(this is reprinted from my post in another thread)
I think the main problem with the iPad is that nerds don't get it. That's okay, though, because non-nerds DO get it.
If I had to describe the iPad in just a few words, I would say it is an simplified internet device aimed at people who want a mobile gadget that does many specific tasks extremely well, basically one at a time, with no learning curve, no maintenance, no configuration needed. It is not intended to replace a "real" laptop, merely to push the full-blown laptop back to the audience that really needs it: professionals. Most consumers have no use for 95% of what a laptop can do.
Geeks like us have internalised and normalised much of the "hassle" of owning a computer so much that we don't even notice that its a hassle. We think clearing web caches and defragging and having to wait 30 seconds for the thing to start up is perfectly normal and everybody should just learn to accept these things.
But "everybody" politely disagrees. Non-nerds do not see a reason why getting on the net or checking email should be any more complicated than operating a toaster (to use the classic example). Many of them just want to surf, check mail, read, listen to music, watch videos and play time-killing games. They see no reason why this should be so complicated that many of them feel frustrated, afraid and/or stupid when using it. And frankly, they're right.
Apple has been trying all of its "life" to move consumer computers toward being that straightforward. The iPad is, if anything, the next evolution of the original idea of the iMac: hide the "computer."
What the introduction of the iPad tells me is that Apple is trying to more clearly define machines for the two different audiences. Consumer machines should get simpler; professional machines should get more powerful.
Thus, the iPad excites me both for what IT can do for me, as well as what this means for the future of Apple's professional efforts, which will also benefit me as a power-user.
