Simon Hackett points out that Microsoft have missed the boat in terms of becoming a vertically integrated 'computing experience' provider. He says that Apple:

have created (and with the iPad, are continuing to broaden) an integrated line of hardware and software into a consistent form of user experience that leverages deep integration between software and hardware to create something larger than the sum of its parts. That ecosystem (hardware, software, application delivery platform, content delivery platform) is so seamlessly tied together that the places where the pieces interconnect are almost invisible.

The shift from using the stylus on my old Windows based PDA to Apple's touch screen is a quantum leap. There is no going back. The iPad is not on sale in Australia yet, though a few have managed to get some when they were in the US.

Though dismissed as a fashion accessory by some, it is clear that the iPad is going to shake up the publishing industry. Magazines that cost $12 each will now cost $15-20 a year; coffee table books will cost $20 and books $10. It won't take the iPad long to pay for itself.