[irishjayhawk]

Originally Posted by KC Fish

I'm still rather unimpressed with the iPad, after playing with it for a while. The keyboard just isn't really comfortable to use unless you sit the thing down on another surface and have both hands free. Rather unwieldy to type on while holding it. There's not much on it out of the box. The icons look all lost and lonely.

I don't mind the icons looking lost and lonely, but your characterization of the keyboard highlights my initial impressions from playing with it in the store. Much higher learning curve to type on than iPhone.

The screen is nice though. Feels more sturdy than I expected. And the battery last longer than expected. They let you set a different background screen, separate from the lock screen. Which should have been standard on iPhone OS from the beginning.

I still have no inclination to own one. Maybe a later revision. Maybe when it's jailbroken...

It was a bit heavy for me, honestly. I don't know what i expected though. And I think you will have seen quite a bit of things in the OS that we'll see in the next generation of Phones/touches (same OS). Background being one of them.

Originally Posted by The Rick

I'm not sure why Apple products are so polarizing to people. I guess they just make really good stuff that a lot of people really like. Others get annoyed at this for whatever reason and feel the need to go in to attack mode.

I still think the iPad is going to be a big deal. It is a big deal. Not everyone will own one, but it sets the standard for the future of computing. Devices like it will become more common, much like the iPhone set the standard for all the other smartphones you see today.

That's how I felt after the disappointment of the unveiling. It's going to change things like iPhone changed the phone world.

I love mine. It just feels so sexy in my hands when browsing the web, checking email, playing games, etc. The best way I can describe it is like it simply disappears...like it gets out of the way between you and your content.

Some CEO or journalist was quoted by saying something like Apple's marketing uses the world magical to describe holding the internet in your hands, and there really isn't another word for it.

I have no problem with people who have actually used one before developing an opinion. It's crazy to me though that people can formulate such strong opinions without actually using something.

Also, to those who say it's just a big iPhone/iPod touch...it's like saying a swimming pool is just a big bathtub.

Ditto on both counts.