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Even my mom knows Apple introduced the iPad yesterday. It seems to have a lot of people confused, lost in reality distortion, disinterested … even angry. Everything from the name (which is crap) to the specs to the usage to the furniture onstage was in critics’ sights.

It’s No Jesus Pad. Is it?
People wanted a miracle from Jobs, and it seems like the whispers were true: Apple may have been conducting market research out in the open for the better part of a year by getting people to talk, mock up, and debate how the ultimate tablet would look and act. When the real thing was unveiled to be almost exactly what everyone agreed upon, the reality was less theatrical than hoped—and thus somehow disappointing.

What Say You?
So I have a couple thoughts on this “magical” (shudder) new device. While I don’t know if I’ll buy one (certainly not the first generation) I feel there are a lot of interesting storylines emerging as a result of this product.

It’s not a netbook
I feel netbooks have a place, for people who want a cheap computer and understand/don’t care if it’s slower or less useful than their primary one. But Apple and their target audience care a lot about those issues. Speed factor is why the iPhone doesn’t allow much multitasking or Flash (which is still bullshit, but whatever). And remember, Apple likes clear differentiation between their product lines so people know exactly what they’re giving up—or paying for.

It’s the Kindle, stupid
I feel Apple is targeting the Kindle market, even with the extra “laptop-like” features they doted on. But Jobs hates the idea of a standalone e-reader, which is why they made iPad a kind of “Kindle on steroids” entertainment and reading hub.

There are no USB ports. Contains a mobile phone processor (Apple’s own creation, but still). Doesn’t play Flash. You can connect to 3G networks on a pay-as-you-go basis—this is way closer to a phone or PSP than a laptop or netbook. Apple doesn’t envision people using Photoshop or Final Cut on this device, but MS Office is in the wheelhouse (or iWorks, for people who can stand anything beyond Keynote). I could see Apple adding a camera but I could also see why they wouldn’t: For differentiation from MacBook and iPhone.

The Third Device
Back to differentiation: Apple since Jobs’ return would rather be cannibalistic and eat their own children than keep competing products on the shelf (see: every iPod since Generation One). With that in mind, what can this device be that’s different from other devices in their lineup? I bet they envision a user chillaxin’ on the couch or in bed, where an iPhone is too small to read and a laptop is too bulky (a problem I’ve noted for a while in my house). This is a pretty good size for reading a book or watching video. You watch a show, read a magazine, maybe work on a PPT for work… But nothing overly processor intensive. The dock and keyboard are meant for Office-y work; sales people slamming out presentation tweaks before wowing clients by pulling iPad out of their briefcase.

CHiPs
Back to the Apple A4 chip. That’s an interesting tidbit. Apple is now, to paraphrase Jon Gruber, one of the premier mobile computing houses in the world, and according to him, this device blazes through tasks (albeit without Flash). Apple can now build end-to-end products, hardware to software, soup to nuts—and not just the shiny outsides, but now the guts, too. This means they don’t have to wait for a partner to figure out speed and engineering. They can do it themselves. Combine that with their battery upgrades and all of a sudden they’re putting together some pretty strong feats of industrial design, on their own timetables.

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Pixels
Also, the App Developers ability to double the size of their Apps for this bigger screen? The Google Nexus One has double the pixel resolution of an iPhone. I guarantee these two facts are not mutually exclusive. Apple will most likely double pixel resolution on the next iPhone, and this is a nicer way to transition that change than announcing to Developers, “Guess what? Now all your Apps will be half the size and legibility on an iPhone screen.” This device actually paves the way for smoother upgrades on the smaller device.

Flash: Savior of the Universe
The only thing I don’t see Apple overcoming much longer is lack of Flash. Since this device is a mobile chipset and so presumably will be included in the next iPhone, Apple seems to be painting themselves into a corner on their Flash stalemate. They can’t claim “BEST internet experience” when half the pages you load… don’t fully load. I can see Jobs saying “Well Flash sucks so this really is the best experience,” but that’s a Bill Clinton-level linguistic loophole more than a reality most will accept on their new $500 (minimum) toy. I feel like this Adobe/Apple thing might be solved sooner rather than later.

That’s All For Now
I’m sure I’ll see the iPad out in the wild in the near future. I look forward to watching how it’s accepted (or not) in the general marketplace after people start using it in earnest. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of new storylines and objects of desire coming ever so soon from the company people love or love to hate.