The new Apple iPad – Can haz plz?

From all the buzz and hype in the tech media, you would have thought that today was the second coming of the "Messiah”.  For those of you who have been out of the loop – or hiking in the Himalyas - Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple today announced the new Apple iPad device.

I must admit I was one of the sceptics.  Before today there have been a few failed attempts to establish “Tablet Devices” – can anyone say Apple Newton?  But I have to say that I think Apple has got it about right this time.  You can quibble over a missing feature here and a missing feature there, but the overall package – size, features, app support and most importantly price is in my opinion a winner.

Why? What makes it a winner? 

1. I love my iPod Touch and I would have bought an iPhone, when they became available in Canada had I not just upgraded my phone a few months before its release.
   Even if all this new device did was provide a larger screen and allowed me to watch video in HD it would be worth considering when I need to replace my iPod Touch.
2. I also own a Sony eReader device – I travel quite a bit and I love the concept of bringing a selection of books with me on this portable device – rather than the bulk of many paperbacks.  The new iBooks app and iBookStore means that it is now truly possible to have one device for audio/video and eBooks.
3. I like to read newspapers and magazines and I have not found an iPhone app that is satisfying – and while the eReader style of Newspaper/Magazine browsing is better, lack of color is a drawback. 
   The “New York Times” app looked really cool – like a real eNewspaper - and if my favorite newspapers did the same I would consider subscribing.
4. Email/Word etc – no smartphone  type device is truly satisfying for email or word documents – a larger screen provides a much better experience.  I currently travel with a 4lb Dell Notebook (an XPS 1330) mainly for the Email and Office App capabilities – this device with its Email and $10/app iWork apps will satisfy most of my needs in this area.
   If I need to do some development while travelling I would still need my notebook at a bare minimum, but for most trips this would suffice (especially with the keyboard dock).
5. Web browsing – as with email no smartphone is really satisfying as a web browser.
6. 10 hrs battery life – While people are complaining about this being much less than a kindle or an eReader – this is plenty for most uses as it can be plugged in overnight.
7. $499 for the same capabilities I have in my iPod – this won’t break the bank and is competitive with NetBook pricing.

That’s my quick review – Can haz plz?