As the hype subsides and the media frenzy moves on to the next big thing, the wait begins for the Apple iPad to reach the hands of anxious buyers. Based on the mixed reception the iPad has received it’s anyone’s guess whether or not Apple will have a hit on its hands. In either case, we suspect there will be some interesting consumer behavior caused by the iPad, Here’s our list:

1. It will sell more Motorola Droids, Palm Pres, and WiFi routers like Verizon’s MiFi

Our hunch is the 32GB iPad at $599 will be the most popular model but who is going to want to spend the extra money for 3G especially when you already have it with your cell phone? Now, we don’t expect you’ll be able to tether your iPhone to the iPad so that leaves WiFi or better yet WiMax. Right now the Droid can use free apps that turn it into a WiFi hotspot for no extra cost. Touch Pro 2, Imagio, and Omnia II users can also turn their phones into WiFi hotspots. For $40 a month you can use a Palm Pre or you could go with something like Verizon’s MiFi or even Sprint’s WiMax dongle and a CradlePoint portable router.

2. It will give hope to Apple’s competitors that they can still create something new and cool

The word “arrogance” is too often heard in the same sentence as Apple. As demonstrated by the lack of real innovations in the iPad, it appears that Apple employees are not super human after all. For all of Steve Jobs’ hyperboles this is not a phenomenal, incredible, amazing, truly magical, revolutionary, wonderful, unbelievable, crowning glory masterpiece. It’s pretty cool, but it’s basically a supersized iPod Touch. Okay Sony, HP, Samsung, and the rest of you out there with research labs and cutting edge technology, here’s your chance to take a giant leap with a new mind reading, natural language using, gesture-based, solar powered, lightweight, truly revolutionary device.

3. It will sell more Kindles and other E-readers

One thing that Amazon realized early on is that reading an e-book should be as relaxing and enjoyable as, well, reading a book. E-readers like the Kindle with their reflective E Ink displays don’t need a bright backlight to make it possible to read. A backlit display is perfect for looking at photographs and watching video but many book lovers prefer the experience of an electrophoretic E Ink display to backlit LCDs, even if the backlights are LEDs. Besides, E Ink displays only look better in bright daylight unlike the iPad which will not only look washed out but will require some anti-glare treatment as well.

4. It will sell more netbooks

In case netbook buyers were holding off on a netbook purchase to see what the Apple tablet was going to look like, they can go ahead and get that new Windows 7, Atom Pine Trail-based unit with the 14 hour battery life that has a real keyboard, 250GB hard drive multitasks, runs Outlook and has standard ports to connect to the outside world. Oh, and it will probably cost a lot less than $499.

5. The entry age for computers will fall

Five year olds don’t need multitasking and neither do they need a phone. We suspect many parents will be willing to buy junior’s first computer at a much earlier age if it’s an iPad. It will be easier to justify your kid’s first handheld game machine if it also serves as a book reader and window to the world wide web.

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The Apple iPad

Over the past week we’ve looked at why the iPad will be good for contractors and why you might not be the target audience for the device. After considerable thought, I’d like to share why I want an iPad.

I’m not an Apple fanboy – the only Apple device I currently own is a 4 year-old refurbished iPod Nano. I don’t carry an iPhone – I use a Samsung Ace Windows Mobile smartphone. I still like the device because it’s tiny and has great battery life for my trips. I was recently scolded for not using Keynote for my presentations. My main computer is a refurbished Dell XPS M1330 laptop which I’ve enjoyed over the past year although lately the fan has made so much noise that I can’t bring it to SXSW with me. I have been considering purchasing the new Asus ULvt30 laptop as it has a super battery and looks like it would meet my needs well.

So why do I want the Apple iPad? It’s been bashed from blog to blog and fanboys are torching their shrines to Steve Jobs. (side note, I wonder if the fanboys would have loved the device if Jobs gave one to everyone in the audience. You know, just like Google did with the Nexus One. Didn’t see much hate over that way, did ya?)

