Apple released their highly anticipated tablet today called the iPad and as expected it’s crazy-mind blowing, the only question I have is, “who would benefit from a device like this?”

Without getting into all the specifications, you can get them here what does the iPad do best? The iPad seems to really shine when surfing the web, looking at photos, accessing your email, looking at information like your calendar, watching movies and even playing iPhone App based games. The iPad also has a seamless interface like the iPhone and iPod Touch that literally takes the learning curve out of using a product like this. These are all important things, but what about using it for other possible day to day operations like photo importing and editing, word processing, video editing, audio recording, graphics and web design, video conferencing and even more…

The iPad is also fairly limited in areas like storage space and connectivity. For many people you won’t be able to put everything you have or even need on an iPad and if you want to plug it into a printer or other USB device, this could get really tricky. There is also the size factor, the iPad is a lot bigger than an iPhone so there’s no way its going to fit into your pocket to keep with you at all times and it’s screen is too small when you’re working on projects that would work best with multiple open windows.

I’m not trying to put down the iPad because it really is a cool device but one must take a good look at what the iPad is intended to do best and if maybe an iPod Touch, iPhone, MacBook or combination of these devices may work better and give a user the best of all worlds.

My initial thoughts without actually using an iPad, (and this could change drastically if I had the opportunity to play with an iPad for a few days) is that this device would be perfect as a secondary computer for a family, taking some of the work load off of the main family computer and allowing more family members time to surf the web, check their email and brows their multimedia. I could also see the iPad working really well in a business situation where a business person would want to be able to share information with their clients by passing around the iPad and personalizing the entire experience. The 3G model would be perfect for this allowing web and Internet access anywhere.

Another good fit for an iPad is for the person who is in the market for an eBook reader, for just a bit more you get the best eBook reader on the market that can do a whole lot more while giving you a user experience unmatched  by any other deivce. And lastly I can see the iPad being used by elderly people who may be overwhelmed by the whole computer experience. If the iPad is anything like an iPhone or iPod Touch, than it’s going to be drop-dead easy to use, and with the touch screen interface it will allow an alternative to the traditional mouse or trackpad that can be near impossible for someone with limited hand mobility.

Since I’m none of the users above, I’m going to have to pass on the iPad for now, which is a bit of a relief for my pocket book and my diplomatic relations with my wife! But then again that might change once I get my hands on one…

(Posted by Mike)