Apple iPad 2 available in stores from today

What's the special thing about tablets?
I'm serious, just can't see why i would ever want one...
It is nice but... it does so much less than my laptop.
Just another gadget becoming popular due to apple's advertising machine.

If you don't already "get" the tablet thing, be it apple or alternative, then there's not much to say except to try anyone for yourself.
There is definitely something between pc/mac and mobile phone that is important for many people these days
its so easy to brush things off as "Apple machine" when they have been the frontrunner (where Microsoft failed in the early last decade) but since CES2011 where every manufacturer has now embraced the tablet this is now a weak and feeble excuse to dis Apple specifically

Introducing the iPad 2 *Parody*
I'm sorry, but I think this deserves an "A" for production value.
I love how, if you're not really aware of it being a parody, you can actually mistake it for the actual Apple ad.
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Back to topic, on tablets... I think Asus stumbled upon the gap when they released the Eeepc. It broke ground on the whole idea of netbooks and 'in between' uses.
It gave the perfect opening for tablets to come into the picture.
Tablet's and netbooks are perfect casual devices. We've reached a point in technology where the average use of a device outside of work is surfing, email, games, and social networking.
All of these can be done by either a netbook or tablet. The only reason to choose one over the other is input preference. Tablets are sleeker and offer more direct input via touchscreen, netbooks offer better text input via keyboard.
The advantage of tablets (Android or iOS) is the speed at which apps/programs are executed. One app... one use. Period. This may sound limiting, but if there's an app for what you need, then it makes productivity a lot higher since you don't have to go through a menu or anything. It limits your options but it speeds up output production by including only the most common uses.
Tablets have matured to a point where they can actually fill a gap... casual computing. Although in the professional world, tablets have been programmed for very high end uses. Their primary goal is to simplify tasks. Having an app to do one thing, and one thing only... limits crashes, and lowers training expenses for companies. Instead of training people on how to use a computer, an app can be made to adapt to the use or user.
It's not meant to replace your laptop/desktop, it's meant to augment it.
But I will say that not everyone can benefit from a tablet. They're primarily fun. If you can find an app that functions at work, then great. But I don't think it's a must have.
I do graphic design, and audio recording for a living. On a professional side, my iPad replaced a $2000 control surface I was planning to buy. It may not have the same durability and tactile feel as a full-on hardware device, but functionality was 90%, at 25% the cost. For graphic design, I use it to present designs to clients. Keeps them from peering over my shoulder on my laptop. Which makes it more convenient for my clients. It's also more convenient to use while walking or standing up... a big shortcoming of laptops unless you have one of those geeky harnesses that hold your laptop against your chest.
Personally, I like my tiny Android phone and a tablet over a single bigger smartphone. The way you use your devices will vary. Others would rather have a 4-7" Smartphone. I'd rather have my 2.5" Android, and a 9-10" tablet. It's a personal preference over any quantifiable reason.
Another reason I love tablets is that they're great "guest computers". I hate other people fiddling and surfing on my personal system. So when I have guests over that ask if they can check their mail or something, I just hand them my iPad.
Just my 2c. I don't think tablets are a magical device. I think they offer an alternative. And the timing was right. The Newton and TabletPC were failures but only because the time was wrong... too soon. Technology wasn't right at the time. Screens were all resistive, bad colors, poor battery life, no internet, low memory... you really couldn't do much more than store your addressbook on them. TabletPCs were extremely expensive and fragile, and most required batteries for the stylus.

Oh, and buying an iPad 2 can earn you money...
Woman sells her spot in line for iPad 2 for $900

What I don't get is how much better is the iPad 2 versus the Zoom or any other of the newest releases. I am thinking that Apple's reputation for quality and ease of use are at play here so that they will get lots of sales although the Zoom or the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 might have better specs.
What say you?

Better specs on paper doesn't mean better performance all around. Benchmark test are so easy to sway in favor of one or the other.
Tablets (just like computers) are only as useful as their apps. And how polished those apps are.
Android has a ton of apps, but you have to take the time to sift through a lot..and I do mean a LOT... of crap apps.
Apple has less crappy apps, specially since they did a clean up on their App Store.
My gripe with the Android tablets is that none of them have a $500 entry. At $800, I would rather get a full blown notebook.
My advice is to try them both out... see how similar apps perform, how quickly do the touchscreens respond, how fluid are the menu changes and of course, which interface do you prefer.

