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Wow, it's an iPhone on steroids!

After much anticipation, Steve Jobs has shown us the future. Our "computing" future, though I think of this as more of an expensive toy and less of a computer (can't run Quickbooks, it ain't a computer!).

With his typical showtime charisma, Mr. Jobs has described this new device as "magical", and a "middle thing" landing between a laptop and a smartphone. OK, I can buy that. It is slightly smaller than a netbook, much larger than a cell phone, with a 9" display area (1024x768 pixel resolution) with all the neat touchscreen functions of the much smaller iPhone.

The pricing will depend on what amount of memory you want (it comes in 16gb, 32gb and 64gb units) starting $499. It has built-in Wi-Fi and for some more money, you can get 3G wireless (AT&T only).

Oh boy, now how do I get my real software on this thing? Where are my spreadsheets and such? How do I connect my email to my dekstop Outlook? Well ...

Cool: cute, but there are some obvious things missing.

No video chat (no camera). And since there is NO USB you will have to buy another device to connect anything to the iPad.
Won't run Flash. Many web sties rely on Flash for animations and content (it is a huge part of cloud computing) so this may hurt it's web browsing function.
How do you upload photos from a camera? Well, with NO USB, you have to use a special (extra cost) dongle of sorts.
64gb data limit. Heck, my little netbook comes with a 160gb drive.
Facebook games anyone? No flash, no Farmville. Sorry kiddies.
Battery issues. It is "fixed" so you cannot swap it out or replace it (easily) if it fails.
Upgradability? Nope. It is what it is.
Lap Typing. Typing will difficult for those requiring a real keyboard, as opposed to a "virtual" one.
Where's the CD or DVD? Ain't gong to happen.
Progammers? Without a full-on operating system, this is NOT for hackers or self-programmers.

And this is just my "short list". At a "starting" price of $499, this will NOT make me give up my netbook. Since I don't need to look at picture's of my brother's kids, I prefer to watch movies on my TV, and I can use my cell phone or my netbook to make phone calls, I don't see much in this for me. However I am sure every Apple-head will have to have one and Steve can continue to make gobs of money selling to them. This will probably be a "must have" thing for techno-geeks and "anything Apple" buyers, but I can't justify the price for a toy.