Apple Computer's iPad

This past week Apple Computer announced it’s highly anticipated tablet. Now christened with the somewhat odd monicker “iPad” the product surfaced as what basically amounts to an iPod Touch XL. The bare bones feature-set combined with a handful of functional holes make the iPad a tough sell as a game changing computer. It’s also raises the question: How this device fits into the consumer home?

As a professional, I’m not sure what I would do with a device like the iPad. It’s not a phone, communication device (of any sort) and it’s also not a computer. So, what is it? I guess it’s somewhere in between. Like the iPod, it is a device that is built around consumption, intended to bring what was once static media (magazines, newspapers etc) to the interactive space.

In the end you can look at the iPad in one of two ways. It is either a crippled computer or an amazingly feature-rich eReader. With competition like Amazon’s Kindle on the market at a comparable price point, I would expect Apple’s iPad to shine. I would also speculate that the iPad is a prelude to a growing suite of touch-driven devices.