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Last Friday, along with hundreds of others, I was in a queue at the Birmingham Bullring Apple store to purchase an iPad.

When it was announced, I really didn’t think that I’d want one. Yes, it looked nice, but why would I need a device that was basically a glorified eBook reader, web browser and email reader?

The fact that it was running the iPhone Operating System, and not even a full version of OSX added to my scepticism, believing that Apple had produced this device quickly to cash in on the tablet market, which has been around for years but has yet to really take off.

So what happened?

As the UK release date came nearer, I began to read independent reviews, from people who I trust, such as J.C. Hutchins. Yes, the reviews are biased, as most Apple fan reviews are, but as Stephen Fry points out – Apple are a company that illicit a ‘marmite’ reaction. Much like the Ferrari Formula One team, you love ‘em, or hate ‘em, but you have to respect how they can turn grown adults into crazy fans.

Reading these reviews, I began to realise that while the iPad would not be able to replace my laptop or my iPhone, it would offer a kind of halfway house. Always ‘on’ like the iPhone, it is quick to pick up and surf the web or send an email, and with a larger screen than the iPhone it is easier to use. I’ve tended to take my laptop to meetings to take notes on (which is next to impossible on the iPhone) and after trying the full-blown mac version of the task manager ‘things’, I’ve found myself needing a good electronic ‘to do’ list.

For simple tasks like these, the iPad comes into its own. I can watch the Formula One on TV while having the live timing displayed on the iPad screen, meaning I don’t have the bulky laptop open. I have a simple interface to log actions for meetings instead of using a piece of paper that I am likely to lose. I am able to jump on the internet and check something quickly when I don’t have my laptop to hand.

All of the above can be accomplished with the iPhone, or even with a laptop, and the iPad really offers nothing new in that regard. What it does offer is a different interface to the above. After just 10 minutes with the iPad, you realise how much better the internet is to view on the larger screen size; typing an email is so much easier than on the iPhone.

I still maintain that the iPad doesn’t go far enough – many have bemoaned the lack of a camera (which I don’t see the point of), and I would have preferred the iPad to have a full-blown OSX on there to allow me to develop, but I can see three strong reasons why Apple would not go this far with the first iPad:

1. The iPad is not a game changer, or ‘kindle killer’, but its form factor actually does place it in competition with Apple’s own MacBook Air. Even Steve Jobs was critical of Netbooks in his iPad announcement. At the moment, the fact that the Air runs a full version of OSX Leopard is still a selling point for the device.
2. The App Store. Apple’s simple method for selling applications has been a huge hit for the iPhone. Developers can enjoy a relatively simple distribution method, while the iPad can claim over 200,000 applications are available at launch. The fact that the iPad can emulate the iPhone (and scale applications up to use the full screen) means that developers do not have to re-write their applications – but more on this in a bit.
3. Battery Life. The iPad boasts a 12 hour battery life – I cannot vouch for this myself, but with pretty heavy use over the weekend, I’ve only had to charge it up once so far, which is more than I can say for my iPhone. With a full version of OSX running, the battery life would probably be considerably shorter and the processor faster.

I mentioned the iPhone emulation on the iPad, and I’ve tried several applications. The apps open by default in the middle of the iPad, at the same screen resolution as the iPhone. In the bottom corner is a button that allows you to double the size of the application so that it fills the iPad screen. Some apps fare better than others, ironically the ones that look the worst zoomed in are those that use the standard iPhone controls. I think this is an area Apple should have addressed, as although rendered graphics can be excused for looking blocky, the standard iPhone controls such as the ‘Date Picker’ should really scale better.

I don’t regret purchasing the iPad (I went for the 32GB 3G version), but it really doesn’t offer anything new yet. Time will tell for the future of this device – will Apple take the plunge and discontinue the Macbook Air in favour of a premium iPad that runs full OSX? If the iPad forces the same wake up call to the rather staid tablet PC market then we may see Apple taking that direction. For now, I think that the 1st generation iPad is merely Apple dipping their toes into the market and seeing if this luxury device has any legs.

As with the iPhone, it will be the apps that make the iPad a success. It doesn’t offer anything new to the market, but it does offer an alternative way of doing it.