Now that we’ve all had time to let the news sink in, here are my thoughts on Apple’s iPad.

I want to mainly comment on this commonly heard observation: “It’s nothing special because it’s just a giant iPhone [or iPod touch]“.

If you think that, consider this: what if the iPad and iPhone release dates were switched? During the original iPhone introduction keynote, the audience crapped themselves at the sight of Steve Jobs using his finger to control the phone. Everyone was blown away by the technology they had created for a mobile device.

If the iPad was announced in 2007, I’m betting the large majority of people would’ve called it a must-have product. We would have all gawked at the multi touch, the portability, the beautiful screen, the apps, etc etc.

And if Apple announced the iPhone/iPod touch yesterday, people would’ve considered iPhones/iPod touches to be even more incredible than the iPad. “omg,” they’d cry, “all that incredible technology in the 2007 iPad can now be found in something that’s 1/3rd the size!”

So yes, the timing of the iPad is poor. Apple should have released the iPad first so that they could shrink all that technology into the iPhone/iPod touch. When it comes to technology, getting smaller is more impressive than getting larger.

One last thing to remember: people were skeptical about the iPhone when it was announced. I remember one of the main complaints was about the screen. People thought it would be crap because we’d get our fingerprints all over it. How little a concern is that now?

Point: it’s a 1.0 device that the general public haven’t touched.  Until we do, we can’t fairly judge.  Reporters who have played with it (who I trust to be honest with opinions) say that the most impressive part is – surprise surprise – actually holding and using it.

I’ll probably be getting the 16 or 32 GB one with 3G. The ability to be online anywhere for $30/month with unlimited bandwidth AND no contract is “magical and revolutionary” in itself.

Because I am a (proud) nerd, please find my Apple Tablet predictions below. This is based off of David Weiss’s Prediction Score Card.

Steve Jobs will be formally announcing the Tablet and all of its features tomorrow, January 27th starting at 10 AM PT. I’m very excited to see what they’ve come up with. And to pre-order it.

After they announce it, you all should come back here and admire how right I was about (mostly) everything.

- Tablet announcement: Yes
- Table price: $600 – $800 WITH a data plan.
- Table screen size: 10 inches
- Cell Phone Internet Capability: Yes (let’s hope Verizon)
- Tablet SDK: No – they’ll use the iPhone’s
- Tablet apps only from App Store: Yes
- Tablet runs existing iPhone apps: Yes
- Tablet OS is a new OS: Yes
- Book, Newspaper, Magazine content: Yes
- Video, Music, TV: Absolutely
- Built-in camera: Yes
- Tactile Keyboard (emits a physical response when pressing keys): Yes
- Supports Flash: Yes
- Tablet ships: March 2010
- The name: Either iSlate or iPad. I’m leaning more towards iSlate.

Additionally at the event tomorrow:
- iPhone 4.0 announcement: Yes
- iLife/iWork updates: Yes

By the way, if you feel so inclined to comment on this post, you’ll notice that there’s a new captcha box on the form (you type in letters to verify you’re not a robot). This is to prevent spam, which I was getting a crap load of.

I recently discovered the wonders of the two biggest location-based social networking games being used right now: FourSquare and Gowalla.

I’ve been what one would consider a “regular user” for about 24 hours now and it’s pretty addicting.

Basically, here’s how both work: you are at Starbucks. You load up your FourSquare and/or Gowalla app. You “check-in” to the location. Depending on which application you’re using, you’ll also be able to see what other people/friends have checked in there, read tips about the place from others who have visited that exact location, and more.

Each app keeps track of where you’ve been. If you visit the place more than anyone else, you become the mayor. People can steal that mayor title from you if they visit the place more times than you do.

Unique to Gowalla is a fun items feature. People can leave items at any place they check in, then other users who go there can find and collect them.

Unique to FourSquare is the ability to earn badges and achievements.

My point: I think these services are going to be big in 2010. Both are simple, fun, and easy. They’re essentially a more fun way to tweet.

I encourage everyone to give ‘em a try! If you had to pick one, use Gowalla.. it’s prettier. You’ll be ahead of the curve when they go mainstream in a year or two. Start by just checking in to everywhere you go… you’ll find why it’s addicting.