Unless you’ve been hiding away for the last week, no doubt you’ve heard Apple’s announcement of it’s newest consumer product…the “iPad”.

Since Wednesday’s announcement of the highly anticipated product the ‘net has been abuzz with reactions and initial reviews.  Reaction has been mixed with some saying that the iPad doesn’t live up to the all of the expectations that the public had for the new device…as anticipation for an Apple tablet has been building for years now (good Newsweek article here).  We’ve got to say, we were also bit surprised not to see a camera, GPS and Flash support (no Flash support, very shocking).  And the name…iPad….well, we won’t even go there (MadTV).

There are others in the technosphere that say that the iPad is a perfect fit for “netbook” consumers and will grab a slice of that growing computer industry (more from TUAW).

Earlier this week, before the big announcement, we speculated on ways that the iPad may change post-production on a Mac…or how it may support existing video creation technologies and software.  Initially…out of the box…the iPad is not specifically designed to work in conjunction with any Apple post-production products (or this information has not been released yet).    Videomaker Magazine caught up with Steve Wozinak (co-founder of Apple) and asked what effect he thought the iPad would have on the entertainment industry…

I don’t see it having a lot of roles in things like video editing or music  production…

BUT Steve, I think the big thing to remember here is that intially, the iPad may not support video production BUT as third party developers get their hands on the iPad SDK (also released this week) the possibilities for video production apps opens up.  Earlier this week we mentioned one blogger’s speculation that a tablet could provide a satellite accessory for Final Cut Pro.  ProLost thinks that a great application for the iPad would be a control surface for color correction.  Or as ProToolerBlog speculates, maybe someone will develop a music production interface for the iPad?


Sure, there are some things about the iPad we were surprised to see (or not see)….but the fact of the matter is, what we know now about the iPads capabilities doesn’t even graze the surface of what may be in the future….just as many of the iPhones greatest capabilities were created in Apps by third party developers.  The possibilities are endless…and that’s something to get excited about.

**It’s interesting to note that when the iPod was released back in 2001, more than a few people also speculated that it would be a commerical failure.  One person on this board wrote, “I still can’t believe this! All this hype for something so ridiculous!”  More at MacRumors.  Hindsight is 20/20.

***Engadget has released a really in-depth look at all aspects of the iPad.  Be sure to check it out here.

UPDATE:  Check out CandlerBlog’s in-depth look at the possibilities for the IPad in all stages of video/film production.