Yeah, iPad is a bad name. Â I thought Canvas had a nice ring to it.
As a gaming device, it is simply nothing special, as by all accounts it is a giant iPod Touch, the only thing you get as a gamer is a larger screen and in most cases, blown up graphics rather than improved graphics. Â The problem of iPod gaming is there is no tactile interface beyond holding the device and sliding your fingers across the screen, the iPad does nothing to resolve it. Â This isn’t to say gaming on it won’t be fun, but at $500 minimum you’re better off staying with an iPod touch, or your other sub-$200 portable gaming device.
Beyond gaming, a bigger screen is nice for reading, but not as good as e-ink. Â Nice for movies and television and podcasts, but not widescreen? Â Functionally, there are almost no differentiating features between it and Apple’s iPad-nanos. Â Where are the rumored two camera’s for video chat? Â Where is the facial recognition for passing the device around the room? Â No mention of medical use when that is the only functional market for tablet computing?
Granted, this is a first generation Apple device and one need only look at the iPhone to see what can happen in a single software (or hardware) generation, but the iPad has a long way to go.
Jamie’s got some excellent points (especially regarding how it is a closed platform) here.