Since we're going back to this older story, I'll share my reflection about one of last year's prominent new not-Apple super-netbook models. When announced, it was going to have as optional extras an internal 3G modem, digital television receiver, and GPS. As far as I know, none of these have showed up, although you can buy a USB hub and connect as many such toys as you like.

So my point is: Apple may have API support for a camera, may have a camera-shaped space inside the case, but that doesn't mean there ever will be a camera. Some things just don't happen.

netbook ipad is a kinda man without eggs.

I didn't know Nick had a new pen name!

Loved the article by the way:)

(Glad you enjoyed it, but Paul Taylor not a guise of Nick's - Ed)

It does make me smirk. Anytime any article says anything at all negative about Apple products all the fanboi's start whining and crying and slating the article (often denying their fanboi (Apple slave) status. It's like telling a bunch of 5 year olds that Santa Claus doesn't exist, they get a bit falorn, the bottom lip starts to quiver, and as the tears start they start with the name calling and slating of said article.

I thought this article was unbiased and honest. It stated facts which any tech-pragmatists will agree are 'good' points. It's not 'hateful' or 'anti-mac' - what it is is not buying into the hype and taking a neutral look at a peice of tech regardless of who makes it.

The fact is that the iPad is overpriced single-tasking, flash'less, USB'less, non-WS tablet, with an overpriced 3G dongle, that offers nothing new, no inovation. It doesn't matter who made it! If MS made had made the iPad exactly the same it would still have the same shortcomings - but less people would complain about articles which state the facts. In fact the whiny fanbois would be the first to stick the knife in.

So to all the whiny little children who have thrown their toys out of the pram and wet themselves out of spite before whining and complaining over articles like this - just grow up - pretend that the iPad was made by MS and then look at the shortcomings, and if you still don't get it, then i have the perfect kit for you - it's a gold plated turd, but it has an apple logo on it !

In response to Infidel (nice name)

So, here we have all the usual complaints regarding taxes/restrictions/pricing/legality/rights. Is this article written by another of the ever growing 'iRebel' crowd?

As my grandmother used to say, "Want gets nothing.", and quite frankly King George III doesn't give a toss what you want. Loyal citizens want what the British East India Company produces because they trust the King - deal with it.

If you don't understand why Parliament does things the way they do then you'll never be content.

Taxes: It's as much for protection as profit. The King isn't daft enough to sacrifice the security of British trade (and the East India Company) just because someone wants a certain type of self government (that most would happily live without).

Legality: Firstly, the King has a rigid (and successful) empire model. They aren't going to break it just to satisfy those that want self representation but won't pay the going tax rate for it. Secondly, King George owes you nothing.

Rights: Any half-decent political theorist will tell that colonial rights have become more of a challenge over the years. Yes, it had it's place but peaked about 5 years ago with the repeal of the stamp act and has been proven to be resource heavy, slapdash, unsecure and quite frankly ugly when implemented. If the dozen or so [Rights-less] colonies founded and Mughal emperor's decision to sign the 1765 Treaty of Allahabad doesn't convince you that self governing rights are not necessary for the magic '80% of colonies' then, again, you really don't get it.

So in short - get over it. The British Empire will do what they do because it works and is successful not because 'iRebel'.

There is one thing good to say about critics of Apple. It is that they give Apple MILLIONS OF FREE ADVERTISEMENT. It shows that there is GREAT INTEREST in everything that Apple is doing. I love the free advertisement.

For example, who cares about Microsoft's mobile platform? Who cares about Nokia, Motorola or even Google's phone? They may have press releases and advertisements when they first come out. But people stop talking about them. Thus they are left in the DUST.

When no one talks about you, then no one cares about you. And you may as well be dead.

The worse thing you can do to someone is to completely ignore them. Then it does not matter if they exist or not.

The fact that so many people talk about the iPad - both good and bad - is FANTASTIC ADVERTISEMENT.

All it means is that it is going to be a FANTASTIC HIT with the public as soon as word of mouth spreads about how FANTASTIC it is.

