It's interesting to listen to the defenders of the Ipad. Here we have a device that offers limited capacity, the ability to do only one task at a time, and offers a "great reading experience". Couple that with having to pay for 3-G service, and you have a quiet disaster in the making.
My point is this: I'll agree that the Ipad jumps a lot of hoops,(photos, ect) but down the road, after shelling out what, between $500 - 900, how much will it cost to replace the battery? Can the user do it his/herself? I doubt it. What if that pretty color screen is damaged? Will it cost $300 to repair? Portability is an issue, and depending on where you live, the very shape makes you an easy mark for the ne'r do wells of the world. Now, I own a Kindle, and so far, I have no complaints beyond having to press the "Next Page" button. It lasts for close to three weeks between charges, and I read a lot. Most of the books I have (85) I got for free, mostly classics, and some med. books. Amazon has their own wireless network, so I don't have to deal with AT&T, and while I can't do color, I can still read the NY Times, ect.
What I'm saying is that Apple is appealing a small crowd of well-to-do folks, who will fly all the way from Barcelona, Spain to buy whatever is the "Newest" trend, and that's a cart that many of us lower-income folks don't (or can't) jump on.
The Ipad is beautiful, no doubt. But it's like the Iphone: I just need a phone that takes/makes calls. I don't play games on my phone. I don't need to know where the "good" restaurants are. Don't need to know how to "get a date". Don't need to play music on the darn thing. Just a phone. Years from now, Apple may come up with an "everything" tablet that will justify my spending that kind of money, but for now, I'll keep my devices separate, because with this thing, if ya lose one (component), you lose all.
I like the Kindle for it's simplicity, portability, battery life, and the number of books available. Amazon has left itself plenty of "wiggle" room for innovation, and once all the hoopla dies down, you'll find that they'll maintain a strong following, because they're what most people can afford, something that Apple seems to think is irrelevant. Time will tell.