In addition, Apple knew they would need a damn fine screen to make e-reading comfortable and accessible. So they put on a pretty good screen, which opens up a lot of potential for high quality games graphics (providing there is a decent processor).
You go on about it being the perfect e-reader, but why make it so powerful for games? Again, greed is in Steve Jobs eyes to cash in on extra app sales.
So final words: To all those moaning, whinging 'I want a macbook air screen with all the specs of a macbook pro' people - the iPad is not an all-purpose computer, it is something else - an e-reader, it is not perfect, but it is better than anything else in this new category of devices.
The iPad should of been tilted towards the computer market to try and make it much more useful. It really fails to do so on many levels. Unfortunately Apple have given the iPad a split personality disorder. I could say to everyone so Pro-iPad trying to make up reasons to buy one; stop it. But, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I'm in the negative iPad camp for first impressions.
I'm annoyed it's pretty much a backwards spec'ed product (it might as well go in the Netbook category with a 1024 x 768 screen), tied down to iTunes with their app store only and linked to mobile phone contracts.
I'd say this iPad section should be in the iPhone/iPod category rather than sitting like a lame duck insulting the rest of Apple's very good computing products.
