My Take on Apple's iPad

The rumors are over. Apple REALLY is releasing an electronic tablet in a couple of months! And because this new class of device has HUGE implications for readers everywhere, I thought I'd write a few words about it.

In terms of people's reaction, suffice it to say that many have been wowed, while many others have been left less than impressed.

I'm somewhere in the middle.

On the negative side, I'm disappointed that the iPad is basically a giant iPod Touch. It doesn't come equipped with a high-powered processor nor does it sport Apple's powerful Snow Leopard operating system. It has no camera, no USB port (or any port other than a standard iPod/iPhone connection). And with the bigger screen, the absence of Adobe Flash support will be very awkward indeed!

On the positive side though, the device is a breakthrough and will probably lay waist to the Amazon Kindle and Sony eBook Readers, among others. Those devices are not illuminated and certainly cannot display color graphics or videos. The iPad will now allow you to carry your books, pictures, music and videos while letting you connect to the Internet through a WI-FI connection or a WI-FI + 3G connection through AT&T (for a $30 monthly fee). And all this in an elegantly refined form factor and a light 1.5 lbs!

I think that the iPad's $499 price point will be compelling to enough people to make it a big a success. I can see myself on weekend mornings reading the New York Times with a cup of hot coffee. That's much more comfortable and intimate than sitting in front of a PC or laptop. I can see myself purchasing e-books and having access to them from anywhere. That's a big plus!

I can also see myself running some of my favorite apps such as Mint, Evernote and making calls through Skype!

But as good as that sounds, that's not enough for me to part with up to $899 for a device with very limited computing horsepower.

So before I run out to the nearest Apple Store I need one more thing: I need a stylus and handwriting recognition software.

Apple already owns the technology. It's called Inkwell and it's available in Mac OS X.

I want to be able to walk into business meetings, or be able to create my mind maps, without having to type on glass. I want all my notes to be immediately indexed and made searchable, not unlike what I'm able to do with Evernote.

Basically, I'd like to part ways with paper and instead rely on the "cloud." Goodbuy paperbacks, goodbuy cumbersome notebooks...hello iPad. Make that happen Apple, I'm ready to buy!