There can't be many people out there who missed the launch of Apple's latest gadget, the iPad. We now have a tentative date for launch in the UK of March for the wi-fi version and April for the 3G iPad. UK prices are not known but in the US it will sell for $499 (a little over £300).
So what's all the fuss about? Is it really worth getting so excited about?
There's no doubt that the iPad will sell well amongst the Apple devotees and will certainly shift some units to the growing base of iPhone users, but it will be mainly a consumer device and we don't expect much take up amongst business users, although we could be surprised.
There's no news yet on a UK network carrier, although it looks likely that a similar exclusive deal to O2's original iPhone deal might be in the offing with all of the major networks in talks with Apple. A free iPad, heavily subsidised by one of the phone networks on a monthly contract is likely to be appealing in the same way as it is for the iPhone.
The iPad will certainly improve the mobile internet experience over SmartPhones with its large screen, although a lack of flash support will hold it back on many sites. As it doesn't have built in phone capacity it is not going to replace people's SmartPhones, and because of its size it is unlikely to replace netbooks/laptops. However it could find a niche market with users who don't currently own either device and are casual, light users looking for a "fun" device which is easy to use.
Those looking for serious business tools are still more likely to stick with their trusty laptops, at least for the time being, although as we have seen with the iPhone the iPad will likely spawn several similar products from other manufacturers and will drive laptop/netbook development in new directions. Expect to see plenty more tablet PCs coming out soon.