Disclaimer :I am writing this post with absolutely no hands on knowledge of the newly launched iPad by Apple but purely relying on a plethora of information out there on the internet and being an extensive user of iPod, iPhone, iMac and macbook pro (yes you have guessed it right - I am a member of the Apple cult).

The iPad was launched by Steve Jobs last week in his inimitable style accompanied by a lot of applause for some ‘Cool’ and ‘New’ features that were presented with a lot of superlatives. Is the iPad really worth all the hype around it? What can you do with it?

To start with, as can be expected from any apple product, the design is fantastic - light, sleek and above all another Single button device. The iPhone epitomises the user friendliness any device and I have seen the rise of this as the smartphone of choice in the enterprise, especially among professionals. The iPad takes it further with its large display and being a single button device, it can easily be used by anyone. Infact, there is absolutely no knowledge of comupters and operating systems required to operate this device. A perfect gift for your grandpa, you would say or even for your child. Seriously ! I have seen how my son handles my iPhone and I have not taught him how to use the device. It is very intuitive. Presumably, iPad is the same - a larger iPod touch.

Steve Jobs in his launch keynote positioned this in between a Smartphone and a laptop. So is it more a phone or a laptop? I think that it is neither of the two. It is just a great companion for you. Agreed that you may not be able to cut code on it - but it is not intended to be used for that. People have said that it lacks the ability to run multiple applications - but do you really need one? An iPad, according to me does one thing at a time better than anything else out there.

To start with it is a great eBook reader - light and sleek with the iBooks application built in. Apple may not have that many titles in the store yet, but I dont doubt their ability to do to the eBooks what they did to Music via iTunes and games via the Appstore. Compare to a Kindle - iPad can do more than being just a eBook reader.

It is also a great for gaming - (I am not big on gaming!)- what with its big touch screen interface . If it is anywhere as sensitive as the iPhone touchscreen ( which I am sure it is), it is a fabulous companion in your solitude. The fact that all the apps on the Appstore written for the iPhone will run on iPad and that the Application developers are working on the new SDK for iPad to provide a richer experience for their games makes it a formidable gaming device with so many titles.

It is great for your media stuff - music, picture and videos and handles all this with elan like the customary Apple products.

More importantly, it also has a productivity suite that has been enhanced to give the user the ability to create documents on iPad. Add to this the ability to browse the web (WiFi or 3G), send Email, manage your contacts etc, it can easily become a replacement for your laptop (at least for a vast majority of the users). Me and you , who need to have all applications open , but just do one thing at a time still have our old faithfuls - macbooks to PCs.

So IMHO, it is a fantastic device at a very competitive price. A device that doesnt need a lot of getting used to. A device that does a fantastic job of the one thing that it can do at a time. A device that is light and frugal on the battery. It is sure to appeal to a lot of people. Especially for people who are looking to email, manage media, browse the web etc but dont want to learn how to boot a computer. One button, press it - and you are all set.

More than what it does not provide, which I believe is a expectation that people set for themselves, what is important is what it does and it provides most of what people buy netbooks, smartphones and ultra portable laptops for, in a format that is a pleasure to use. Add a bluetooth connection to pair your headset and it can be your mate during travel, even for business travellers.

SaaS + Cloud Computing + iPad is truly a wonderful combination for someone to live in the cloud.

Would love to get my hands on one soon.

More interesting reading

http://www.cloudave.com/link/the-ipad-is-the-computer-for-rest-of-the-world

http://wbx.me/l/?p=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cloudave.com%2Flink%2Fipad-and-saas-junkies

http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/why-ipad-will-kill-netbook-and-chrome-os-911