Coyote Cartography

[Brer] You summed up most of my general feelings, I think. Much like the first iPhone (which was also panned relentlessly in the media and elsewhere) this is a first round salvo into a market that has otherwise been pretty much sitting on its thumbs.

The iPad will, if nothing else, force OTHER companies to innovate or become irrelevant. Most of them will fall flat, as they take a similarly unimaginative stab at "reproducing" the iPad -- pretty much getting the look right, but none of the finer qualities. A few will see the weak spots and innovate on their own, marrying a MOSTLY similar device to features that go beyond the Apple offering's current capability.

My biggest complaint with Apple is that they never seem to STICK with things once they make them. Oh they continue to tinker and improve a little here and there maybe, but it's at a glacial pace and always seems to take the back seat to the next big thing.

But that is okay. If their role in the world is finding niches that need filling and exploding onto the scene to fill them in as grandiose manner as possible, then that is a wonderful thing. The tech industry (hardware and software alike) has become generally lazy, uninspired, and happy to produce the cheapest product they can get away with foisting off on the world and still keep sales up.

Even if one thinks that Apple is failing out of the gate with the iPad, it is at least "out of the gate". That's more than can be said for the majority of the currently non-existent competition.