How about here: I am most certainly going to buy one. Why? Because as the name of this blog states, I am a tech dork. I see it as my duty and obligation to be an early adopter. It's in my DNA.

But more importantly, I am going to buy an iPad because this product pretty much meets my expectations. Those of you who know me, know that I am a voracious consumer of media. And that is the exact target market for this product. Unfortunately, I also like to produce media (through my two blogs, video, YouTube, etc) and I think that this is one area where the iPad might fall short. But I will save that discussion for a separate post. 

I think there is a role for the iPad in my daily life. I see it as a great media device while I am lounging after my kids have gone to sleep. I travel a ton and I think it will also make a great road partner. It's a "nice to have" product, but unlike my iPhone, it is not a "must have". I am fortunate enough that I can afford one, so I will make the purchase. But if I couldn't afford it I don't think I would lose sleep over it. And for me, that's saying something. It doesn't seem to be able to do anything I can't already do between my MacBook Air, iPhone and Kindle, but it will nice to have the three condensed into one nice looking, mobile package.

Like many of the Monday morning quarterback's who have been sounding off today, I too was hopeful that there would be a super cool "ingredient x" that we weren't anticipating, but I think that was wishful thinking on our collective part. I also think this is going to be a very experiential device that people won't fully "get" until they spend some time with it. 

But here is the rub and when it comes to Apple new product introductions, there is ALWAYS a rub: in many respects, I think Apple is literally borrowing a page from its iPhone playbook, which is both good and bad from the consumer perspective. And much like iPhone version 1.0, which by today's standards looks absolutely antiquated, I expect that the iPad is going to iterate *very* quickly. Early adopters, be forewarned: you're going to get burned.Version 2 is going to be way cooler. And cheaper to boot. You can just see that coming from a mile away. Accept it and don't bellyache when it happens.

Again, that doesn't mean I am not going to buy: as I said above, I am. But I might hedge my bets a little and not quite go for the "gusto" (64 gig, 3G version) knowing that in all likelihood, I am going to sell this inside of 12 months when the one I *really* want -- version 2.0 - debuts.

Lastly, the one area where I am a bit confused relates to 3g. It still isn't quite clear to me why I would need this. Using my MacBook Air as an example (recognizing it's a different device) I use Wifi when at home and in the office. Anywhere else, I rely on my iPhone. I similarly expect that my iPhone will fill the same void relating to iPad. For instance, if I am at an airport, instead of surfing the internet or doing email on the iPad, I will bust out the iPhone. I also expect that 90 percent of my iPad useage will occur in areas where I will have easy access to Wifi. So, in all likelihood I will probably spring for the 3g model, but I don't intend to turn it on if I don't have to. I already pay too much money to AT&T; not quite certain why I need to give them an additional $29.99/month. That sounds "cheap" but it really isn't when you add it on top of my existing bill. Am I on point with this or missing something glaringly obvious? This is an area where I would love your thoughts.

Anyway, those are my topline thoughts relating to the iPad. I am sure I will have much more to say on this subject in the coming weeks/months.