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Probably nothing. There are folks who will hate on it just because its Apple. Then the fanboys will love it just because its Apple. Me? I live in both worlds. I think its appears really cool. Will it do everything I want? Probably not but then again...I have other computers and such to fill those gaps already... I choose to reserve judgement until someone actually puts it through its paces...

Aside from the name? No external ports, no ability to close like a book (How many of these will end up broken on the first day from somebodies kid leaning on it?). Who are they targeting with this product? I have never been so disappointed with Apple.

They should have looked at the Microsoft Courier tableton Gizmodo, now THAT is cool (I can't believe I said that about a potential MS product)!

1) iPod OS? are frickin kidding me?

2) Apple controls the software distribution system cradle to grave. This is a deal killer for me. But more importantly they open the barriers to entry for competitors. This will give Google a window and they will capitalize on it.

3) No battery swap out by users

Apple continues to out innovate the entire PC, phone and digital media player spaces, lapping the field several times over. But the insistence on closed OS's and now closed application marketplaces will be Apple's undoing imo.

Interesting that NPR raises the single source of iPad applications from the consumer side rather than the developer side.

As a developer and a consumer, I have concerns on both sides. I hate that Apple does this but I also understand it. In the long term however I feel it's a loosing approach.

Apple controls the delivery, but promotes open file formats. Others push for open delivery but with proprietary file formats. They'll wind up meeting in the middle - I'm happy about the iPad. It won't just impact users, but other manufacturers and the portable ecosystem. Just look how the smartphone market has changed in the past three years.

I thought their assessment was pretty fair and unbiased. They left their final judgment open for consideration and pointed out some of the obvious limitations of the device. As for me, being an avid and enthusiastic iPhone user, the AppStore issue (buying all my software from one company) is a red herring. Apple is the channel, not the company developing the apps. Their approval maintains quality control, something desperately needed in the software industry. Good apps sell well, bad apps don't. Going through an exclusive channel to get compatible apps doesn't bother me one bit.

Apple has proven itself able to out-innovate competitors. The first iPod was big and clunky. Now, a few years later, an iPod Nano shoots video, is a fraction of the size of the original iPod, and weighs next to nothing. Give the iPad 5 years of innovation and I bet it will be an amazing device. This is just round one...

(The name is still silly though)

The consensus is that it was rushed, it's crippled without flash, and it fails to change the game in the way the last 3 Apple product introductions did.

I think it has yet to find/be marketed to its eventual audience, which will be the masses. The iPad could eventually be that ubiquitous device that we all assume the iPhone is because of media saturation regardless of actual market penetration. Imagine if everyone aged 35 and up and 15 down who have not embraced online content consumption because of either technophobia or parental controls, could take the iPad for a spin; there is a chance perceptions would change.

Here's a different light on the negatives:

Lack of features = An uncomplicated, dedicated device with a clear purpose

No Flash = More 3G for everyone

"Big ITouch" appearance = Building on a design that already has a presence and has been embraced

Bottom Line: a big, beautiful, easy-to-use internet machine for grandparents, grandkids, and technophobes in general.

No Flash = More 3G for everyone, but less utility for everyone. No Hulu, No Youtube, No Farmville or MafiaWars (the biggest Facebook games), No Flash Solitaire and the tens of thousands of flash-based browser games, Few Stock and Financial Charts (particularly with technical overlays), etc.

Good for a hipster kid with a big trust fund who can shell out $1.99 to watch a music video off iTunes a couple of times.

Why they didn't add a freaking USB port ? I really like it, but this missing 4 milimiters are irritating!

Flashback alert!

same thing happen when the FIRST iPod was introduced, all bunch of people complaining, all it does is plays mp3, can only buy music from Apple etc...LMAO

Look at where is Apple with that right now...Look at what back then the top of the line iPod did and what the Nano can do right now...It even shoots videos! This is only the beginning...chill out!

My biggest challenge with the iPad is knowing that a model with a forward facing camera is coming out 6 months from this first release. I want one, and in some ways need one, for development and personal use but it is annoying to spend $500 - $800 on something you know you will need to replace in 6 months.

Most of the other issues I have seen people griping about are software related. Things like multitasking and flash support (HTML5 anyone?) will be overcome in iPhone OS 4.0. I understand why Apple didn't shoot all its guns at once there.

The only other physical things that is missing, which is also absent from MacBooks, is a SIM card slot. It would be cool to snap pics or shoot video and be able to access it on the iPad without resorting to cables.

Give me a USB port for an external drive and to connect my SLR, an onboard camera, better screen rez than 1024 x 768, full-blown OS/X and a jailbreak - and then I'm sold

Once you need to carry something in your hand, as opposed to your pocket, there are a new set of requirements. For most applications those requirements include a real keyboard. Conversely, a book/magazine replacement - like the Kindle - needs to be light and uncomplicated. the ipad is neither light, nor does it have a real keyboard. I'll stick with my ipod touch, cell phone, laptop and Kindle. This looks like a wonderful toy, but serves no real purpose.