[g0atbutt]

The iPad doesn't really feel like it's developed for me as a tech savvy person (no multitasking, no side-loading, etc.), but I think that's the point.

However, the developer side of me is pumped to be able to leverage the unique hardware and create an experience that would have been impossible otherwise.

[tzs]

The iPad feels it was developed just for me as a tech savvy person.

I have online access to a large number of books (Safari Library subscription) and a large number of journal articles and conference proceedings (ACM Digital Library subscription). I currently only use these resources for short references. I rarely sit down and read something all the way through, because I just don't like reading sitting at my computer.

When my iPad arrives, there will shortly after be a big boost in my productivity, as I will be able to comfortably read the above materials, and much more, on my couch or in bed. (I said "comfortably", which rules out laptops and netbooks).

If all I ever use it for is accessing Safari Library, the ACM Digital Library, and technical documentation on the web, it will be well worth the cost.

But I expect it to end up useful for more as application developers come up to speed. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Omni Group comes up, with for instance. With Omni Outliner and Omni Focus on it, the iPad could become the organizational center of my life.

My prediction is that the app market for the iPad is going to be reminiscent of the app market for the iPhone--full of creative apps that do amazing things that most of us would not have come anywhere close to predicting.

[kalid]

Exactly. I got a kindle not for its intrinsic merits, but because of the behavior change. $200 is a very cheap way for me to read more books. Anecdotally, I'm reading about 3x as many books; I've cut down on my random surfing time and instead reach for more substantive stuff.

That's worth a lot more than $200 to me, and if the iPad encourages me to read even better stuff, all the better.

[glhaynes]

(I have no ebook reader besides my laptop and iPhone.)

It'll be interesting to see whether similar iPad users get a similar boost (Anecdotal-3x™), since [good] web/Twitter/Facebook/email are each a Home button and a tap away on it, unlike Kindle.

I sure hope so, as one of my main hopes for the iPad is that I'll read more "Real Books" once I have one, but my compulsion to check what's happened in the last 5 minutes makes me think twice.

Hey, if I get Anecdotal-2x™, I'll be pretty damn happy and more productive.

[bricestacey]

I don't think the iPad will increase reading anywhere near as much as the Kindle simply because of the screen. EInk is awesome. Even the iPhone hurts my eyes in dim light, imagine 4 times the brightness.

[glhaynes]

I don't really ever have trouble reading a (good) LCD, and specifically would prefer reading on an iPad rather than a Kindle because the iPad is backlit and I read a lot in the dark before bed. I know many disagree, though.

I never turn the iPhone's brightness above 60%; I usually turn it all the way down in the dark and would very much like it to be able to go even lower. What a funny change from a few years back when we were always excited about upcoming LCDs being brighter than their predecessors and spent much of the time with our screens at 100% and still a little too dim.

[tptacek]

Would a portable device geared towards the tech-savvy really move the dials for you? I'm, uh, pretty tech savvy, and the prospect of more connector ports and a more powerful text editor doesn't open my wallet. Etude does.

[jrockway]

Etude does.

Really? Etude is a cool app, and is certainly nice looking, but it's nothing new; I remember doing the exact same thing (even "professionally engraved" notation, via lilypond) 6 years ago on my Linux box. The difference is that on your real computer, you can actually connect your MIDI keyboard, and you can see two entire pages of music at once. And you already have it, so it's free.

So while nice, I don't think the iPad or iPhone is the best device for this application. The iPad is certainly nice for reading HN while waiting for the train, I would imagine.

[bricestacey]

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's only good for browsing the web. The ease of use of different devices brings about incredible behavioral changes that can't simply be disregarded.

I have the luxury of testing a lot of mobile devices lately. I have a macbook pro, iPhone, Kindle DX, Nook, Sony Reader, and ASUS EEE 1005H. I never use the netbook because my 13" MBP is almost just as small and a million times better. The readers are neat, but I don't bother unless I'm reading a novel. They are essentially like books and their value cannot really be maximized unless you're the type of person who reads at any available moment (and I don't live a lifestyle that provides me with such moments).

There is this huge middle ground where my MBP is a bit too clunky and my iPhone a bit too small. The iPad fills that gap perfectly. I'm the type of person though that prefers to read my email at work standing up and on my iPhone rather than on my desktop. And I suspect as more comfortable devices come to market (like the iPad), these sort of behavioral changes will become more apparent.

[jrockway]

Interesting. I travel a lot, and try to avoid taking too much with me. The Kindle + netbook is a good combination for me. I also take my happy hacking keyboard. (As for laptops, I think they are a waste of money. A quad-core desktop + netbook is cheaper than a decent dual-core laptop. And if you lose the netbook, it's no big deal. $300 and you have a brand new one.)

The problem with the iPad and devices like it is that most of my activities in front of a computer involve typing; writing or programming. Just sitting and reading content is nice, but that's what the Kindle is for. And if I need to type, I need a real computer. So the iPad is the form factor that I would like to carry around, but it's worse than a Kindle for reading and worse than a netbook for computing.

I also have a portable music/movie player, and a phone. Way too many devices, and yet they are all good at one thing and all suck at everything else. Sigh.

Edit: after re-reading this comment, I've realized that I've failed at traveling light. netbook, kindle, keyboard, phone, dc-dc-converter, archos, headphones. I wish I could combine all these devices into one :(

[bricestacey]

I think the argument over losing them is moot. At my library, we're looking into loaning netbooks because we can buy 3 netbooks for the price of a single laptop (and then double the loan period to 8 hours and let them leave the building), but how many people actually lose them? I think it's a justification for being cheap. That is reasonable for libraries loaning out tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, but appalling to me for any developer. Or perhaps I'm just out of touch?

The iPad, on the other hand, is cheap. It's portable. It covers all the bases (music, email, internet, photos, and the app store). When I was talking with my mechanic, his exact words were, "so you wouldn't need a computer anymore." Exactly. Suddenly, anyone, including you, can experience the best of mobile technology (and arguably consumer technology) for only $499. And then splurge on a decent laptop like a Macbook for "real work". If you actually need any better, you should be relatively rich, so buy a MBP. Heck, keep using your Kindle too. a laptop, Kindle, and iPad is still pretty light.

[jrockway]

I don't think anyone intends to lose or break their laptop, but it happens. I would rather be out $300 than $2000.

[jsz0]

Even tech savvy people sometimes want to step away from the computer and just read a book or play a game without too much complexity or required hoop jumping to get there.

[plinkplonk]

good point. but that is an argument for a tablet, not necessarily the IPad. I suspect the launch of the IPad will get a lot of manufactures to focus on tablets of various form factors and as soon as I can get one i can put Linux on, with plenty of ports, at an affordable price, I'll buy one.

(I'll never pay any money to Apple or develop on their ecosystem. They act too sucm bag-gy for my liking - just a personal preference)