So the web is currently flourishing with posts on how awesome the new Apple iPad is, but is it really that awesome?

It’s no secret I am no Apple fanboy, in fact the closest I have gotten to owning a Apple was the Granny Smiths in my kitchen. Its not that I can’t afford it, it just there is always something lacking when it comes to functionality in Apple products and I always find that there is something better for either the same price or cheaper.

Last year when I had to choose a new phone I was torn between the iPhone or the HTC Hero, eventually went with the Hero and the reason was simply that the iPhone and multitasking is just not big friends and I haven’t looked back yet on that decision I made and thought maybe I should have gone with the iPhone.

There I was last night, tuning in on the live streams and blogs awaiting this awesome product, after 45 minutes just closing everything in disappointment without listening further. What I saw was just an oversized iPod Touch renamed as the Apple iPad.

The bezel is just plain huge, sure you are saying its to prevent touching the screen accidentally while holding the device. I you don’t want to touch the screen then don’t buy a touch screen device. Then Steve Jobs went and said the iPad was there to do things better like browsing the web and consuming digital media. How can the iPad do this better when it doesn’t even have flash support? And the fact that the iPad does not support MKV format for high definition video also lost me. Not that I would use it for watching videos or playing music, that’s what I have my LCD and Home Theater system for.

Was the iPad designed for portability? I for one would think so as it is something between a laptop and smartphone, but don’t think it will replace either. The iPad has no built in camera so there goes shooting some movies or pics on the go, and typing a full article on a touch screen device that takes up half of the screen? I would rather stick with my netbook for that.

One good thing that I would say the iPad could be good for is to bring competition to the eBook market, and clearly Apple is targeting that market with their release of their iBook store. I bet new Kindle users are kicking themselves in the head right now.

In all I don’t see the Apple iPad replacing my netbook or smartphone anytime soon, and I certainly won’t be carrying another device around with me. The iPad does have that nice look as do all the other Apple products, but when it comes to functionality I won’t just buy one yet.