My only advice is, if you want one buy the best one you can afford, then in two years upgrade to the next model which will be worth the upgrade. If you are undecided then you obviously don’t want or need one, get yourself a notebook or a MacBook instead.

Also, seeing how it has open Wifi… it seems like an unlocked iPhone using Tether/MyWi would be able to tether their ALREADY PAID FOR 3G connection to their iPad in the case of wireless not being available?? right?

Everyone who says this has no practical application, or won’t be an absolutely huge hit, is just wrong.

By hook or by crook, it will be mine.

Shaking my Magic 8 Ball………. Waiting for results……….

Magic 8 Ball says: NO!

$1.39/day??? Yes if you get free Wi-Fi, free magazine/newspaper subscriptions, only get free Apps… don’t buy books and… well basically if you just sit there playing with the unlock slider all day long then yes its only $1.39 a day. Get real.

Umm, no. You’ll still own all of those things when it’s sold to buy the newer model. So, it’s $1.39 a day for the Wi-Fi iPad, itself.

When they release the front facing cam version, this thing will be another GOLDEN Bullet device.

But that’s not here yet, unless Steve Says “And one more thing…”.

With Skype or some built in App running on that east coast server farm, the front facing cam becomes the video phone talked about but never delivered for over 50 years.

Small enough to sit around the living room, the iPad would be a natural for this (in addition to all else it does).

So instead of trying to sell your first generation iPad at a huge loss, wait for the cam.

(And the dual core A9 processor, etc, etc.)

WAIT WAIT WAIT. Maybe 6month, maybe a year.

I think apple has yet another huge hit on their hands, perhaps just not with the geeks (not an insult) on sites like this. I’m buying one for sure, but I’m buying it as a toy/internet appliance, NOT a laptop. I already have a laptop and iphone.

My mother, and I’m sure other’s, actually want a simple appliance for doing the basic computing tasks. She doesn’t care about multitasking 3rd party apps, wouldn’t want a front facing camera for video conferencing, and hates using her computer as it is now.

What’s stopping you from getting a netbook instead?

If apple has a ipad that can run mac os x apps then I’ll get one.

As for those who whine about it not being a piece of crap netbook, get a clue! Steve Jobs said it wasn’t one. Stop with the strawman arguments alerady.

I was looking forward to buying two or even three of these as the perfect gift to many relatives who travel a lot or have grandkids etc. because it’s the perfect Skype / video chat machine that’s always on, just perfect to see video chat with people far away over WiFi. I could even use it at work. Inexplicably, or rather for a horrible reason, Apple left out the most obvious component the iPad can’t be without.

Shame on Apple. A forward camera is a $19 component that the absolute cheapest netbooks already have (to say nothing of mobile phones) and the thing already has WiFi. There is ONLY ONE REASON Apple left it out, and that’s so they can have something to unroll next year as a new reason to buy. Well, I’m NOT BUYING. Get it right the first time.

Apple got its edge by releasing great features from day 1, they went for the best and most forward-looking product they could release, and every year challenged itself to make it better.

Now, they are holding back a very obvious and cheap component just to have something for you next year because they’re unsure of the demand for their product. Just pathetic. I’m totally turned off.

He may miss out on some Flash stuff that pops up on nascar.com, but he won’t miss it since he will have email and IM (Beejive) he can actually use. Mice and cursors just aren’t for him.

I don’t really need one of these but it seems like a fun toy so why not.

You won’t have to worry about J/B the iPad to tether, just as long as your iPhone stays J/B and you are running something like MyWi, which turns your device into a WiFi hotspot (which of course, your new iPad can use).