rafer:

heyitsnoah:

The Awl has the best comment yet on the iPad:

Still, I’m a little taken aback by the immediate and vocal lack of enthusiasm for the product. What does it lack? What was everyone hoping for that did not materialize? This is a very rough thought that I may or may not refine, so take it as such, but the iPad is a lot like Barack Obama: Everyone was able to project their own fantasies and aspirations on a product with which they were mostly unfamiliar, only to sour on it once they realized that it did not live up to their impossible expectations. Only with the iPad it took about seven minutes for the disappointment to set in. I don’t know what that says about our accelerated culture or how we confuse hype and excitement for the tangible realities of life, but it says something. I mean, probably. Like I said, I’m still trying to work it all out.

The disappointment thing is pretty amazing. The specs are pretty much exactly what everyone expected (minus a camera maybe) and yet the response seems to be that this device isn’t all that exciting (at least not yet). So what is it? Maybe we just don’t get enough real mystery any more …

Via: Response // NoahBrier.com

Rafer sez:
It’s easy. 1) VOIP, 2) front camera, and 3) AT&T in that order. With even the first, even just within some crappy proprietary iChat VOIP, I wouldn’t need a laptop, and a lot of people wouldn’t need netbooks.

Sawickipedia says:

@rafer what about the skype app? voip works great over wifi w/ the skype app and will work on the iPad.  ATT can easily be avoided w/ a mifi card as Om noted. Lack of front camera is the biggest omission but given the iPad SDK still has photo support mentioned my guess is v2 will have it.  Still looks like a great netbook/travel laptop to me at this point.