Don't judge the iPad yet....

The announcement came and went...and now that the iPad is finally official, we can discuss facts and not rumors. I have a mixed bag of emotions on the iPad, and I think it's important to point out the iPad is just approaching the starting line, not the finish line.

There are some glaring issues I saw with the iPad. Some point out prospective problems, others I feel are to be addressed later down the road. Here are some I found:

- The iPad has no built-in camera. This was a huge oversight in my opinion. While the iPad is built to be a netbook and Kindle competitor, there was a huge are of opportunity here. Skype and video-conferencing would have been a nice caveat to the iPad....for some, it could have provided that "extra facet" so many felt was coming, but never delivered in the speech. It's always easier to update software than hardware...so I guess we'll have to wait for another model before we can see this a reality.

- The name is horrid. As many females rightly stated on Twitter, it's quite feasible there were no ladies in the room when the device was named. Even a simple Google search would have brought Apple to the MadTV skit poking fun at a too-easy name. Not only does it side-track convos with talk of feminine products, it's too close to the iPod in naming. It's a fail in my book....and my perspective will be hard to change.

- Allow one video camera for streaming purposes at Apple events. Yes Apple, we know that not allowing cameras artifically adds a level of excitement and secrecy to your events, but millions of people scrambling around to EnGadgets, Gizmodos and other sites, crashing many, became a main focus of many groups who gathered to watch the event. If I didn't spend 80% of my time trying to find an audio link or solid live-blog that was still working, I could have focused more on the presentation. This is the most technological company in the world, yet they treat us as if we're in 1930.

- Horrible pricing for data. Yes, it's great we have no contracts to sign...but $14.99 for 250MB of data and $29.99 for unlimited? What are we in, 2003?

- Not attractive enough for techies (aka, early-adopters). Early adopters are pivotal in pushing new products into the mainstream. The majority of techie/early adopters on Twitter seem to be passing over the iPad already. Not good.

- No flash capabilities. Many missed this, but during the presentation, Jobs actually pulled up a site (I think it was Time.com) that had a huge, gaping whole in the middle of the screen with that nice "you need flash" icon. Apple, we know you don't like Flash...but again, what is this, 2003? At least software updates could potentially fix this.

- No discussions of Verizon or other carriers. Many who showed up for the event weren't so much interested in the iPad as they were in rumors of the end of exclusivity, O/S 4.0 and even iPhone 4G. These issues were not addressed. HOWEVER, if you look at the specs of the iPad, it does contain UMTS/HSDPA technology. This is huge as UMTS will become 4G, and it supports CDMA networks (like Verizon). I expect a big and exciting announcement surrounding all of this in June.

We need to give the iPad time. When iPhone first launched in 2007, it had issues, it had no app store, and it's overcome so much. The iPad has potential, but as of now, it's still a niche product. I'll give it a chance, but as so many say, you never buy the first model of a new device. I think I'll wait and see what happens.

What will Apple's Tablet truly be?

So with one of the biggest moments in emerging media technologies about to descend upon us tomorrow, I felt the need to throw down an Emeril-like "Bam!" and resurrect this blog from the likes of Chumbawumba.

As you know by now, there's been lots of build-up to an Apple tablet unveiling tomorrow. While so much debate has surrounded the O/S, the hardware or the look of this shadowy device, I've always been pre-occupied with the rumored name. No single company puts more (or less, depending on your perspective) into a name than Apple. Think about it. iPhone. iPod. MacBook. Nano. Steve Jobs. The two syllable theme has become as much an Apple trademark as their indispensable lowercase "i". It's all about simplicity blended with sophistication...simple words with so much meaning and technology hiding behind them.

The reason why I feel the name is so important is because it will give us a better long-term glimpse into what this tablet will be than any firework show they can put on tomorrow. Tomorrow, it's about the bells and whistles, the horsepower, the "ahhhhhhh" factor. But the name...that is where the plan lies. Will this be a device tailored for interaction...an iPad, iSlate, even an iCanvas? Or will it be more suited for media usage, such as an iTablet, iRead or MacBook Lite?

The most curious aspect of the tablet is the fact that its predecessors have for the most part, been failures. Clearly, Apple has found a crack...a niche between current smarpthone, netbook, Kindle and laptop technologies that makes tablet a viable device for a potentially large audiences in today's world. In my mind, I see the tablet, taking cues from the Kindle, being a media hub for all of your favorite websites, books, magazines, music and movies, complete with the iTunes store (apps included). Added features, such as video (Skype) conferencing, streaming Netflix abilities, desktop syncing/streaming, online gaming and a separate app store might vastly expand its prospective audience and abilities. No way could I ever begin to guess with any accuracy what Steve Jobs is capable of... but I have no doubt I'll be surprised tomorrow.

For what it's worth, my prediction is that the tablet will be called the iSlate, it will cost $500-$700, it will use an updated iPhone O/S 3.2 and will be available on both Verizon and AT&T. It will sync/dock with your computer and be it's "streaming remote" while you are out and about. It will be a media device first, and about 1,000 things second. It will succeed....but it will not live up to expectations. Those are my thoughts, and I'm sticking with them :-) Curious to hear what others think!