iPad – Genius or copycat?

I have some good feelings about the iPad that Apple just introduced. I guess I’ll start with those first ones, just to keep people reading what I don’t like.

1. I think the new email feature is great, especially for my company. We get hundreds of emails a day from clients, prospects, people from India (it goes straight in the trash), etc. Sometimes it’s hard to sort through all the mail. iPad gives you the ability to check your mail in a quick and organized way. I think it’s a great idea to have a full size keyboard too, it’ll help me when I’m typing all the emails!)

2. I love the fast, easy and beautiful display for searching the web. This product will be amazing when you go to see customers. Now there is no reason to lug my whole laptop around because I can just bring this little screen that is between my iPhone and my laptop and it will do the same thing. Now all I have to do is find an application that allows me to run Word and edit documents (I know there are already some and I’ve tried some but I haven’t liked it 100% so far).

3. The new calendar feature is great and will help me organize my day as I always have a million things to do. I think the new photo gallery features are pretty nifty too.

4. The library looks great and if it’s as easy as the other online stores (like iTunes and the app store), it will be a breeze. Right now on the iPhone kindle I have to go to a website to buy my books and it’s really annoying. (One thing I didn’t get is if they’ll let you have that app on the iPhone and let you have the books on both your iPad and iPhone. That would be great)

5. Of course, Apple always does its best with the screen and multi-touch features, but the fact that you can use iPhone apps on it is an awesome feature!

6. Portable TV: Now you can watch movies on the new iPad, which is awesome!

Now, I’ve just given you all the features I liked about the iPad, but what about what I didn’t like? Trust me, I’m sparing you the entire list of things I hate.

1. It’s exactly the same as the iPhone except it’s 5 times bigger (I don’t know the exact size). So what some apps changed. I don’t see that much difference!

2. I’m sorry, but has anyone checked the price of the iPad? I thought I was looking at a laptop. The funny part is if you watched the video the guy said, “We thought this was going to be a lot more expensive, but it starts at only $499.99!” – Go look at dell.com, you can buy a whole laptop for that price.

3. Oh, by the way, AT&T iPhone users: Don’t think you’re getting a discount on your data plan (after buying your iPad for an extra $130 just to get 3G).

4. The iPad does not have a camera nor does it have the ability to make phone calls. So “iPhone on steroids” isn’t really the right term.

5. The iPad is still an LCD screen that isn’t going to be as cool and easy to read as the Nook or Kindle which has the drab unlit screen that’s easy on the eyes.

6. The Nook and Kindle can stay on for weeks if needed. This is great for avid book readers who love to read because they won’t have to recharge it. Ten hours of battery life may not be enough for those who travel around the world.

Those are my thoughts so far! But in all honesty, if it hadn’t been for $500 I would have gotten one, but I’m not going to spend that kind of money on a connected iPhone when I already have an iPhone.