That is how Apple sells its products. Apple's policy is to not talk about products it isn't shipping. Let everyone else talk about it and hype it up. So many people talked about the iPad online that it actually FROZE THE INTERNET. It alone FROZE THE INTERNET. That is remarkable for only one device.

Apple's products always last for years. They are NEVER OBSOLETE because they are designed with quality and they are upgradable where it counts - in the operating system. For example, millions of users are still using the first generation of iPhone. They can be sold and resold and are still highly useful and are used. This cannot be said about other cellphones - which litter the landfills of every country. Who wants a used Nokia? No one. Who wants a used iPhone? Millions of people do.

This is why the iPad is NOT OBSOLETE.

Thank you for the free advertisement. Apple's stock has made me wealthy. Free advertisement helps keep the stock price up.

Remember: In Hollywood, there is no bad news when it comes to actors. Any news keeps the actor in the public eye and keeps them in demand. Without news good or bad, an actor's career is done.

So keep up the good work. Keep criticizing Apple. Keep Apple in the news. Keep giving FREE ADVERTISEMENT to Apple. Apple's users simply ignore the negative pundits. But the negative pundits attract new users to Apple's products.

to all those retards that say that flash is not needed because the web developers say so..more like steve.

The fcking web developers are the ones screwing us with it. They are the ones that decided to outlive its usefulness.
The fact is that html has a lot of limitations, and most people (noniphone) are not hampered by those limitations. Thats why netscape and ie had a lot of proprietary tags and handling.
Dont listen to this puffs that believe every romantic song that steve wonder sings at them.

I've got to say I was disappointed when I saw the iPad. I was expecting something revolutionary (what happened to the 3D interface?) but instead got an 'over-sized iPhone'. Now I can't get Dom Joly out of my head shouting "Hello!! I'm on the iPad!"

I stopped at "fanboi". That kind of thing, regardless of the platform to which it is applied, is sure evidence that no original thought was expended in the creation of these pixels. Just thought you'd like to know when you lose readers, and why, so you could fix it for the future.

This looks shopped. I can tell by some of the pixels and the fact that commenters won't stop complaining about biased reporting.

Oh, I mean, uh, what a terrible article. Rabble rabble....biased.... Seriously, just shut up already, I see nothing wrong with this article. Getting your feelings hurt by a product's (lack of) capabilities is no reason to cry foul.

Oh dear. Another tech web writer criticises a consumer device. What is it about you people? This product isn't aimed at the likes of anyone who reads (or writes) the Enquirer. It's aimed at your Mum and Dad, at your Aunty Beryl or whatever, and at the 80% of people who just want email, web surfing, photos, music and films whist sitting on the couch.

...why didn't they give it the ability to make calls with a Bluetooth headset, again?

The biggest knock on it as a consumer device (as opposed to an education/vertical market one) is that it's pretty useless if you already own an iPhone.

[You almost get the impression that they should've waited and made it a $300 peripheral *for* the iPhone, but I guess the pricing of wireless-HDMI-type chipsets aren't quite there yet.]

Still, what's it doing to Kindle sales?

Did it occur to the author that MAYBE, just MAYBE they're working to get a camera in there? That maybe the hardware was pulled at the last second from the demo units showed in January because the software wasn't ready yet? That the fact that we're finding more and more (rather than less and less) evidence of camera + video conferencing support in each new SDK might mean that they're working hard to get it into the units before they ship in late March???

They still have a couple weeks. It wouldn't be the first time that Apple has snuck in an extra feature or two between product announcement and product availability...

I DO wish there was at least a SD or some other such card slot to expand the storage... the other stuff I can live with...

And if people are so anti AT&T, and don't want to spend the extra $$$ for the 3G version, they could always get a Verizon MiFi, and just connect the pad through that to use Verizon's 3G network...

As opposed to MS fanboi Nicko's trolling slams, this is a reasonably-written article.

