Is there going to be office applications for the iPad? More specifically, word processing, spreadsheets, etc.? Or am I way off on its 'purpose'. If it does have these applications then its a computer right?

What was the all around goal for a 'tablet' versus the laptop? Having a docking station and keyboard makes it a laptop but now less convenient right?

I guess if we are online, Google Aps takes care of the whole office productivity issue, and with many apps the iPad is computing disguised as a new media experience???

Apple is releasing there office suite (iWork) for the iPad. You should check out Apple's iPad site for the details. There are also rumors that Microsoft will be releasing Office for the iPad.

The cool thing is, they are offering it ala carte. So each segment will be in the app store for $10...so if you don't need presentation (how many people will) you can save $10!

Somebody did NOT watch the keynote.

Ha - I did. But it was in between doing work if you know what I mean.

I was running it while doing work as well and was basically zoned out until they brought up iWorks. At that point it got my full attention. I do think that was the "WTF Awesome" moment of the whole keynote.

Haha, I know I will- I'm a PhD student starting from next year, and will have to deal with giving classes to undergrad, etc. eventually- and the iPad feels like a great device for just plugging it in on the projector and giving the lecture without having to carry around a big laptop.

And yeah, I'm pretty sure we can expect office apps from third party companies. Omni is going to release Omnigraffle, their diagram software from the mac, onto the iPad- it's widely popular amongst engineering people, project managers, etc.

Which is my point, Presentation will be a VERY niche app. And I commend them for not forcing it on users. I am a freelance visual fx artist and I tend to mostly work onsite at studios, so I will probably only get the spreadsheet app for invoicing.

I agree, selling the apps individually is great plan. Not only does it let the consumer pick and choose, it will hopefully establish the pricing structure for future apps. IOW, if Apple is selling a high quality app for $10 maybe others will sell at the same price point. If Apple had sold iWorks as a package for $30, I think we would be more likely to see $20-$30 apps from other developers. One of the great things about the iPhone is you can get good quality apps for just a few bucks. I really hope the iPad continues along that line.

I think iPad app pricepoints will be low but higher than iPhone on average. I think games will start getting pricier with good reason....think about some real games on iPad....console quality, with story lines and real production value. They are coming, but they will have a steaper price. I would say average game prices will be $10-15 and higher end games could start selling for as much as $30...it only makes sense! Why should the iPad be exempt from profitable games...I would gladly throw down $30 for a fully fleshed out game like I would get on a PC or game console!

I agree that some apps will and should sell for $30+, I just meant that I hope the average iPad software is <=$10. I use a lot of single purpose apps that don't require the development you describe. I won't be buying many of them for the iPad if they are significantly more than the iPhone version. In that case I will make do with using the iPhone apps on my iPad. We will just have to wait and see what the market dictates.

I think a LOT of companies will re-write their existing iPhone apps to accommodate the screen real estate of the iPad. While the current iPhone facebook is good...there is less of a point to having it when you can just go to the full website on the thing.....BUT if they re-write the app to make it an even better experience on the iPad it will be huge.

As for paid...there will still be a LOT of $.99 - $4.99 apps...but I think the higher developed apps will be more like $10+, and games will be even more since we are going to see much broader gaming experiences.

They already released Monkey Island...I would LOVE to see all the old Lucas Arts games on the iPad....can't wait to try Myst on it too....bought it but the screen size just made it less fun.

I also want to see Street Fighter.....with a real controller or an iPhone controller implementation!

Same here, I bought Monkey Island but I never really played it because of the screen size...I can't wait for the iPad to give it another go. Plus the 2nd one is coming this summer