Apple certainly have come a long way. :icon_razz:
Apple is good at creating markets.
In the late 80's they led the way getting windows and a mouse pointer onto low cost computers.
In the 90's they lost their way a bit - the Newton (around 1993) was a handheld that failed - then Palm Pilots had some success.
The iPod, introduced in 2001, has led the way in getting people to move from buying CDs, to buying on-line from iTunes or similar.
The iPhone, introduced in 2007, has led the way by creaating a platform for independent software developers. Till then Nokia and Motorola ruled, and they offered a complex set of different models that made it hard for software developers to target and test for. (Really this is what Microsoft did with WIndows for PCs in the 90s. At that time developers of specialized software like data analysis, accounting or mapping, had to develop of MS Windows, and were not hurt too much if the ignored Macinstosh or Linux.)
So the iPad. It is basically a general purpose computer with long battery life, and without a "real" keyboard and without a mouse. It has a high resolution screen which is intended to be used by a single person. Obviously, e-books is one area where if may be preferred to an existing laptop - so maybe we are about to see a bigger boost to the e-book market than has been achieved by Amazon and the Kindle. But it may excel in other ways - perhaps a travel accessory showing maps and helping you locate things - obviously the iPhone can do this, but the more detailed screen may give the iPad an edge.
So I agree with those who think let's hold back and wait for the 2nd or 3rd generation - it will become clearer by then.
