iCertainlyWill

I've got round to this really late in the day, and so many people have blogged today about the iPad I nearly didn't bother. But then I decided it would be interesting to put down what I think about it today, so that I could compare with how I feel when I've got my hands on one, and when versions 2, 3, 4 have come out, or when it's followed the same fate as the Newton.

So - initial thoughts watching the launch and subsequent videos were wow - looks like I thought it would, very sleek, beautifully designed, looks like a great interface and screen, very fast, great quality video and photos. Typical Apple attention to quality, design and detail. Not too keen on the name and the subsequent jokes ("does it come with wings?" being my favourite) but that will pass. And yes, I am lusting to get my hands on one.

So - what about the criticisms and disappointments. What's it for? Why hasn't it got this? Or that? Is it supposed to be a big iPhone, or a netbook? The last question to my mind is the easiest, and the key to the previous one. The answer is neither - it isn't a phone (that's why you can't make calls on it - and why would you want to on something that size), and it's not a netbook. A couple of blog posts have summed the issues up for me, the most eloquent being Stephen Fry's - he puts things so much better than I could! The other is a short post from Mashable - I particularly like the thought of an engineer breaking it to Steve Jobs that he forgot to put the camera in....

I personally think it's going to be a great device for consuming content (you can use it to create it, but I don't think it's going to be significant), web browsing and for gaming. The latter is where I can see it really taking off very quickly.

And yes, iCertainlyWill.