With most PC companies, you can install an internal broadband device from any of the cellular companies. With my cell phone, I can run a program, and tether ANY computer with Wifi. You can't do this with an iPhone, because Apple and AT&T control the applications you are ALLOWED to run.

Apple makes fine products, really excellent in fact. But I just do not like the control they demand over what I can run or connect to my product.

Just curious, is there an A2DP app yet? My Palm phone, under the old Palm OS was able to do A2DP 3 years ago.

My iPhone is A2DP.

Hope it has a USB port so I can eventually plug in my Sprint USB dongle that I get through work (once the drivers are written). I don't want to pay for additional cell fees.

OK. We discussed this a while back, and at that time, the iPhone was not A2DP. Wireless was only available with a plugged in module.

Sounds cool but I can't justify it unless it has the capabilties of my laptop...

I don't really get the tablet thing, even before this. Why not just use a laptop?

Same here. How is a person supposed to type with a tablet? Where's the keyboard?

On screen keyboard like the iPhone....

+1000 on all counts.

Even as a marginally good typist, it is way faster to input data via an actual keyboard (even on a netbook) vs. any sort of handwriting (let alone HWR) or on-screen keyboard. It is also far more practical IMO. Even if I absolutely needed a tablet, I would probably opt for one of the detachable-screen PC laptop/tablet hybrids coming to (or already on) the market.

Come on guys, Steve-o says it's magical.

Yawn.

Why do I get the feeling that Bill Gates said those exact words? . . . in 1997. (regarding the tablet PC)

this post written on a tablet PC.

well from the pics..
he is holding a BIG Iphone..

Rika

The iPad uses an AAPL-developed ARM-based chip that includes CPU and GPU in one die. AAPL acquired PA Semi a few years ago and people have been waiting to see the result.

Here is why this is important. ARM-based chips power essentially every cellphone, x86 (INTC/AMD) chips every personal computer. The two families of chips have been moving toward each other, as ARM chips get faster and multi-cored, and INTC chips get more power-efficient (Atom). The workloads for these chips have also been converging, as more people use smartphones to do what others use laptops to do - watch video, read PPOT, email, etc. Clearly x86 and ARM are going to have a big war for this converged space. And AAPL has just chosen ARM. Well, they chose ARM years ago when they bought PA Semi, but in terms of actual shipping product, they've now really laid down their cards.

To win that war, INTC has got to get its power consumption - and the power consumption of the rest of the "PC" architecture - way the heck down. An Atom-based netbook fitting within the size and weight (1.5 lbs) of the Apple product could not deliver 10 hours battery life, not even the 7 hours that we might actually get. Heck, the six-cell battery of my daughter's netbook might weigh 1 lb by itself.

People used to think that, to win the war, the ARM camp had to get personal computer OS's ported to ARM - like Windows, Mac OS - and major apps ported - like MS Office. Well, maybe not. Do you need full-blow Win/Mac OS if you have iPhone OS? Do you need Office when you have iWork or, even more popular among kids now, Google Docs?

XP tablet edition has a writing field that pops up as needed...

the yellowish field at the bottom of the screen (of my OLD LED backlit tablet running xp)....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1264619809.jpg

Whereas Windows Mobile devices allow you to write anywhere on the screen.

A (real)keyboard is usually faster, esp. at first. But I'm truly amazed at how fast I can scribble cursive . . . and still have the device recognize. --I have NO doubts the recognition software was designed for doctors. ...when I first started using it, I wrote block (engineer) letters - it was horrible.

16 GB ? It isn't a giant iPhone. It is a giant iPod.

Fail

Watching the live action, it looks pretty good. I'm going to be VERY disappointed if there isn't a webcam built-in, though.

I wonder why they have to charge $100 for each additional 16GB? That's ridiculous in this day and age. $499 for the base model is a steal, but it shouldn't run up to $699 for the 64GB model. Why the heck can't it just have SD expansion?

An 16GB USB drive is $40 retail. USB drive makers get very low margins - maybe 15-20% GM? No way AAPL will price for incremental margins like that. That's just not their model.

"iPad"

Ha! ....for that time of the month.