Sherlock Holmes would call this a two or even three pipe problem.
I understand what Apple is doing with ePub. That bit is now all clear to me and I’ll post about that later.
But there are too many bits here I don’t understand at all.
The Stevenote video hasn’t been posted at Apple yet. I had to rely on a faulty live audio feed today that took up so much of this crap PC’s CPU that I couldn’t even monitor live blogs at the same time.
So, there are many gaps in my knowledge of what took place today.
But still, looking over Apple’s site, something is really bugging me.
This iPad isn’t finished. Something is missing. Something more is coming.
And there’s going to be another Apple event before this goes on sale.
I need to think about this. Another post tomorrow.
The eBook Test 
The iPad is unfinished just like the original iPhone 2G was unfinished.
That won’t stop it from selling to millions of users since the price for admission is SO LOW. It makes the Kindle DX (which is about the same price) look very archaic. Particularly since the iPad user can use the Kindle App to read every Kindle book. There is no need to buy a Kindle DX.
The iPad will grow in capability just as the iPhone and iPod grew and will keep growing. There is always room for improvement.
Many iPod owners bought every generation of the iPod. IPhone owners are use to upgrading every year.
The iPad owners will do the same. It is the Apple way.
I agree this is an unfinished release. Apple released it under pressure to keep the iPad name (see the trademark issues), put it out there to attract content (they cannot keep flying under the radar while hunting for partners). No camera (probably because no Multi-tasking and ATT cannot handle the videoconf load on its network).
The disappointment here is that the iPhone division has not delivered. No Multitasking on such a large-screen, unforgivable. I have to make a single application I launch consume the whole screen, do I really need to see my notepad in all 9.7 inches of glory. Not really. Multiple applications are required – and so is a Camera.
Overall iPad 0.5 is quite disappointing. I wonder how it got past Steve!
Yeah. Similar commentary over at O’Reilly from Mark Sigal, who seems to get the point. Apple likes vendor lock and technology lock. Is this a revolutionary change or an evolutionary change? Neither. It’s a realization of the prototype that the iPod provided, and it’s not over yet.
[ http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/01/the-chess-grandmaster-apples-i.html ]