Vert Means Green.

I’ve just finished watching the live stream of Apple unveiling its new tablet device: iPad, and here are some of my initial thoughts:

• As Devon pointed out, this is basically a blown up iPod Touch. It doesn’t seem like there is an upgrade in the operating system… no multitasking.
• For people of Taiwan/Hong Kong: No Traditional Chinese support at launch, just the Simplified support.
• For eBook readers: iPad uses a backlit LED. Even though the screen size is huge at 9.7”, is it going to replace your lovely E-ink technology machines? Some people are claiming that Kindle is dead when iPad officially come out, but really, how comfortable can you be when you stare at a bright screen for an extensive period of time? I’ve used my iPhone to read for a little while, but it was nowhere near the comfort level of my Sony Reader SR-505.
• For netbook users: at $499 US, this is a very competitive product for people who are thinking about getting a new netbook. The iPad does what people look for in a netbook: portable web-browsing, word-processing (via the iPad version of iWork), movies-watching, music-listening, and eBook-reading. No camera though, front or back. The iPad would’ve been great with Skype. (EDIT: No microphones, either!)
• A lot of people are saying you got to hold one to feel the “magic” people are proclaiming. I actually think that’s true. I didn’t want an iPhone until I see people using it and consequently trying it out. People at Macbreak Weekly put it like this: Next time when people see a douchebag holding it at a Starbucks, they’ll want one.
• The iPad keyboard dock is a brilliant idea: awesomely practical. The iPad case is also nice in that it not only is a cover, it can act as a stand in 2 angles. Very slick.

All the information on iPad is available on apple.com. What are your thoughts?