BTW, there's a teardown link of some sort actually SHOWING the gap in the frame where the camera was supposed to go, but presumably Apple decided to delete it at some point late in the design process.

I think I'll wait until they undelete it.

For all of you that think that the iPad is a iPod Touch on steroids, needs a camera, needs Flash, is too expensive, uses a 'cut-down' OS, and other related idiocies go her - http://www.roughlydrafted.com/ - and get your myths about the iPad squashed.

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”

no, this piece is not "anti-Apple banter."

it is shameless hit-whoring.

""...than buying a USB 3G modem..." - it hasn't any USB ports, so what's your point?"
The point is that it's stupid to complain that 3G is an expensive option when adding 3G to a netbook (contract free) is similarly priced.

"Apple and AT&T are in bed so far, Steve is pushing 3G *with contracts* just like AT&T is pushing iPhones and soon to be iPads."
Totally incorrect. The iPad is unlocked and contract free at the Apple quoted prices. Anyone who can sell you a GSM/UTMS data package and a 3FF SIM (which can be ordered from the same suppliers that they get their normal SIMs from, it's just a smaller package) can get you online with the iPad. Apple have arranged a deal with AT&T in the US, but it doesn't stop others with the same technology offering alternatives.

Ok kirasaw

"Please buy an HP - Dell - whoever else decides to copy Apple - tablet."

They are using windwos 7 - a full OS not a cut down OS X. They seem to be taking different stratergies, Apple are going for simplicity and making it do a few things very well which they will improve on over time (ie the point of this article dont buy the first incarnation). And the PC makes are well making PC's in tablet form which may or may not work well but have 'all' the features people 'need'. I dont really think this is copying.

"if you don't like what Apple and Jobs deems best shop elsewhere. Complaining about Apple products does 2 things makes you look good to those that think windows/google is great and makes you appear foolish to those who like Apple.
ok yea I am an Apple Fanboi see this proves it, I am elitist, rich and arrogant."

Lol me too (although Im not rich :-)), I own more apple products than 'normal' pc products, however i dont think PC owners are stupid, I think the level of fanboism over Apple products is really quite ammusing - at the end of the day buy what your comfortable with but dont disregard people just because they dislike Dell / HP / Apple products.

I really don't know why people from both sides get so uptight about it!

Pffft. Nearly any product that ships is already obsolete since designers are probably putting together the next model as the current model ships. Not every product has all the features possible on the first run. I don't see how not having a camera is a dealbreaker considering all the things that the iPad will be able to do.
The iPhone, iPad Couch and now the iPad doesn't have USB ports and so what.

You didn't mention which tablet will turn out the most popular this year and which one sells in the most quantities. I say it will be the iPad and it will own all those other crapPads by HP and Dell.

And get it straight. It's iPad and not Ipad. Get it straight before you embarrass yourself. Oops, too late.

"Here in Europe, for once, our love of bureaucracy"

lol you mean your SOCIALIST governments, including that bunch from the EU. You love government control in your life so much that one government wasn't enough for you. Yes you actually created a whole new government system to govern your governments!

Please buy an HP - Dell - whoever else decides to copy Apple - tablet. As an Apple user and lover for over 22 years I will tell you how I feel about you. I don't want you to have an Apple product - you are not our sort - if you complain about price shop elsewhere if you don't like what Apple and Jobs deems best shop elsewhere. Complaining about Apple products does 2 things makes you look good to those that think windows/google is great and makes you appear foolish to those who like Apple.

ok yea I am an Apple Fanboi see this proves it, I am elitist, rich and arrogant.

We all knew the iPad was going to be cut down in many ways but what did you expect? The whole point of it is that it doesnt do things badly. So if the gave it a webcam perhaps the battery life would be worse, or adding a HDMI the cost would probably higher as the chip probably isnt up to 1080p. On the flip side it probably will be great for browsing the web and reading email / books etc which is what it IS designed for.
I admit I won't be getting one and will see how much the competitor tablets are with more features (I actually want a usb port and a proper OS), however critising it for being what it is designed for seems a bit pointless!

