Apple's iPad is a lily pad in the tablet computer pond

Today marks another incredible birth date for Apple Inc.  After a litter of iKids over the last few decades another one joins the Mac Clan; the iPad...which shall remain in transportation limbo (electronic incubation) for another 60 days.
 
Although another lagging product from the free-spirited computer and communications technology collective; the iPad in Apple fashion awes the customer upon first glance with an inspirationally shiny screen.

However the machine is no more impressive than the Tablet PCs that have existed for years.

Perusing online one can find a comparable machine for a comparable price.  Or a beefier machine that's really a hybrid tablet/laptop.

Yet the iPad offers no removable hard-drive connection, what you buy is what you get, no information on Apple's site indicated it had more than that Apple 30-pin port.  No USB connection, nor Firewire. 

Former Apple employees disclosed that Apple has been working on such a device "for more than a decade," reported the NY Times.

However, the company executives could never conclusively decide upon why to market a device that was power inefficient and awkward to use compared to a keyboard and mouse, the former employees told the NY Times.

That power inefficiency however, came from Apples' use of PC microchips, stated the former employees speaking about prototypes.

Which is odd considering that Apple has made their own chips for just about every machine, despite the effort involved why didn't the prototypes get a house-heart from the start?

For certainly other Tablet PCs have been lulled by battery longevity, yet they retained the ability to have a stronger battery replace their stock; which Apple has not with the iPad.

But Apple claims to have achieved a 10 hour lifespan per charge for the iPad; while pursuing a mixture of surfing the web via Wi-Fi, watching videos, or listening to music.  All due to their homemade 1 Gigaherz A4 processor, which apparently is a low-powered high-performance chip.

But a combination of the above mentioned processes is like mixing booze; the more the mixture, the faster you crash and burn.  Given Apples history with lithium batteries, 10 hours may be a stretch, but who knows!  They ship in 60 days, Steve Jobs just wanted customers to get their teeth wet with a marketing stint bent on salivation salvation.

More to come Mac-olites.

Pricing options for the iPad.
16 Gigs of memory - $499
32 Gigs of memory - $599
64 Gigs of memory - $699
Most expensive - $829 (3G models = price + $130)
Plus $15 or $30 data transfer per month for internet access.