Anticipation

iPad's Polarizing Effect

Different appeal for techies vs. non-techies.

Mac heads can’t wait for Saturday’s debut of the Apple iPad, but in all the pre-release buzz, speculation about the product has ranged from one tech blog calling the device “laughably absurd” to another describing it as a “magical revolution.” David Pogue of The New York Times breaks down the critiques into two categories: techies, who are skeptical of the iPad, and regular folks, who seem more inclined to embrace it. For the techies, Pogue delineates the iPad’s heaviness as an e-reader, a less-than-stellar typing experience, inability to support Flash, and no multitasking. For everyone else, the appeal may be the fact that there’s no contract, the 1,000 applications already available, and the 10-hour-long battery hold. The bottom line is that the iPad is a giant iPod touch, but it’s still no laptop.