This just proves that Jobs, really is out of ideas, first of all iPad is nothing more than iPod, with half baked everything, virtually no new ideas to speak off.
Lack of camera, which is laughable, proves, that there is nothing in the pipe line either, since this basic future is left to heat up sales in the future, as the gift of God "new" future!
This should be just called as Humongous iPod, and be released as an upgrade to iPod line.
Won't even start on the AT&T pushing down our throaths...
Apple made it, it start to look nothing more than another industrial dictator and bully.

Can we hop inside the Wayback® Machine and go back to January of 2007? Go read all the initial post from pundits, nitwits, and folks just like you, who belched that there was no way, no possible way, that Apple was ever going to make it in the smartphone business. Go back a few years earlier and read how Apple was going to crash and be burnt to a crisp upon entering the MP3 player market.

You might not have noticed but Apple is a major player in the MP3 player and smartphone business. They sell more music than any retailer in the US. Their smartphone app store, with over 150,000 apps, has sold/downloaded over 3 Billion apps. The iPad is built on the shoulder of those two outstanding products. [Yes, we already know how you feel about Apple, it's products, and it's methods of conducting business. But the public has spoken, loudly, about which company it wants to buy it's electronics from.]

The price point is right. The form factor is right. The applications are in place as of today. Apple is going to sell millions of these things—even if you think they're trash. My advise: You may not buy the iPad, but I would scamper down to my stockbroker and buy as much Apple stock as possible. This is yet another opportunity for Apple shareholders to rake in money.

"...than buying a USB 3G modem..." - it hasn't any USB ports, so what's your point?

Apple and AT&T are in bed so far, Steve is pushing 3G *with contracts* just like AT&T is pushing iPhones and soon to be iPads.

The Iphone and the Ipad and the Touch are really more like SuperKindles than computers.

And yet the Nexus One seems to be trying to be nanocomputer.

Apple, from the beginning days - especially from the beginning of the Mac, has seen the computer as a device that perfoms a set of functions.

Most users see the computer as a flexible tool that can be molded to suit the problem at hand. This was truer during the days when many users wrote their own programs.

Apple seems to like to provide a rigid toolbox that can only be used in Apple-approved ways. The closed-box (Mac 128k) and Iphone are good examples of this Apple behavior.

A Kindle is much like this too. It is a closed device that does only approved functions.

Of course Apple products look nicer (color screen and industrial design), but are really just SuperKindles.

I want to spend my money on a NanoComputer rather than a SuperKindle.

Yeah I said F**K the ipad when I heard it can't even multi-task.

"Connectivity looked fine, if you overlooked the fact that you'll have to pay through the nose for 3G plus WiFi,"
The 3G option isn't wildly more expensive than buying a USB 3G modem (contract free), and is fairly likely to be offered at a discount on a contract by the cell companies.

"Storage is rather meagre"
64GB is meagre? It's a HUGE amount of video and audio 32GB is about 35 hours of high quality SD video. 16GB is 138 hours of top quality AAC audio. That still leaves 16GB for images, apps etc. As however the device is targeted at consuming internet rather than local media most users will probably be happy with 16GB.

"...and the absence of USB ports simply kills the expansion options."
You can plug SD cards in to the optional adaptor that connects to the Apple dock port. It's not a big leap to see other devices working via this port.

"There’s no Flash acceleration, so video playback is again restricted to Apple’s Quicktime and MPEG-4 codecs"
Do what? Flash video is in H.264 format (MPEG-4 part 11). The iPad HAS video acceleration hardware, which would work perfectly well if the idiots at Adobe were to offload video playback to the OS rather than trying to access the hardware directly. That's what an OS is for, providing an abstraction layer between software and the capabilities of the hardware.

I just don't understand why everyone can't see this is a bad product.

Macs have their place and I love my iPod classic, but c'mon. This device is just retarded.

If they can make the macbook air, then I don't see why an OSX based wifi/3G tablet is out of the question.

