iPad is not a laptop or desktop replacement
This week's NOW has a story about the iPad that is both misleading and glosses over the dozens of issues that the iPad announcement has stirred up. I've already addressed most of these issues on this blog and over at fitc.ca so I'm going to focus mostly on the idea that the iPad could be a replacement for laptops or desktops.
The problem with seeing the iPad as a laptop, desktop or even netbook replacement is that it isn't and Apple has no intention of it being that. Even in the top models there is very little storage in today's terms. One of these would barely hold the music I bought last year let alone my entire collection. And what about movies or the dozens of apps you need to make this thing useful since the lack of Flash is forcing many rich internet application developers to rebuild their web apps as native apps.
The reality is, the iPad is almost useless without a full blown laptop or desktop computer to sync it to so you can use iTunes to move your media back and forth between the iPad and main computer. Not to mention that's the only way to back it up which is an incredibly important thing to do (these things do die, my iPhone 3GS just had it's camera bite the dust this week).
I'd also say it's hard to call the iPad a replacement for any computer given how incredibly closed it is. You can't do whatever you want with it. You can only do what Apple allows.
A good example being the Apple mandated removal of USB file transfer from Stanza. As Apple decides to move into a market, in this case e-books, they have it within their power to cripple anyone that might interfere.
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/02/02/apple-forces-stanza-to-nix-usb-book-sharing/
It's also a bit soon still to say the netbook is done. With devices like Alienware's M11x – a full blown laptop with a high-end gpu you can turn on and off with a switch – coming out there is lots of room for this form factor to grow.
The iPad is definitely an interesting device and for certain tasks I think it will be great. But it is a VERY long way from being the ultimate portable computing device.