"Let’s make one thing clear: I want an iPad. I want everyone to want one so that we can use them creatively together. But I also wanted a Sony Reader and a Kindle. I want a chumby. I want all kinds of things that ordinary people would never dream of wanting. The iPad, if I try to look at it dispassionately, is essentially a media player that’s too large to carry around comfortably in your pocket, too small to be preferable for movie viewing to your TV, and could even represent a significant recurring money drain if you get 3G service. It’s an e-reader, yes, but by and large, people aren’t yet really lining up to get at those."

Exciting: oh yes. But necessary?