Anyone bought an Ipad yet?

[Sysman]

So regular SIM cards presumably won't work.

Yes they will

[TimberWolf]

Yes they will

A quick surf suggests that adaptors that fit around the micro (or cut down) SIMs will become widespread and that micro SIMs (containing your old data) will be orderable from your mobile service provider.

Here's one such adaptor, which seems cheap enough : MicroSim Adapter 3FF mini-UICC Shop

[eliquant]

The iPad has no USB port so that's bad to start with. Also like all Apple products it has no flash player which means for internet video streaming you can forget that so that drops the ball in terms of it being a multimedia internet device.

Also I am concerned about the battery life, there are no solar panels on it and there is room for that stuff.

If they get USB, Flash Player working on it and a reasonable fast internet connection on it so that you can use it on the streets then I'll buy one. And it has no camera device on it either.

[d000hg]

Just wait for a competitor to release a Windows/Linux version then... flat-screen technology but normal PC functionality. It won't be long, although it might be a while before anyone beats Apple's usability.

[VectraMan]

Just wait for a competitor to release a Windows/Linux version then... flat-screen technology but normal PC functionality. It won't be long, although it might be a while before anyone beats Apple's usability.

The iPed from China:

iPeds, iRobots, and the Chinese iPad clone machine

I've seen a CiPhone, which is pretty convincing except for the 1970s radio style TV aerial that comes out of it.

I think the iPad killer will be whatever Google comes up with.

[d000hg]

I doubt it. Google have their own agenda even more than Apple do, and Google's has nothing to do with getting people the best device... they want to aggressively push their own OS and move all applications into the web so they know everything about you. Plus, Google don't know much about this stuff. People just expect it to be good because they think Google are great, IMHO.

[Drewster]

......The iPad has no USB port.....

Shirley you jest????

[scooterscot]

I hate the whole Steve Jobs control freak thing.

Is it? Or is it just a product like every other product out there that has good and bad points? I think, surprise surprise, apple make some of the best products out there, that's why the selling... if they were flash included they not sell as much because who would want a crap product the battery gives in 10 minutes later

[darmstadt]

Just wait for a competitor to release a Windows/Linux version then... flat-screen technology but normal PC functionality. It won't be long, although it might be a while before anyone beats Apple's usability.

This (which Nick has already commented on elsewhere)

[NickFitz]

The iPad has no USB port so that's bad to start with.

Depends what you want it for: the USB camera adaptor also supports things like keyboards and audio in/out.

Also like all Apple products it has no flash player which means for internet video streaming you can forget that so that drops the ball in terms of it being a multimedia internet device.

And yet, as I type, my iPhone is playing a BBC 4 documentary being streamed from the iPlayer website: no Flash required. I also often watch YouTube video on it; in fact, the native YouTube app is better for things like searching than the website. If I come across a web page that has a YouTube video embedded, I tap it and it automatically switches to the full-screen app and starts streaming; when done, a tap on the "Done" button takes me straight back to the browser. Again, no Flash required.

Also I am concerned about the battery life, there are no solar panels on it and there is room for that stuff.

The battery life is universally accepted as being outstanding: "For my battery test, I played movies, TV shows and other videos back-to-back until the iPad died. This stressed the device’s most power-hogging feature, its screen. The iPad lasted 11 hours and 28 minutes, about 15% more than Apple claimed", "I got a full day of constant internet-connected use (it did not leave my hands) on one charge. More than 12 hours, with heavy video and gaming, and screen cranked up to full brightness", "...in my own test, the iPad played movies continuously from 7:30 a.m. to 7:53 p.m. — more than 12 hours".

If they get USB, Flash Player working on it and a reasonable fast internet connection on it so that you can use it on the streets then I'll buy one. And it has no camera device on it either.

I should have mentioned that the YouTube watching is normally done down the pub over a standard 3G mobile signal - my musician friends keep borrowing it from me so they can watch bands from the Sixties and determine what key some obscure song's middle eight is in. Video works just fine over 3G, and web browsing is fast.

I'm not sure what I'd do with a camera on it: I never use the camera on my MacBook.