OK - time to weigh in on the iPad launch. Sure, I could join the debate over on the forums, but at least here I get to state my case without argument - that means a lot to someone as precious as me!
First thing to say, is that it's cheap. Over here it will probably cost a little under £400 when it launches, but that's a pretty small markup on an iPhone for a lot more hardware. Plus the data tariffs announced in the US are equally cheap, making this, in my opinion, the first ever Apple device launched to a mass market, rather than to early adopters at the premium price.
The answer to this might be that it's not really a new device. Just a bigger iPod/iPhone. After all there's not even a separate SDK for developers - they just use the iphone one with a few tweaks and enhancements.
That's good for what has made the iphone stand out among all those other smart consumer phones: 140,000 apps. And they should work fine on an iPad too. Indeed Jobs said at the launch that the iPad will represent a 'gold rush' for developers (of course, Apple probably makes a revenue trickle not just from app sales, but also from the development environment for which Apple charges $99)
So it' s not too expensive, it's got the magic of the Apple brand, along with the miracle of the iPod - a device tied to a content service that has resulted in people paying, yes paying, for online content, that they could easily get for free on any number of file-sharing sites)
That can only mean two things: it's probably going to be reasonably successful even if it finds itself sat between the laptop and phone markets, rather than having created one all of its own.
Second, publishers the world over will be rushing to sign up to get their content on the iPad, the place where people are used to paying for content.
The New York Times has already developed an app, and part of the iPad software include iBooks - the book equivalent of iTunes.
The arguments of the it being a Kindle killer are probably moot - the iPad is more attractive, and it has a touch-sensitive screen, and it's Apple, regardless of the benefits of the Kindle's E-Ink screen (which is fabulous to look at). It's whether or not it will be a book killer.
It's still probably a bit expensive to take to the beach, but one of the technologies that has given the iPad a good shot at success is the vast number of households that now have wireless. So whether it's the kitchen or living room or bedroom, you should look at the print content consumed in those spaces to see where the threat is.
So, coffee table, large-ish format, colour - we're probably looking at the iPad making a success of delivering magazine content well, in the right location, in the right context, and offering more than print versions can.
The kitchen - recipe books, perhaps. Newspapers, possibly. The bedroom. Books? I'm still unsure on the benefit of having an iPad. It's still bigger than a book. I can only read one book at a time, so having a library on a device has a limited appeal.
Don't agree? Comment below (I might still edit you out - as I said, I'm a bit precious like that!)