[jiggy2011]

Just because people didn't like something doesn't make it "non obvious".

It's not like the iPhone was the first phone with a software keyboard, I remember people using the XDA years before that. In many ways the iPad essentially is a "giant iPod" , just turns out there was a market for a giant iPod.

Edit:

Actually now I think about it I remember a conversation I had with a friend who is a big Apple fan at around the time that the iPhone/iPod touch came out. Something like this:

"Hey, this iPod touch is cool. Now you can watch movies on the go!"

"Yea, but the screen is kinda small, I don't want to watch a movie on a 4" screen. If they brought out a bigger version of this that I could stuff in my briefcase I might be interested."

"Don't be ridiculous, nobody would want to buy that!"

I also remember him trying to explain to me how GPRS/Edge was superior to 3G..