>What started out as an effort to satisfy some friends has quickly turned into a who’s who of Australian media! First my mate Jon Dee – runner up Australian of the Year 2010 (also Planet Ark fame and Do Something!) wanted an iPad and then Stephen Fenech (of the Fenech Family fame) and Editor of The Daily Telegraph’s Connect column wanted one too.

I spent the late afternoon sipping tea and talking Tablets with these two gentlemen on Monday afternoon and by the end of it felt better about the IT space. Ironically not because they had converted me to a devoted iPad lover but because of the sense of commitment and passion around Tablet seemed somewhat escalated this year.

As we were spearheaded by Jon regarding the App Store, and his latest arrays of expenditures, I understood just how significant Tablets are to mobility becoming an accepted form of computing. With both PC and Apple Tablets there is a sense of freedom, a sense of accomplishment and a sense of empowerment which comes with being able to compute on the road and on the go. I remember my first exposure to Tablet PC and how it revolutionised the way I worked; it seems the “Minority Report” dreams of mobile computing are no longer a dream at all and rapidly becoming a reality.

What I am excited about most is how Apple’s iPad has pushed mainstream PC manufacturers like Dell and HP to look for ways to compete and therefore offer more compelling mobile computing solutions which will include things like proper multi-tasking, full uncompromised Operating Systems and ports! HAHA! I am looking forward to Apple’s touch experience being more common place on PCs and things battery life increases too. Overall Tablets I a good place this year!

In other news, last week I presented at the Sydney Mobile User Group (#SYDMO). It was hosted at the City Hotel and ended up being a great night. I took the TEGA Tablet and the iPad and had fun showcasing it to the many folks at the event. I met @TheLatteGuy who then invited me to do a similar presentation on Wednesday (21st April) at #wscm, 54 Norton St Leichhardt. So if you’re in Sydney and want to hang out and Talk Tablets! Pop in for coffee between 8am and 10am.

>I almost laughed at the irony of all this. I was asked before the “big” announcement by many journalists about my opinion of the iPad. While I could not say anything for sure one thing I could warn them about was about limited functionality in our region. For example, while we love the USA, the relevancy of the New York Times to our daily influx of news rates lower than residents of the USA (no offence, but there is obvious truth in that). Not to mention iBook club will almost unquestionably not accept payment methods from non-USA residents.

The other dilemma, which is intentionally being referenced in this email, is just how difficult it is to certify electrical goods in AU/NZ therefore presenting another potential hiccup on the road ahead for Australia and new Zealand iPad lovers. I think it also adds weight to what I was suggesting in my post yesterday, i.e. how everyone missed the point of the iPad.

Here is the lengthy disclaimer. Given it made up 80% over the text content of the email I would say AU and NZ residents are in for some hurt.

Some features and applications are not available in all areas. Application availability and pricing are subject to change.

This is the email:
(which links to this page)