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There has been a mixed response overnight to Apple's latest new product, the iPad.
What had previously been dubbed the iTablet, is Apple's big play in the so called 'tablet' PC market, ie an entertainment-focused, touch screen laptop without a fold out keyboard.
There is no doubt that the iPad - basically a stretched out iPod Touch - is as sleek and cool looking as any previous Apple device, but with online hype leading up to the launch on a level that suggested the device might teleport its user to the moon, whatever the final product could do was going to be a bit of anti-climax by comparison.
No Ipod style revolution - limited appeal to music fans
There had been speculation as to whether the iPad would include some exciting new music-based functionality, though other than being able to display the multi-media components of the previously launched iTunes LP bigger, it seemed unlikely this device would be of major significance to the music business, certainly when compared to the original iPod or even the iPhone.
Previously reported rumours of an Apple streaming-music service built on the back of the infrastructure of the recently acquired Lala.com, or some sort of 'in-the-cloud locker' service where users could store their iTunes music libraries remotely, were not discussed at yesterday's press conference, though neither services would be specifically linked to the tablet device, even if they are on Apple's agenda.
Add to demise of print
The iPad is clearly of more interest to the movie, book and newspaper industries. Though, actually, even film business types were a bit disappointed by yesterday's Steve Jobs-led presentation.
While the iPad will obivously play movies bought from the iTunes store, there was no new movie-based content partnership or interactive content service for film fans. The real innovations on the iPad were in the delivery of the written word, with a New York Times app bringing the US newspaper to life in digital form, and a new Apple owned e-books service having Hachette, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and HarperCollins on board.
So, basically, the iPad isn't likely to escalate the demise of the CD or DVD, but could contribute to the decline of the printing press.
The iPad will arrive in US shops in 60 days time, with a 16GB Wi-fi connected version for $499, and a 64GB 3G connected version for $829, locked to an AT&T mobile internet plan.
It remains to be seen if Apple have really cracked the battery life issue, something that has dogged the success of some of its competitor's tablet devices, and also how good internet connectivity is, some have criticised the AT&T network's 3G performance with regards the iPhone in the US.
Additional reporting by CMU Network
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