Ok, so you want to know what I think of the iPad that I bought for my dear wife that I won't let her use so that I can type this post on it? Here go:
1. It is fast. Really. Surprisingly. Fast. I think the fact that it is fit-to-purpose computing it just seems snappier than even my overpowered MacBook Pro. Switching between applications, zooming, scrolling, keyboard... It's snappy
2. The keyboard is unexpectedly usable. I'm a fast iPhone dual-thumb typist despite not matching what i do on a full keyboard. I'm finding using the same sort of zen-let-the-autocorrect-prediction-work-for-you way that serves me well on the iPhone works doubly well here on the iPad. No, it's not a full size keyboard by any stretch, but it's plenty good for me to write a long email without suffering, or even to write this post. I could see taking this into meetings instead of a notebook.
3. The industrial design is excellent but this is hardly worth mentioning because its the same level of quality we have all grown used to with the iPhone and MacBook. That being said the screen is big and bright and beautiful. Text is crisp and it's easy on the eyes all around.
4. The applications on launch day are impressive. I'll save a list of favorites for another post, but what is important is that there are thousands written specifically for the iPad. Enough to keep you busy downloading for a while and if this is day 1, I can't wait to see what is out next month or next year.
5. It is the ultimate web browser. It's amazingly comfortable and intuitive way to browse. Reading a web page in portrait and intelligently sized for the ipad has a completely different feel than browsing on a computer with even a very large screen. You can actually sit back and browse and it feels more like you are reading a book. Think about it the next time you hunch over the laptop on your coffee table. I can't overstate the importance of this most basic "feature".
Thats enough for now. Its great, Its met my expectations and then some. Can't wait to get my own :)