Oh the iPad, you beautiful gadget that won't really do anything for me. So a lot has already been said about the iPad, but I'm here to offer my two cents because,... well because I can and because, like Dave, I used it as material for one of this weeks comics. First and foremost though, as an ex-Apple employee, I want to to state something that my time in Apple retail taught me. Apple has two consumer markets. First there is the industry geeks a.k.a. your graphic designers, sound techs, musicians, artists, anybody that uses Mac hardware and software for their creative tech job/hobby. The second market group is everybody else: the fifteen year old ipod/itunes customer, the 45 year old iPhone exec. who has never even synced his phone to his computer, a.k.a. the large overwhelming population that knows jack about the technical side of their favorite products, but knows how to buy music, apps, and thinks that Apple Care will bail them out of any stupid thing they do. The iPad is made for this second group. AND THEY WILL LOVE IT. I personally need something I can run Flash, Photoshop, Dreamweaver on. I am not content with games from the app store, how can I get my WoW fix in? The point is, Apple over the past few years has gotten bigger. Bigger than the nerds, but I believe they will never neglect us nerds fully. There will always be a sweet Macbook Pro for me to drool over, or a iMac with a big beautiful screen, perfectly designed in every way. But Apple's bread and butter has shifted. My girlfriend has a Macbook, and what does she do on it? Photos, Facebook, Email. She is one of millions and the iPad is the future. Will Apple one day make a tablet for the rest of us? I sure hope so, until then my Macbook Pro is just fine, and my old G4 I use at work, and my iPhone, and my old Nano I take to the gym (if I ever decide to workout again). Apple I still love you. Apple I want an iPad... but listen folks, look at all Apple products historically. How many ipod models have their been? Hell, look at how many iPhone models have already been made. There will be a new better iPad next year and I bet you a million dollars it is better, faster, has more storage, and caters to a bigger audience. All the nay-sayers out there, I here ya. I agree completely, but I've always been content waiting for the second version of Apple's next big thing...

-Andy

19 Rejected names for the iPad