A little off topic, but eReaders are worth the money.  I have a nook along with a few other people and I have a few friends with a Kindle and they're both pretty amazing.

My nook lasts for 10 days without recharging (though realistically, 8 or so), reads PDF files which means I can put my DnD books on it, and is just in general awesome.   They really are just fantastic and it's still amazing to look at the screen and not being sure if it's paper or not.  They're expensive but they're worth the investment.  I love my nook and everyone I know that has a nook or Kindle (surprisingly don't know anyone with a Sony eReader) all love them to death.

Personally, even though I think the iPad is sexy as all fuck too, I would never want one for an eReader no matter how cool it is.  The Kindle and nook both work because of the virtual ink thing, your eyes would kill you after 10 minutes with the iPad.

I have no idea what the approval process it, I just know it can't be as quick and effecient as not having to go through the approval process.

Believe me, I love the idea of digital distro but I would never want my textbooks on the iPad.

1. Since the iPad doesn't have a stylus, I couldn't write and make notes in them
2. Hello eye strain
3. I can't sell the textbooks back (though if they're cheaper, it might be worth it)

Anyways, what professor's make you bring books to class and how many books do you have to carry per day?

I was a computer science major and rarely had to carry a book to class, it was mainly just notes.  The wife did computer science, math, and English and she had to have books for English class, but nothing too bad.  She's a small person and handled it pretty well.

I think that the iPad will be exactly like the iPhone and Apple 2:

A major transitive device for a new technology. It will be a game-changer, not because of itself but what it adds to the game.

I am very excited for a tablet that would allow me to write, run, and do things on the run - taking notes, e-mailing, or preparing presentations on the run. Having a tablet device on an airplane would be a godsend.

However, I don't think that the iPad will be the device that really makes the market what it is, much in the same way that the iPhone doesn't have an insanely high marketshare - its still 3rd place in the smartphone market. However, someone else will do it.

Having just seen the Courier video, I really think thats the way it should go. I was thinking 'it'd be great if they made a folding touchscreen notebook' and wham - there it is.

1. Can you type? Details are thin on what Apple's iBooks will be able to do, but I'm hoping to see a note function not unlike the one available in MS Word. I'm not sure how easy it will be to type with a touchscreen, but even two-finger pecking should be good enough to compete with what fits in the margin of a book.

2. Not much that can be done about people who have problems reading off an LCD. E-ink displays can't effectively display the colour needed for rich content like graphs and pictures, which is a big restriction for educational print. Luckily, there is a device which may allow people who can't move away from the hardcopy to enjoy some of the benefits of digital distro:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espresso_Book_Machine

3. This is always a sticking point with digital distro in any medium. It's no secret that the textbook publishers want to kill used book sales even more than game publishers want to kill used games, so they'd better be prepared to sacrifice some revenue to the consumer. They stand to save a lot in publication costs, overruns and returns, but they won't earn those savings if they don't deal the consumer in on the savings.

How many books you haul around in school has a lot to do with what you study and your own personal study habits. It's true that most classes don't require a textbook, but a lot of people would like to have the textbook there anyway. Others take their books with them so that they can study in-between or after classes. Whether or not it's strictly necessary, you see a lot of people running around campus hauling sacks full of books, and it can cause health issues. The iBook Store offers a way for students to take all their books with them without warping their spine.

I also expect the files to be available on more devices that just the iPad, so if the student feels that an iTunes-equipped laptop would allow them to get more work done, or that an iPod Touch is easier to bring along, their textbooks will be avilable on those platforms too.

Have watched the courier video, I do think it will probably have some distinct advantages (possibly more portable due to a clam-shell design) but I still have the same problem with it as I do with the iPad ...

To a certain extent it feels like people are throwing (interesting) ideas out there to see if any catch on, and it doesn't seem like people are bringing products to market that they know there is a need/desire for.

Yes, My wife and I have each had an iPhone for a few years now. While apps crash from time to time, I have yet to have an app crash the phone. They do a very good job if running in a protected environment, that when someone writes something buggy, the OS just keeps going. This is why a system like this can be virus free. It also however, makes it hard for apps to share information, or to add useful multi tasking.

BTW: The phone (and iPad) have multi-tasking, they just limit the apps that can multi task for the above reasons. The iPod app, and email for example are always running in the background. If you jailbreak your phone, you can install an app that will let all apps multi task.

The OS is Unix. It can do everything we know about OS's. The limitation is a design choice from Apple.

As for your eReader post a little farther down, I have a Sony eBook, and I love it. I would never want to read a book on a computer screen, compared to the E Ink displays in readers. However, it might surprise you, that studies have shown when given all the choices, many people still prefer reading a book on the iPhone. Mostly because it's always with you, so it's a convenience thing, but it shows that the screen is not  deal breaker.

