For $1,000 one can buy two bells & whistles netbooks, a reasonably good bottle of single malt whisky, and probably have some spare change.

Or, one can buy one bells & whistles netbook and a few bottles of good single malt, or one very very good bottle, regardless of whether one prefers the sweeter McCallan or the smokey Lagavulin.

There shouldn't be any question, right?

Its performance is incredible, its so quick and easy to use. Nonetheless the size is perfect as you can carry it around without any trouble. Surfing the web is fun and easy, and all the apps make it even more fun to use. The device allows you to do virtually everything, and im a happy owner of the apple ipad

Cheers

For my needs – surfing the web anywhere I am, watching videos, reading books, etc. – it's perfect. Now, there are a few drawbacks, of course, but I find that the speed which you can surf the web, more flexibility in the design (it's like holding a heavy magazine), allows us to use the iPad in different ways and forms than with a conventional-shaped laptop or NetBook.

Then there is the performance of the unit, from an engineering standpoint the iPad is "beautiful".

Cheers,

Anthony

Having little to no experience with the iPhone, can anyone share their experiences or expectations with respect to reading, searching and annotating pdfs on the iPad?

I'm curious how well the iPad is expected to run the iPhone apps. I would expect a number of those apps just won't look right on the iPad due UI design.

Also, like most things Apple the price is just too high for what it does. I can get a pretty good laptop for the price of a 3G iPad. Toting the iPad around would be easier but does it really have enough functionality for a client meeting? I doubt it (at least for my purposes).

What makes you decide to take the plunge and buy a new piece of technology? How long are you willing to wait – is it better to hang on for the second generation?

The test will be whether that's what people want – and I suspect they will indeed sell a lot of them. This category will get interesting by the end of the year when competition arrives. It will be particularly interesting to see how HP positions its slate in light of the perceptions of the iPad.

However I see a lot of, perhaps, wasted potential. When I look at the product I see a platform to supersede my use for a lap top but without the ability. It will absolutely be better for reading, email and pictures, but why stop there?

I see a device here that should allow you to use any program you would wish to use on a lap top or phone and run it, but it doesn’t. This is a device that should give you the ability of a web cam but it doesn’t. This is the type of product that should nearly kill all other forms of laptops and maybe even some phones but it still limits itself to a midway point.

All and all it is a great base line for the future, but I will wait for the next generation of Ipads which I hope will utilize their great potential before I purchase one.