Apple's newest product has undergone alot of scrutiny since they announced it a few months ago. No stylus, no USB, too heavy, impractical, doesnt use Flash, just a giant iPhone, "iPad," what a silly name... Most of these comments were penned before anyone outside Apple's top-secret product development department had ever even touched one.

After they released the first (non-3G) version I visted the Apple Store no less than three times to pick one up and play with it for myself. I decided to buy one once the 3G enabled model was avaialable.

Well, I've had mine for a week now and I can say now without hesitation that's it's the coolest, most usefull piece of electronics I have ever bought. No, it will never replace my desktop computer but it's not designed for that. It's the most elegant presentation tool I have seen. For a small group, you can set it on a stand and present concepts--moving from slide to slide with the flip of a finger. The screen is bright and beautiful. For a board room, you can connect it to a projector and present to a large group.

It's also the PERFECT portfolio. Being able to update it on the fly rather than messing with printed books is a real plus. And, after realizing that a meeting took a different path than you had expected, it's nice to have all of your work on-hand to show examples from projects you probably wouldnt have brought along had they been bound in books.

Sure, six months from now, there will probably be a 4G version with a camera, 3D monitor and built-in dust-buster, but I'm really happy with my purchase and will use it for a good long time. It will pay for itself almost immediately by replacing color copies and book binding expenses.

Go iPad!

BTW: I did order a DAGI stylus on Ebay. It's on the way. I'll post a review once it gets here. I am hoping for a third party pressure sensitive stylus to come out at some point. That would really make the iPad the ultimate tool for me.