Although I’ll probably have a lot more to say about this device when it’s actually released (March or April, depending on whether or not you want 3G service with it), here are some initial thoughts, mixed with some response to the trendy knee-jerk style (and, admittedly, sometimes thoughtful) criticisms.

Yes, it’s called an iPad. Go ahead and get all of your inner seventh – grader’s giggling and snickering out of the way, because although it is a somewhat unfortunately named gadget, keep in mind that iPod wasn’t initially embraced by the masses, either. (I believe, “what the fuck’s a ‘pod’” came out of the mouths of many.) Yes, I know, tampons, periods, Aunt Flo, bloody, bloody, bloody, etc, ad nauseam. Better now? Good, then let’s graduate grade school and move on to the adult world.

From what can be seen thus far, it really looks spectacular! And feature-rich as well. Some folks found there were some surprises in the upcoming Apple tablet. Others are having fun with the name to no real productive ends. And at least one Gizmodo writer chimed in with some complaints, which I’ll briefly address here.

“Big, Ugly Bezel” – The bezel has to be a reasonable width for a number of obvious reasons. Two that immediately come to mind include stabilization of the glass screen (and also to minimize impact of same) and providing a place for your thumbs or palms to go so you’re not covering the viewing area with them. Other that that, the bezel is fine.

“No Multitasking” – This is probably where the point of this not being nor trying to be a laptop or netbook should come in. Certainly, many of us remember the gripes about the Macbook Air not being just like the Macbook Pro, even though the former wasn’t meant to be the latter in key areas. A tablet device, by dint of its size, thickness, and components, is not going to have the feature set of an actual portable computer, such as a Macbook. At least, not yet. Also, this is running iPhone OS, not Mac OS. Overall, this “no multitasking” thing doesn’t bother me at all, and might get fixed in a future upgrade of the software, anyhoo. It doesn’t have sex with you, either, but try not to freak out merely because it doesn’t rigidly match your own little wish list.

“No Cameras” – A camera might have been nice, but maybe there just wasn’t any room for it. Take a look at those dimensions again. More to the point, you’re simply not going to be able to shove every piece of mobile tech into it without compromising its weight and size considerably.

“Touch Keyboard” – There’s always something for someone to bitch about, isn’t there? Putting an actual keyboard on this device would either make it too big or reduce viewing area. If it had a tiny screen, it would be an iPhone. If you went big enough for a physical keyboard, it’s basically a laptop. The iPad is, once again, neither of those.

“No HDMI Out” – It’s a portable device with a limited feature set due to its physical realities. It probably won’t have pop out subwoofers and crank to 600 decibels in 5.1 surround sound as well. One more time for the slow kids… it’s… a… tablet.

“The Name iPad” – I’m older than 12. I’m fine with the name.

“No Flash” – Nor on the iPhone, and there are very well stated reasons for it. Do the research and find out why.

“Adapters, Adapters, Adapters” – Like any other portable device. Seen the plethora of ones for all of the biggest smartphones out there? Must a slightly larger device that, once again, isn’t a laptop or netbook, be any different? Also, must your needs really require tons of plugs and external doohickeys be with you every moment of iPad usage? Or couldn’t you just load what you need (like any other portable device) and move along?

Also note that Apple wants to differentiate this device from its other devices, so it’s not going to nearly match all functions of any one Apple product. (The pricing structure of the iPhone/iPad/Macbook lines alone should be your first tip off.) I’m glad there is no speakerphone in this tablet because that would make millions of people even more obnoxious than they already are with their cellphones. Unlike some, I’m excited to see the eBook functionality, as I do read them currently on my iPhone. I’d like to see if it goes anywhere with digital magazine and other periodical subscriptions as my abode’s capacity for storing yet another shelf of physical mags is reaching maximum density. Don’t care about the music end of it at all, so that’s neither here nor there for me. I do wish it could be held onto better, but I’m sure some entrepreneur (or 57 of them) will put out iPad cases with some sort of strap in the back to slip your hand through, or something similar. Right now, it’s all speculation as to where the tablet will go in terms of popularity, accessories, apps (a major part of this gadget!), and added features over time. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing this infant product’s first steps into an unfriendly world. (A day trip to my favorite Apple store in the whole world — Small Dog Electronics — is reserved for April. We Vermonters are so lucky to have a great shop like SD.)

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