For the price of this product you can get a high-end netbook and an e-reader.

One thing that is interesting is that the amount of web-cam stuff in the SDKs actually seems to be growing with each Beta release of the SDK
- I'm pretty sure this stuff wasn't in the first Beta
- which make one think that there's actual work going on on this right now
- even the iPhoto app has a Camera button.

Also, the internal metalwork has been shown to have a slot in that is exactly compatible with the MacBook webcam pcb...

Looks like Apple is puting in quite a lot of work in the WebCam & front Cam....

I'm lolling at all the fanboys in the articles trying to justify the iPad. Saying that, the article did come over a little fanboyish in itself.

...Don't listen to the fruity retards, your article is right on the money. It points out the real weaknesses of the MaxiPad which everyone needs to be aware of to make an informed purchase...or just for laughs since we already know the fanbois will buy anything their fruity Messiah instructs them to...and the rest of us critical thinkers already know better. Too bad Jobs's Stepford Guys are programmed to never seek the truth.

I've wondered for some time why the pastel fruitboys come here in the first place since the Inquirer has never had it's nose up Steve "Son of Satan" Jobs arse. On the other hand, the fanbois provide immense entertainment value with their eyes wide shut mentalities. They're excellent cannon fodder, all of 'em.

Enjoy the Kool-Aid, kiddies!

Why on earth is it not possible in tech land to like a product without being labelled, even by bloggers/journalists writing the damn articles as a 'fanboi'. It's like being back in the playground.

Paul, your article was written like something you'd normally find in the comments section, flame bait, rambling, and just as biased as any 'fanboi'.

FWIW, I'm on the fence about the iPad. I don't believe the lack of a front facing camera makes any odds because who actually makes video calls apart from a few geeks. If you do need to make one it's more likely you'd do it on your PC/Mac at home than lounging on your sofa or sitting in a cafe.

As much as I don't want to encourage your slapstick nash at journalism, I have to acknowledge, the fanbois DID really come out of the closet on this one, but then again, couldn't we all have predicted that?

So, here we have all the usual complaints regarding lock-ins/restrictions/pricing/storage/flash. Is this article written by another of the ever growing 'iWant' crowd?

As my grandmother used to say, "Want gets nothing.", and quite frankly Apple doesn't give a toss what you want. Apple fans want what Apple produce because they trust Apple - deal with it.

If you don't understand why Apple does things the way they do then you'll never be content.

Lock-in: It's as much for protection as profit. Apple aren't daft enough to sacrifice the security of their platform (and attached networks) just because someone wants a certain type of app (that most would happily live without).

Pricing: Firstly, Apple has a rigid (and successful) business model. They aren't going to break it just to satisfy those that want 128GB SSD but won't pay the going rate for it. Secondly, Apple owes you nothing.

Flash: Any half-decent web developer will tell that Flash has become worse over the years. Yes, it had it's place but peaked about 3 years ago and has been proven to be resource heavy, buggy, unsecure and quite frankly ugly when implemented. If the millions of [Flash-less] iPhones sold and YouTube's decision to offer h.264 files doesn't convince you that Flash is not necessary for the magic '80% of websites' then, again, you really don't get it.

So in short - get over it. Apple will do what they do because it works and is successful not because 'iWant'.

Come on! Having a dig at the lack of Flash would be a fair shot (if obvious), but lack of Flash acceleration is just making you look stupid - why does a device lacking Flash playback need Flash acceleration!

But I thought everyone knows by now you dont buy the initial version of any Apple product unless you are a tard with more money than sense and need to imagine the hike in esteem your purchase will give you with your peers.

The reason being a new version appears three months later with all the features that you wished the Mk1 had. Also probably $50 cheaper.

I predict much whining and complaints come June?

Bazinga!

What a poorly written, hate filled article. Simple answer is, if you don't want it, don't buy it.

And no, I'm not an apple "fanboi" as you call it, I don't own any apple products.

But this article was written as if apple had stolen something from you. Very poor writing i'm afraid