Several of my friends and customers, knowing how much I’ve become an Apple/Mac user in recent years, have been asking me what I think of Apple’s latest creation, the iPad.

I have to admit I’m not sure whether I like the name or not.  Others have suggested that some of the alternative rumoured names — iTab(let) and iSlate to name a few — would have been catchier and maybe less reminiscent of something I should expect to see sold in the feminine care products aisle at your local Shoppers Drug Mart.

Joking aside, I do see some other rather obvious problems and omissions from the new product.  My own primary complaint is the lack of either a rear- or front-facing camera; why couldn’t they put one in, considering they tout the iPad’s capability to share photos?  Perhaps Apple just “neglected” to mention inclusion of a camera, or plan to add it to a later model, as rumoured by some sites.  I get that most users would not necessarily be using the thing to take photos while out and about, but it would be a nice convenience for say, video conferencing, for one.  Something iPhone users have been asking for since day one.

Another rather annoying feature Apple has left out, is the long-requested capability to multitask.  The iPad has a 1GHz processor, up from the iPhone 3GS’s 600MHz chip (which is actually underclocked), and presumably more system memory, not to mention a much longer battery life; so why they would choose not to allow backgrounding an app seems odd.  Again, this is something that could be added at a later date, though, and is one of many possible features rumoured to debut in the iPhone 4.0 OS.

There are certainly some other items to be addressed on the product, but I also see some very nice positives about the unit.

Personally, I am not an e-book reader, but the iPad’s 9.7″ screen seems a perfect size for that purpose.  Although there’s some controversy going on right now about how Apple’s eBook Store pricing has forced Amazon to capitulate to publishers’ demands to raise their own rates, I’m still sure the iPad will become a popular item amongst the eBook fans out there.

Also, although I’ve yet to see one in person, I love the rehauled email and web-browsing experiences.  This thing looks like it’ll be sweet for typing up even lengthy emails, with the larger, easier-to-read screen and redone interface, as well as a larger keyboard.  Surfing should be great, although there is of course no Adobe Flash support as with the iPhone.  The iPad has closer to a 4:3/standard screen ratio than a 16:9/widescreen ratio, so watching widescreen movies may remind you of those annoying black bars on an older TV screen, but I think ultimately it’ll still be a fun experience.

Where I also see great potential, when it’s tapped, is the business potential.  iPads would make excellent tools for portable inventory tracking, invoicing, and other forms of customer service.  Personally, I would greatly enjoy having the capability to have a client fill out an on-device contact form, sign a contract, and — if the iPad had a camera — snap their picture which could be attached to the documents, which could then be printed out for storage and legal purposes.  The iPad has Adobe Acrobat PDF support, so this seems certainly possible.

Now… would I walk around the streets of Toronto or ride the TTC with my iPad in hand, openly visible to every wandering eye?  Probably not.  Drop that sucker on any hard surface, and I’ll bet you’re looking at a painful 9.7 inches of broken screen.  Not to mention the other cosmetic damage it would likely suffer.  And while there are already sleeve and booklet-style cases being developed for the iPad, I can’t imagine it being the most comfortable portable device to carry around.  It obviously won’t fit in your pocket, which is one area where the iPhone is clearly superior.  So there are certainly both good and bad things to look forward to, with this product.

But will I buy one?

… Yes, most likely.  After all, those who know me, already know that I just have to have the newest toys, logical or not.