The Asus laptop weighs in at just under 4 pounds. It’s got great specs and will work perfectly for coding, working on my startup, and all the other heavy lifting that a computer is meant to handle. Everyday I am in NYC at an event, meeting an entrepreneur looking for advice or meeting with a customer of my startup. Many times it would be nice to have a device that I can whip out in a second and show off my startup, look at other startups, review a presentation, etc. Typically I use my mobile for checking my various email accounts and browsing the web using the Skyfire mobile browser. The iPad will be able to handle everything I’ve listed and more and I can travel around with a 1.5 pound machine. If I take the laptop with me, it’s lugging around a 3x heavier machine and then I also have to take a bigger (and heavier) laptop bag as well. The iPad will fit into my lightweight bag with no issues.

Read Write Web had an interesting post about how the iPad will allow startups to create “instant demos”. I very much agree with this premise and could see startups purchasing one just for the demo ability.

I am also hoping that I can use the iPad as my new music playing device where I start a playlist, “hold” the device and stick it into my bag and the music keeps playing.

Based on what I have read, it does appear that I will have some gripes with the device. First, it has no camera – a camera would have been excellent for networking and I am guessing it will be on version 2 – isn’t that how Jobs creates his devices? Jobs says the battery will last 10 hours which probably means 3-4 in real life. I certainly hope the power cord is super light and easy to carry. The iPad also apparently can’t handle multi-tasking which seems stupid because many times you will want to browse the web and listen to a song in your iTunes collection. Apparently there is some issue where Flash doesn’t work on the iPad — not exactly sure how this will affect my Web usage but it is something to consider.

Update: The comments seem to indicate you can play a song in iTunes and work in the browser.

From what I can tell so far, the iPad might also improve my productivity while I am out and about because I can load up on apps that I can use to keep better track of everything going on in my life from scheduling to note taking to contact management.

It looks like there will be adapters that will connect into the iPad to allow for some external functions. I am hoping that a foldable keyboard is one of those options. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like you can carry a second battery. It would also be great if you can plug the iPad into a projector for large group demos and presentations.

I’m not sure whether I will purchase the model with the 3G. My Ace phone handles Bluetooth tethering very well so I could just use that when needed. I’m guessing you can’t add on the 3G later so my guess is that I will take the 3G version. I’m quite certain I will go for the least expensive version. The 3G service plans seem expensive to me – especially since if you only use it a drop, you still pay for the entire month. I am actually willing to bet that one of the sweet spots for the iPad will be for people who are happy with their cell phone but want a smarter device without buying an iPhone or Droid.

So to summarize why I want an iPad:

• lightweight
• ability to check and respond to emails and handle customer inquiries for my startup
• web browser
• productivity apps
• meeting functionality (review presentations, review apps, discussions)
• long battery life
• new music player to replace my old Nano

I’d also like to note that I am sure there are other tablet machines on the market that are worth looking into. I have not started this research yet but plan to before looking at the iPad for purchase.

Had the device been available for purchase before SXSW, my bet is that you would see 1,000 or more of the devices in the convention center.

The iPad could also replace my wish of moving into a new mobile device this year. If I have an iPad that tethers to my phone and my phone to handle calls (which Sprint does perfectly), then I am all set.

Overall I think the iPad will be a huge winner for Apple. Ithink the price will drop a bit by mid-year which will get more mainstream users excited about the device. Now I need to work on getting more pageviews so I can pay for the new iPad device.

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Yes, the word is out, Apple has announced it’s newest beast…the iPad! For a long time now, rumors about some kind of mysterious “Apple Tablet” have been circulating the internet. So, is this another Newton? Well let’s talk about what you can do.

So you either have an iPhone or iPod Touch, or at the very least, played with your friend’s iPhone, right? You know all the things you can do on an iPhone that are kind of annoying…that is, the capability is there, but it’s just too dang sma

ll? Things like reading. Sure you’ve got the Amazon Kindle App…very cool, but there

aren’t many situations where you wa

nt to read on such a tiny screen. Sure, you can check your email and write replies…but we all know that phone-written replies are much shorter than if you had a larger keyboard at your disposal.

So what is the iPad? It’s kind of like a gigantic iPod Touch. You can surf the web, watch movies, read books/newspapers/magazines. It’s got a touch-screen keyboard that provides a lot more room than the iPod and it’s lightweight and portable. It’s a big ol’, take it with you media machine. Very cool. You can sit back and read the NY Times, or your favorite magazine, buy a book from the newly announced Apple bookstore, watch or rent a movie through iTunes, listen to music, send email, browse the web, and do it all very comfortably and very digitally.