I have actually only tried the iPad so I don't have any idea what the others are like. My main beef with Apple is that they are too proprietary. Everything goes through iTunes, no memory expansion slot, little to no compatibility with other manufacturers items.
I suspect that Apple won't get 90% of the market this time around.

That's true. But you have to ask... are you just pissed that they are proprietary? Or pissed that the apps don't work?
No expansion slot? You can buy the camera kit. I personally don't like not having an SD card slot, but I do prefer the USB kit on the Camera Kit since I do have CF cards for my DSLR, so the SD slots on other tablets are useless to me too.
Expansion? MicroSD cards are Class 2... lucky if you can find a 6 or 10... if you're running a Class 2, that's horribly slow. I don't even bother getting anything over 8GB if it's a class 2... it just bogs everything down.
Get the 64GB one, and forget the expansion slot. The camera kit of Apple connects more than just cameras...you can even connect recording interfaces.
I'm not in favor of a closed system...IF... the manufacturer inhibits my productivity. My devices are not 'toy' or bragging rights. I use them for work. I use Adobe Flash, despite it being a "closed" system.
A lot of tech geeks just whine about open/closed systems without any regard for their actual productivity. Developers have the right to gripe... but end users shouldn't care if it's open or closed... it should just work... period. No ifs or buts... and no excuses.
Think of it this way... would you rather have a car that gets you to where you wanna go all the time without headache? Or a supercar that needs repairs, and breaks down and leaves you stranded more than once a week? I'm not trashing other systems... since I do use both and like both for different reasons. I have OSX, Win7, and Xandros... I like all 3 for very different reasons. I currently use iOS and Android, and used to use Symbian UIQ exclusively... and I like all 3 for different reasons as well. I've also tested Windows Phone 7
Don't be an Apple zombie and buy it just because it's Apple... buy it cuz YOU like it... buy it cuz it looks cute (superficial as that may sound, it's a more valid reason than 'it's Apple')... buy it cuz it's easy to use.
Don't buy an Android just to be apart from the Apple Pack. Buy it because it has better customization...buy it because it can multitask better... I'm annoyed that I can't buy apps from the Marketplace... I can buy from the Apple Appstore. What kind of "Open System" is that?
I've been waiting for the other tablet manufacturers to step up and deliver as promised... but all fall short... extremely short. I don't care if their specs are better, they don't perform better. I have yet to try an Android that lives up to Google's promise. Google should set higher standards for system requirements. All the Android tablets I've tried feel unfinished. I'm hoping the new Honeycombs can live up to their potential. But so far, I'm not impressed with Android tablets. I do, however think Android phones are far ahead of the iPhone.

Thanks. A very good run down. I seriously torn between the iPad and Samsung's offering's but I want to wait a month or two for comparisons and reviews on them both.

picked up my white 64gb wifi + 3g today
very happy with it so far and I can finally give iMovie a good try out on the big screen

Glad you managed to get one sorted. Once I manage to sell my original iPad 16GB 3G and my iMac I'll be able to get the new one and a portable machine. The MacBook Air is very hard for me to resist.

good luck with that.
tell you what, now that I've sync'd all my stuff over its noticeably faster, and carrying it into work this morning its also noticeably lighter.
bit weird having a full 10" screen as a viewfinder for the cam!

That's the first thing I noticed too. Garageband on it is very quick and lovely to use. Glad you like it.

Received my blue smart cover today and yeah, its cool and works well but i can't believe they charge £35 for a slab of vinyl with a magnet! A tenner is probably more like it and at that price I'd probably get another couple of colours.

There are some non-original ones being sold on eBay for £10, wonder if they do exactly the same thing?

I could only find these slim covers that work with the smart cover for a tenner.
Can't see any non-original smart covers for that price.

Id be happy with an iPad,a Zoom or even a Blackberry Playbook.Not a big fan of the Samsung tablet.You could blindfold me and give me a choice of those three and i wouldnt mind which one gets picked.Ok,maybe thats not 100% true,I do sway towards the Zoom,then the Playbook and then the iPad.But yep,they are all cool.Each has its own thing going for it.