I received my new iPod by mail last weekend and am very happy with it.  I thought I would write some things about it.  In the end I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.  Read on if you care why …

First, in my opinion the iPad hits a mark (almost) with respect to a a new product category.  Companies have been trying to create a new product category for a while.  Palm did it very successfully for a while with the Pilot and did so by delivering just what people needed instead of trying to reach too far.  MIDS, UMPC, tablets (pre-iPad) and even netbooks never got the formula correct.  Amazon’s Kindle did get it correct and generated an e-reader market but it also set the stage for the iPad to be even more successful by giving it another application.

People always ask what is an iPad for:

• First, it is a toy
• It is a web-surfers dream (more portable, easier to hold on the couch, huge battery life, instant on, easy to use)
• It is a great video player for the traveler (portable, great video/audio, connects to the web for content, iTunes delivers selections, don’t need a second device)
• It can be a great business document reader, at least for pdf ( See comments on GoodReader, Great Pdf support, ok at word, Kindle books, iBooks)
• It can be used to do regular computer stuff for low end uses, great for travel (mail, address book)
• Great calculator (PCalc)

To me things that set the iPad apart (in the good way) from its competition are:

• Battery life is exceptional
• Size, screen resolution are great
• Instant on makes it a treat to use
• Good built in software for pdf, networking, email, web-browsing (caveat here later), video, etc
• Ability to get lots of fun apps and content from others at really cheap prices ($0.99 apps to $9.99 so far for awesome utility)
• It got here first (it beat the HP’s iSlate and also Plastic Logics e-reader,…)

That all being said, the reason I give it 4 out of 5 is for what it lacks:

• Flash support.  Lack of flash is ridiculous.  It just works everywhere else.
• Camera.  Seems strange that this feature did not make it in.  Cameras are shoved in everything these days and open up video conferencing.   This was the one of the uses I had wanted and will miss.  The suspicious person in me thinks that a camera enabled version will come out within a year frustrating all early adopters like myself…heck, every pre-release version I have seen on TV or the web includes a front facing camera…
• Lack of connectivity via USB to get content on the device.   This is frustrating for me as my primary use is a business document reader.  GoodReader saves me here.
• Inability to charge via a PC USB port.  This must have been known but was never disclosed ….