This device is an important step toward getting rid of wasteful print materials while at the same time, saving the print industry. Soon, the print industry will be known as the content industry, as paperless publishing gains momentum. Apple is way ahead of the curve on this one, and the iPad is a truly remarkable device.

My only concern is, will a big media tablet be worth whatever they charge for it? Probably not, and I’m a huge Apple fan. So, here’s a site that will give you one for free once they are released. You just enter your zip, and complete a few simple offers. What could be easier? Now the cost is no longer a problem.

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*The new iPad and Kindle DX both boast 9.7 inch screens, but the iPad has a backlit LED touch screen and Kindle does not.

*The iBooks app on the iPad allows you to download and read books in the ePub open file format. This option could make it cheaper to get books, because you would not have to get them from Amazon.

* The Kindle only allows Kindle format books that you have to get from Amazon.

*The iPad allows you to access iTunes, Safari web browser, email, games, media player, and much more.

* The Kindle allows you to subscribe to newspapers and magazines, which is pretty cool, has a mediocre web browser, and pdf reader capability.

*The iPad has Bluetooth, WiFi, and 3G in some of its models.

* The Kindle only has 3G.

*Both iPad and Kindle provide service through AT&T, but iPad charges $15.00/ month for 250MB and $30.00/month for unlimited data transfer.

*Kindle includes 3G service for free.

*The iPad, with WiFi only, costs $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB and $699 for 64GB.

*The iPad, with WiFi and 3G, cost $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB.

*The Kindle 2 by comparison is only $259 and the Kindle DX is $489.

Now back to the original question. Is the new Apple iPad or the Amazon Kindle the better product? The answer is, it totally depends on what you want to use it for. Some people love the Kindle and others would rather have a product, like the iPad, that offers a wider range of services. However, the iPad costs more money, and will continue to cost for data transfer. So if cost is a concern or you are really only looking for an eReader, then the Kindle is probably what you want. If you don’t care what it costs, and want the widest range of applications in a tablet computer, then you would most likely be happier with the iPad.

It’s no consequence that many think the iPad looks like a really big iPhone. It’s basically the same look and feel working about the same way. This has led many to wonder if iPhone applications will run in the iPad device. The answer is yes they will.

The iPad uses a very similar platform or operating system as the iPhone. They are very similar devices except the tablet is obviously much more powerful of a device and has a much larger screen. From day one applications from the iPhone will work on this new device.

The next question many have is how these applications are going to look on a much larger screen. Are they going to be a in a small box or are they going to fill the entire screen?

The iPad will be able to do both of these functions. The application will launch in the center of the device with the same size as it is on the iPhone. There is a small button on the bottom right that will let users make the application fill the entire screen. The pixels will be a bit bigger meaning the picture won’t be as clear, but at least it will fit the entire screen.

While some applications might be useful especially at first where there won’t be as many, it’s only a matter of time that many of your loved applications will be replaced with iPad ones made for the larger screen. Also many won’t be needed because you can just use them as normal in the web browser like Facebook for example instead of having to use a smaller iPhone version.

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At first glance the Apple iPad looks a little bit like an iPhone, or the iTouch that has been given some plant food and steroids. In a way, this is exactly what we are going to get. One of the first differences is that it will be running the Mac OS instead of Windows, obviously, and it will also be WiFi and Bluetooth enabled to allow for connections anywhere and everywhere. The design is truly gorgeous and it provides an almost full keyboard, built into the software just like the iPhone and iTouch.

One of the biggest jumps in software and in the software technology industry was the invention of apps that can be created by any developer with an open source programmer. There are literally thousands of Apps available right now for the iPhone and iTouch, and the iPad will of course offer the same compatibility. So now, Apple will help reinvent the software industry again, and there will undoubtedly be apps created for just the iPad.

This is a product that will make a huge impact, and the starting price of the base model is set to be $499, which is way below the original speculated price which was well over $1000. There are still a few drawbacks that come to mind and that is that there is no removable battery, and no built in camera. So this might mean that at the end of the life of the battery that the buyer will have to shell out more money to get the battery replaced. All in all the iPad looks awesome and Apple will once again revolutionize the computing industry.

If you would like more free information, videos, and helpful links about tablet computers and the Apple iTablet, please visit the Tablet Computers hub page today.

(C) Copyright – Jacob Rhettison, – All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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