For me, even if I had an iPad, I would still read a book on my Sony eReader.

There aint no way I'm ever going to use the ipad. However I doubt apple will fail to find a market for it.

It simply isn't useful for me.

I don't read books on computers, if ebooks with their advanced digital ink screens haven't convinced me a normal computer screen that kills me eyes certainly wont.

I can't edit video effectively on it. Thus its worthless for my industry. I mean I nead terabytes of data ever year just to keep working. Thus a desktop is what I use.

I game on my windows pc and my 360 and DS.

So unfortunately I think the ipad is simply a device that wont fit into a lot of peoples lives. However I wont be the one to doubt apple, they're one of the most successful companies in the tech world for a reason. They know how to create demand for their products (and they are very sexy).

But their is a reason tablets have less then 3% of the Australian portable computing market. And thats because they're simply a niche product with niche appeal. Apple will transcend that niche market somewhat but by how much I don't think anyone is certain.

To first talk about the 3% thing. Every iPod Touch, iPhone, Android phone, Palm, and Windows CE device, is a tablet computer. One with a small screen, but that does not make it less of a computer. If you factor those devices into the mix, it's more then 3%.

No one is saying a tablet will become the only option for computing. For you (and me), it never will. I am a software developer. There is no way I would develop on a tablet. I need a full PC.

But, we are not the mass market of users. Most users browse the web, send email, manage and edit photos, chat on IM, play games, and other basic things that a tablet would be perfect for (maybe not the iPad).

For example, none of the things to mentioned will work with a netbook either, and millions of those have sold to a market.

But again, the point here is not about the device, it's about someone releasing the first thing on the market, that for a very large portion of the world can replace a PC. One that your grandmother can use. One that had 140,000 apps available right from the device. You don't need to think about where your going to get your word processor, or a game, or a weather app, you know where to go to get them all. You don't need to drive to a store, or order a boxed item online. You don't need to worry about if it will work on your computer. You don't need to worry about spyware or viruses (provided Apple does there job in those departments).

You just pick it up, and use it. That's the part that's the future. The hardware is not the big story here.

1.  You can type on the iPad, but not quickly enough to make note taking worthwhile.  I assume you can make notations and highlight text in its eBooks (I know the nook lets you, I assume the Kindle does too), but it's generally slow and unwiedly.  I can't imagine the iPad keyboard making that better.

2.  I'm pretty sure everyone gets eye strain from LCD, that's just the way our eyes work.  Virtual ink can't do colors yet, or at least not anything you can really buy.  They're already heavy at work on that and we're actually expected to have the Harry Potter newspapers in 5-ish years using the virtual ink.  Also, I don't need color to read text...

Also, my nook can display pictures, they're just in grayscale and they don't actually look bad at all.

I agree carrying books vary from person to person, but that's just really up to the person.  The iPad as it is isn't useful for a full day of classes anyways because I would love to see someone get a full days worth of reading, notes, ect on that things battery. 

Anyways, where was I, ah, yeah, only idiots carry that many books on them and obviously haven't actually put any thought in their schedule.  I knew people that carried all their books with them and they totally didn't have to.  There were *numerous* places all around campus where people could put their books, they just didn't take advantage of that because they would rather carry their overflowing backpack and complain.

Again, as it is, the iPad just isn't good for the typical college student--

1. The book has to be on the book store
2. I had many professors that would print their own books and require you to buy those, good luck seeing those on iTunes.
3. You don't get to buy back
4. You can't effeciently take notes on the iPad.  Every report I've read of the keyboard says it's about as easy to use as the iPhone.  It gets the job done, but it's not good for much beyond texts and short emails.

Don't get me wrong, I think digital is the future but I don't think the iPad is the thing that's going to get us there.  I don't think it's even a good first step.  It does a lot of stuff and fills a lot of shoes, but for the price it's just a terrible gadget.

Sorry, but I think you just think that, because you can't find a use for it.

Where I see this thing very impact-full, is in areas where a laptop is just kind of too large, like if I want to browse the web on the subway, or I want to watch a movie on a plane.

I can also see this thing very useful when you need to present information in non traditional settings. Let's say you sell medical equipment to doctors, or restaurant equipment. In both of those cases, it might be better to hand them a tablet to show them your inventory, or a presentation, then to have both of you huddling around a laptop.

There have been many times that I took a 2 day trip, and wished I could leave my laptop at home, but took it because I just didn't want to answer my email on my iPhone, or I needed to work on my presentation on the plane. This could be the device that, on those times where I almost don't need a laptop, I can now leave the laptop at home.