IPad: It's a Betwixt/Between Gadget- The Venti IPod

• It's basically a Venti IPod or for $165 more, a Venti IPhone without the voice application. If you have an IPhone on ATT in San Francisco or New York, and try and place a voice call, it's the same thing.
• Calendar and email integrated into a big giant IPod? Really? Did you guys stay up all night coding that? Come on...turn the hype machine down a notch man.
• So as expected it's essentially a super sized IPod. Not that bigga deal. Selling premium was the correct play.
• You know, on the bright side-- Now Obama has something cool he can get the Queen. (last time he got her an IPod-she already had one).
  
• AT&T is selling it without a contract so no subsidy. $630 for 3g, and $499 for Wi-FI
• Pricing is a lot lower than I thought it would be. That's the biggest upside here. Margin I am sure will improve if they sell a lot.
• Wow I didn't necessarily expect the device would be available on Verizon- I hypothesized a unlocked CDMA version for SPrint and Verizon but I thought at least it would be on T-Mobile. Given the spectrum differences it's unclear if the ship can hit those bands that are T-Mobile only.
• Why are they putting this thing on AT&T again. Why?
• No Camera it appears?
• Good deal for publishers--not so much for Apple.
• New processor from PA semi. That one is interesting and also expected. ALmost certainly this means the next IPhone will be using PA Semi chips. From what we can see they look pretty good.
• Nothing on the IPhone (tall version) at all. No new CDMA version-- no nada.
• AT&T again, Really??
• No Multitasking or TV Subscriptions (yet)
• Instead of the $29.95 extra for data a month how bout allowing normal tethering like a normal carrier instead of blocking.
• It's a Netbook that you can't put MacOS on. Does Apple prefer the closed IPhone OS because it is easier to monetize (i.e. control). I wonder if this thing is hackable --processor may be a problem.
• There really was no "one more thing" --no big surprise about the device. It really was just a big IPod.

A device worth getting-for some sure. I'd use a scaled down version as a Kindle. No positive catalysts though. This kind of device is not a new category--it's just a betwixt/between gadget.