[ajleary]

The disappointing for most consumers will be that iPads require a computer to sync to itunes before you begin to use.

Apple must fix this soon, but that require the ability to connect OTA and probably redownload purchased content (without a mobile me account).

Ease up a little apple and you will add gasoline to the ipad fire.

[protomyth]

I wish they would release an intelligent dock that had some storage or USB connectors for a printer and external hard drive. That would be a neat for iPad syncing. Adding an HDMI so you could park the dock next to a TV and control it with and iPad would really be nice.

Alternately, syncing with a Time Capsule would be good too.

[elai]

Add ports and a keyboard and it will be perfect! Make it a clamshell style so fingerprints wont get on the screen, and protect it when your not using it.

[danilocampos]

So... Eliminate its differentiating characteristics and turn it into something that resembles the competing netbooks and sub <$500 notebooks whose lunch Apple is devouring, according to Best Buy's figures?

[artmageddon]

Tactile feedback is pretty important to some people. I haven't tried an iPad yet but when it comes to emails on the iPhone, I would sometimes kill for the ability to just type the way I could on a real keyboard. An iPad with a keyboard hookup is still an iPad.

[danilocampos]

Yeah, but they have that. You can buy the keyboard dock or hook up a bluetooth keyboard. Or hookup a USB keyboard using the camera connector.

[elai]

I was being sarcastic...

[protomyth]

The point is not wanting a portable of any sort and just wanting a place to set the iPad so it can sync and exchange what media you have on it.

[jsz0]

Most of this stuff is being done over wifi. AirPrint, AirPlay, cloud storage like iDisk, Dropbox, AirSharing, etc. I use an application called Serve-To-Me which does real time video transcoding so I can access my entire video library on the iPad or iPhone. For music I use Subsonic and the Z-Subsonic client. I don't even bother syncing anything locally at this point.

[rimantas]

  USB connectors for a printer and external hard drive

iOS 4.2 offers printing over Wi-Fi.

[protomyth]

Most low-end printers are not wi-fi enabled. I am assuming that people not buying a computer are probably going to buy a cheap printer.

[rimantas]

Some already own a printer (and another computer), so sharing can be enable via that machine, instead of talking directly to printer.

[protomyth]

If they already own a computer, then they don't need an alternate way to sync. (see ajleary's post that started this thread)

[Anechoic]

"most consumers

Is there any research that this is actually the case? I'd be willing to guess that this is the case for many folks on HN, but I haven't heard many iPad owners (of which I am not one) complaining about this.

Count me in with the folks that prefer syncing to a computer rather than OTA.

[patrickaljord]

I'll just wait for a chrome os tablet instead.

[points]

Agreed. Chrome OS table will be awesome. It'll be like upgrading from iPhone to Android. Escaping from the walled garden of "Sorry, you can't do that", to a feature rich device without stupid design decisions - iPad has to sync to a computer running iTunes????? WTF

[jrockway]

Does the iPad really need a computer? Apple doesn't seem to advertise this anywhere. Seems odd that you can't turn it on and instantly have a web browser.

[dpritchett]

Based on my iPhone 3G experience the umbilical cord is only needed for backups, restores, upgrades, and contact sync. You don't need it often, but you certainly can't live without it for more than a few months at a time.