iPad - the new ______ insert your idea here

The iPad is a device that has everyone talking about it before actually using it.  Already camps are digging in to make sure that there idea of what it is, is correct.  From everything that I have read and conversations that I have had, it seems that none are wrong, or right, for that matter.  Why?

Is the iPad a phone, no, although it could be (theoretically).  Is it an iPod, yes and no.  Is it a computer, yes and no (it could theoretically take the place of the airbook).  So, it is none of these exactly, and yet it is all of these as well.  Some think it should have a keyboard and monitor option, as it is more of WiFi device and as such can only be used in locations with a WiFi connection.  True.  However, it has been said that a 3G version will also be available, hence the phone option.  This would make it infinitely more portable, yet it would also be bulkier than most existing phones.  The current big noise is that it is a bulked up ereader.  Yup.  It sure is.  That is why when Jobs said it is anything you want it to be, he was correct.  Apple has a unique ability to create devices that solve certain problems today, but also solve problems that we may not even realize we have.

The iPhone, was the first in a breed of truly smart phones (arguably it could be the BB, but bear with me).  With the iPhone, we were given an iPod touch with a phone in it.  Did many of see that that was all it was?  Yup.  Hoever, it has become apparent, through cloud computing and other technologies, that the iPhone is a MAC in your pocket.  Eliminating, for many meetings, the need to carry a laptop with you.  It aslo allows, through the appstore, an infinite number of variations, that allow the user to make the iPhone work in any way they see fit.  In other words, it is infinitely customizable and pliable to the whims and needs of the individual user.  By extension, I see the same thing with the iPad.  It is not any of the above, but at the same time it is.

If we all continue to think in the keyboard and monitor paradigm, I think we miss the point.  Why do I need a dedicated monitor or keyboard?  The iPad has both, it is both.  It is also a net device, and a lot of other things.  What other things?  I do not know!!  That is just it!  No one really does.  I suspect not even the people at Apple fully comprehend the implications of what they have created.  I've used the term gamechanger around this, I do not think it is incorrect.  But truthfully only time will tell.