Joining the iPad review chorus…..

The iPad will be hugely disruptive, but it will take time to figure out exactly how.  Unlike the iPhone and iPod Touch, the iPad is not entering a mature product category.  If you got an iPhone, you don’t need a feature phone.  If you have an iPod, you don’t need a Zune.

With an iPad, it’s less clear:  what will we use this for?  I’m not sure (yet) it will replace my laptop, though I’ll use my laptop less, for sure.

After 48 hours of fairly intense use, I think it’s a Kindle-replacer.  Specifically, it’s a great “reference” or content-consuming device.  It’s a Kindle, but with color, video, a touch screen, and Web access.  It’s got a bigger screen than my iPod Touch, and “boots” instantly compared to my laptop.  And, with open Web access and the app store, the market will iterate quickly on new ways to present content.  (For example, the NY Times iPad app is simple and gorgeous).

It’s not a great content-producing device.  The keyboard is usable, but is nothing like the real thing (I’m using my laptop to write this).  The single-app model makes simple multi-tasking hard (e.g. have a Web page open for reference while writing an article about it, and replying to your email after checking your calendar).  The iPad versions of Apple’s productivity apps (Pages, Keynote, Numbers) are interesting, but I’m not sure I’d use them for anything more than jotting rough notes or ideas.  The iPad is fine for light email, apps with lots of gesture input (e.g. list selections), but it’s unlikely you’ll write your next novel on it.

Like many new devices, it will take a few weeks to settle into some usage routine.