it's just the beta version people! Eventually, it'll have a camera and multi-tasking. For crying out loud!

In a forum full of entrepreneurs, it seems no one has any empathy for a company releasing a new product without all the bells and whistles. There's a huge amount of hypocrisy here from a group that espouses "Release early, release often."

This is the first posting I've agreed with on the iPad however my issue is that the title is misleading. A better title would be,"The iPad is for people who know what they want."

It doesn't multitask. It doesn't let you install whatever you want. It doesn't do 1080p. It will potentially deliver a browsing, music and video experience that is good enough at 1.6lbs.

Of course this isn't everything, there is the crucial fact that it doesn't matter if you hate or love it, or if you are some world class tech blogger. People buy stuff they want.

Probably the first post that has legitimately made me interested in what a Mac may have to offer. That said, the ergonomics of the iPad look haphazard to me.

"It was during this time that I stopped worrying about the details of my computer and worried more about what I could accomplish with it: browsing the web, listening to music, doing email, and writing papers."

This is really the division. Not between smart people and dumb people, but between people for whom what they can (or want to) accomplish with a computer boils down to a list like that and the people whose computer-aided ambitions are larger. This is what Tim Bray and others mean when they say "For creative people, this device is nothing".

> Apple didn't set out to create a tablet as other companies had in the past, the same way they didn't set out to create a phone the same way every other company had in the past. They set out to fundamentally change the way we interact with our computers.

Most 'smartphone' prior to the iPhone did much the same thing, they just failed at it. Please don't act like Apple is the lone-wolf when it comes to 'trying new things.' They are just good at creating successful new things.

> Apple didn't set out to create a tablet as other companies had in the past

This part irks me most. Apple just created a larger iPhone. That's it. Sure they added features like iWork, but things like iWork just didn't make sense on the smaller form-factor of the iPhone. That's it. Sure they had a different approach to the problem (making a larger iPhone rather than making a smaller touchscreen desktop/laptop), but it's not like they created a new experience with the iPad. The iPad is just the iPhone experience with a larger screen and some extra apps.

Agree with the author, but not yet willing to substitute it for my iPod touch (which fits into my pocket) or my laptop (which I believe is better for entering text, which is still my primary means of communication and work on the Web).

Curious to see what kind of apps and interfaces are built for the platform in the years to come. That could make me change my mind for future versions.

The iPad is for people who can't be arsed to deal with the cognitive load of a full-blown computer. Which, depending on the circumstances, is just about everybody.

There's a reason why the best programmers are switching en masse from Linux to Mac on their desktops[0]. Mac OS X is a no-compromises Unix: the power and flexibility of Unix when you need it, but when you don't it imposes virtually zero cognitive load. Turn it on, it just works. Even the geekiest hacker ever is going to run into times when they just want to read or surf, and not even have to deal with the interference of a keyboard. For those times, the iPad is perfect.

[0]Actually two reasons, the other being that they stand to make money developing Mac desktop software. Linux? Not a chance...

I view technology in a compartmentalized way. I'm always going to want a powerful desktop that has endless flexibility but I also want something simple that always works well. I don't really care if I can't run BitTorrent on my iPad. I can do that on my desktop.

Okay but a bunch of these comments are very narrow minded and look like typical windows users comments. If people think that the mac os is for simple minded people because it is easy to use and doing things the long way or more in depth way is for smrter people... Then throw away your calculators and break out your abacus. Stop hating

I think it's dumb to have to hold your screen with one or both hands for an extended period of time.

People aren't dumb just because they aren't passionate about the same things you are. Lots of smart people drive cars without giving a crap about how they work. Most people don't want computers; they want information appliances that work reliably.

"The iPad isn't for dumb people, it is for people who don't want to think about their computer anymore."

These devices will eventually just become extensions of our ourselves as with other tools.

The Samurai didn't need to think about the inter-workings of his sword to make mincemeat of his enemies in battle.

Through training, the sword becomes a natural extension of one's self.

Why should our hand held computers be any different?

Less is more.

thought experiment: walk around your workplace and see how many non-developers work in windows with all their windows maximized

Is the iPad for dumb people? Are automatic transmissions for dumb drivers? No, but you'll wish you had one in city traffic. That said, I'm glad I can drive a stick - even though I no longer own one.

well sure. you can always phrase making something more accessible as "for dumb people". I doubt this kind of dim view of your customer base is highly correlated with successful business though.