I have quite a few thoughts about Apple's new iPad device that Steve Jobs recently showed off. Some of those thoughts are my personal feelings as a consumer and some are the thoughts of someone who observes (and sometimes participates) in the world of online media. I'll lead with my personal thoughts in this post and follow up with a post that considers the wider implications of the device.

The iPad is quite disappointing and not something I would buy. For all it can do you're still getting a device in the iPad that is very limiting. The max memory you can get is 64GB. That's a lot of memory for an iPhone but for a multimedia device like the iPad it's paltry. My personal music collection is over 20GB at this time so that even rules out the entry level. I'll also want to load the thing up with high res photos (several GB at least) and movies too. My movie library at present takes up over 100GB of space an it grows weekly as I burn DVDs from my collection. The space issue is also a convenience issue. It's a real hassle to deal with managing what I can or cannot have on the device to consume at any given time. I want to be able to access everything I have. That kind of access makes the iPad experience a carefree one.

There are a few of ways that Apple could address the space issue. First they could offer larger storage options. They may be technically limited with respect to the amount of memory supported on a flash chip. Perhaps Apple could add a second chip or work with memory makers to innovate and develop larger chips. Apple also has the option of adding an SD card slot. This seems like a no brainer feature that would allow the user more freedom and take away storage anxiety issues. Apple hasn't given access as of yet to the file system on the iPhone so perhaps that's why no SD card slot. This is a new device though and should (we would hope) be free from some of the more annoying limitations of the iPhone. Another possible remedy with the SD card would have iTunes be able to recognize media on the card and allow you to browse it on the device while the card in plugged in.

The iPad screen concerns me as well. You would think that a device meant to make a visual impact would support HD video content. But the screen only has a resolution of 1024x768 which is a fading standard at best. So how will those 1280x720 (or even 1680x1020) videos that YouTube now supports look on the iPad? Scrunched up I would imagine. Another issue with the screen is the orientation when docked. Since the iPhone is pretty useless when standing up in a dock then vertical orientation is no problem. But the iPad has a special keyboard dock which looks like an awesome accessory. But you're stuck with a vertical orientation. Sure I could live with that my preference is horizontal. Why not have two docking ports?

Then there's the multitasking issue. It's really unbelievable that a person can't run Pandora and view their photos or have a Twitter client open and work on a document. Yes, you can listen to your hearts content via iTunes while doing something else. And I think that's Apple's point. They want you using iTunes as much as possible. Which also explains no flash support for the iPad browser. No flash support in the browser means no Hulu or Netflix streaming which would be perfect for the device but also cut into the use of iTunes as a media player. Which brings me to a point about video.

Apple is very restrictive with respect to the video formats that they allow for playback on their devices. So unless you have an Apple TV or use iTunes as the place where you buy movies then it's unlikely that you'll have a wide array of content that will play on this device.This further locks the user into iTunes which in case you haven't noticed is very expensive to either buy or rent movies. I've thought about how great it would be for Hulu or Netflix to create an app for the iPad but it's not a given that Apple would approve it. The other option for Hulu and Netflix would be to encode videos into the correct (H.264 I believe) format for playback on the iPad. I gather that it would be an expensive endeavor to make that happen. So it's likely that Netflix and Hulu place their energies elsewhere.

Another question I have about the iPad is this. Where's the cloud? Seriously. This is a device that screams, CLOUD! Access to some sort of a media storage and delivery service (iTunes?) in the cloud would solve many of the storage problems and make the device infinitely more attractive. Imagine having access to your movies, music and photos anywhere you have an internet connection? That would be great and it would create a whole new business for Apple. Apple has already dipped their toe into the cloud with their MobileMe service which syncs email contacts and photos across devices. I have no doubt that adding music and movies to that mix would be tricky. The various studios and record companies have previously litigated against companies that let people upload music and movies for streaming, even for personal use. This is Apple we're talking about though. They already have a relationship with the entertainment industry, albeit a tenuous one.

Finally, I think the price of the iPad is too high. I know that $499 seams reasonable for a blown up iPod Touch given all the enhanced possibilities. That only gets you 16GB of storage though. And the accessories like the keyboard dock and the stand will cost you (no pricing on these yet) extra money. It's likely that the stand and keyboard will bump the cost up to $600. Add in the three iWork apps shown in the demo and then you're up to $630 before taxes which in New York would be about $50. So now you're closer to $700. Seems expensive to me given the limitations.

So what do I think the iPad is good for? It looks nicer as an e-book reader to me than the Amazon Kindle. That attractiveness may go away if the cost of the e-books (which is unknown at this time) ends up being more than $9.99. If it's as fast as people say it is then the iPad will be a great gaming device. The drawing features shown in the demo look nice too. I think that the use of touch is the most intuitive way to learn. My kids, both under 5, love my iPod Touch and immediately start interacting with the touch screen. I know that my wife would love to have her hands on this so she could surf the web while relaxing on the couch. E-books, web surfing, listening to music, gaming, fun and learning for the kids.

Those are some big pluses in favor of the iPad. But are they big enough to justify paying $550 (with tax and without accessories) for a device that has limited storage, no multitasking of apps and relies on iTunes for media playback? If I didn't already have two computers in the house, plus a netbook and an iPod Touch I'd say that price is right. Given all that I do have I say it's not a prudent expenditure. In the end discerning the value to me and the thus the right price point depends upon may assessment of where the iPad might fit into the digital lifestyle of my family. That's something I'll be pondering over the next few months.

In my next post I plan to touch on some of the opportunities that the iPad presents for app developers, media publishers and web community builders.