The morning after, I sense some disappointment with the iPad.
But come on, folks, let's get serious.
We couldn't have hyped it up any more. Not only did many of us want all of these features to be included (four of which were not), we were anticipating to be blown away.
We were expecting a bombshell, something completely unexpected to rant and rave about. The biggest shock of all ended up being the price, with the product starting at $499 after rumors of it costing as high as $1,000.
But now that it's the day after, let's shake off all the nonsense and wake up.
This device is revolutionary and it raises the bar on eReaders of the future. Why get a Kindle or a Nook (sorry guys) when you can also display images and videos in high-quality, listen to your favorite music, surf the Web, check your e-mail, and do countless other things?
The iPad will do to eReaders what the iPhone did to phones. Why simply talk on a phone and send text messages when you can have a built-in GPS/maps, music, games, browse the Internet, and check e-mail? That's to say nothing of the true value of that product --- its 140,000 apps.
It's those 140,000 apps that made the iPhone (and popularized the phrase "there's an app for that"). As awesome as the iPhone was when first announced, only a handful of the apps were available at first. So we didn't even see the whole product when the iPhone was first introduced. We had no idea it could do so much.
Same with the iPad. We're only catching a glimpse of it. Only a "taste." And for that, it's silly to rush to conclusions about its merit.
iPad apps will make the iPad more than worthwhile.
Surely, some of the most mind-blowing apps and creative uses haven't even been devised yet. We all need to have a little patience, and watch what developers come up with. I'm personally excited about the potential for news. If news organizations don't take the iPad seriously, or devout resources to it, third party developers will.
I'm sure we'll see awesome new ways to browse the news in the months ahead.
Of course there are so many other areas to keep an eye on in the iPad apps space -- gaming, video (live TV comes to mind?), productivity and more. Products like Seesmic Look can thrive on an iPad and allow a whole new way of experiencing social networking.
Niche interests will likely to lead to the most killer iPad apps, whether you're interested in stocks, the environment, politics, photography, sports, or -- like me -- something as obscure as genealogy. Let's take a look at just a few of these examples.
Genealogy:
I can only imagine displaying beautiful family trees and swiping historical photos on my iPad. Not to mention its capabilities for research inputting new data and conducting interviews. As a research tool alone, it's sure to have amazing potential, but as a collaboration tool and way to display work, it can easily become invaluable for every genealogist to have.
Sports:
Imagine following live events for your favorite teams, watching or listening to them live, while toggling statistics you want to see in real-time, standings, and out-of-town scores in a seamless interface. MLB.com's first iPad app is a great start, and there's sure to be more ahead, creating a revolutionary experience for any sports fan.
Photojournalism:
Trevor Tan notes at "Tech Talk" that the iPad could easily become the "photojournalist's dream." A developer could create a dynamic app, allowing journalists to easily edit pictures on the fly and send them to the newsroom. The iPad could also turn into a great digital portfolio when a photograph-enthusiast wants to share pictures with a friend or prospective employer.
Maybe these areas don't interest you, but some are sure to. Look no further than this list of 10 iPhone apps that can be redone for spectacular display on the iPad. And while critics say the iPad is just a bigger iPhone or iTouch, the value of its display size and quality of the screen can't be denied.
Of course, every one of these 140,000 iPhone apps, as you may have heard, will also work on the iPad -- out of the box.
The most exciting part --- it's the 140,000 more ways (on top of that), or the iPad apps of the future, even a few years down the road, that are going to define the iPad.
The green signal has flashed for developers, and speaking of "Flash," it will be available to developers for iPad apps.
So let's tone down on those premature conclusions. There are thousands of iPad apps we can't even imagine yet that will be available in time. Prepare to be blown away by this device, one that will revolutionize eReaders the same way the iPhone revolutionized the smart phone industry.
And for that, whether you get an iPad or not, all consumers will be better off for it. The bar has been raised -- and high. Thanks, Apple.