Well the iPad is here and at least for me it is an anticlimax. It will be faster than an iPhone as it has a 1Ghz processor rather than the 432Mhz in the 3G, or the 600Mhz in the 3GS. There are no specs as to the memory but here is 128Mb in 3G and 256Mb in the 3gs. Most likely it will have at least the 256Mb of the 3GS maybe more. So it is going to be faster than the iPhones. It will be available in 16Gb, 32Gb and 64Gb models. This is plenty of storage for most people, especially as iPhone apps are relatively small. There is no camera at all. It has no external connectors, well the 30 pin Apple connector, but not even a USB.

I think Apple has missed the mark with the iPad. It should have been dropped into the netbook market as it has everything but the camera.

Do not get me wrong there are pluses to the iPad. It will be a lot easier to read on an iPad than an iphone and I use my iPhone to read books. It supports an estimated 140,000 plus applications to date. It will be faster than an iPhone. And I may even buy one as I already have a number of Apps that I really like. If Apple were to ask me what I wanted in an iPad here they are.

A Multitasking Operating System (I believe the OS can multi-task but has been restricted by Apple). The iPad can run only one app at a time, like the iPhone. With the bigger screen it would have been nice to split the screen so more than one app could be used. I kind of agree with Apple restricting background apps, as these can really destroy performance. Many of the problems people have with their computers come from the plethora of items that are set in the background by unscrupulous software producers, but there should have been allowance for the user to run multiple foreground apps. The iPod app will run in the background while an app is being run in the foreground.

A frontside camera as these are very popular in netbooks.

An external connector preferably a USB. this would allow a multitude of options such as keyboards, mice, game controllers and external storage devices such as backup drives and DVD-ROMS. Another option would be Secure Digital (SD cards) for storage only. It would be nice to take the SD card straight to the iPad without having to find the camera connector kit first. You can connect bluetooth keyboards and headphones to the iPad. There are docking connector options for the 30 pin connector for cameras and other accessories.

Currently you have to have a computer to backup the iPad just like an iPhone. This device should be able to operate as a stand alone computing device.

A internal expansion bay for a 1.8" Hard Disk Drive or Solid State Drive. Apple has this technology available in the iPod classics. The music and video lovers would ante up for this upgrade. There are several options in 20Gb to 320Gb drives and Solid State Storage drives are also available in this form factor. The new Toshiba 1.8" 320Gb is fast with a 5400rpm disk rather than the 4200rpm for all previous 1.8" drives.

Maybe we will see some of these upgrades in later models of the iPad, I hope that they will at least be considered. Apple the iPad is a good start but it could have been much more!

Apple how about an iBook, a unit about the size of a paperback novel. Say a 7 inch screen and 16Gb or 32Gb storage. Less than 3/4 inch thick so it will fit into a coat pocket easy. Wireless of course with a set of stereo speakers. A large battery say 8 hours of combined reading and music. What do you say Apple!!!

CCCBOULY