Why the iPad Will Be a Hit (and Why You Can't Buy It Yet)

No product can ever live up to the hype that the Apple iPad received be in the weeks and months before its release. Even so, not quite a day after its unveiling, it's occurring to us that the iPad concept is pretty hot.

How many times have you left your laptop at home when traveling or just going to work because it's just a pound too heavy and an inch too thick?

Just throw an iPad into your bag and there you go: you've got your movies, music, email, newspapers and ebooks on one slim device.You can surf the web or actually do some work (presentations, spreadsheets or even blog posting*).

The lack of a lid would actually be a plus on a crowded plane or train. A thin slate is as easy to read as an actual newspaper or magazine.

One big drawback: You can't multitask. Also, it's not a phone, a camera or a blender for that matter.  And if you need to do a lot of typing, you'll probably want to supplement the virtual keyboard with the keyboard dock or a Bluetooth keyboard.

Another plus: Apple's ebook reader allows for color and videos. No more lugging a lot of heavy text books around, and the iPad will help students take advantage of multimedia study guides.

Unfortunately, you can't buy this little baby yet and one big reason is hidden in tiny type at the bottom of Apple's iPad page:

"This device has not yet been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained."

Most likely Apple held off on applying for authorization from the FCC to avoid exposing the iPad to the world before the big announcement. Now, we wait.

UPDATE: And here are some reasons you may want to hold off on buying one.

* The lack of multitasking will put a serious dent in blog-posting, since you can only have one program open at a time.

Photo courtesy of Apple Computer
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