Underwhelmed

So I finally saw an iPad today. It was both smaller and heavier than expected.

"Nice screen" is about the most positive thing I could say about it. Unlike most newly-launched Apple products, it didn't make me want to get one in any hurry. The touchscreen keyboard felt awkward at first, though probably that feeling would go away with more use. The apps didn't seem powerful enough to allow me to eliminate the need for the laptop for real work at home or on the road.

When out and about, the iPhone already serves as a more-than-adequate solution for checking email, updating sites, reading news, and other more mundane applications, without having to lug around a lot of gear. (With a Casemate cover, it also doubles as my wallet.) For watching movies to pass the time while traveling—which seems to be the main thing for which most people will use the iPad—an iPhone a foot from your face is really not that different from a 50-inch television across the room.

Keeping track of three devices is plenty. I really don't want four devices to sync, charge and update—the iMacf at the office, the iBook at home, the iPhone on the road, and then an iPad... for some other functions. Since it can't replace one of the other devices, it’s not a priority or even a luxury purchase.

Plus, this website you're looking at right now didn't load properly, and I don't think that was Typepad's fault. Maybe I'll reconsider when the second generation comes out, if it evolves into more of a laptop substitute.