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Did you buy one? Either way, what's your take on it?

I borrowed one for a short period but just didn't find myself using it. When I'm at home I prefer to use my big 27-inch iMac and when I'm out and about my mobile phone does the job just fine for basic web browsing, etc. The iPad is far and away the best tablet computer to hit the market so far but for me to buy one it'd need to have a few killer apps that I can't accomplish with my existing devices. I tried to use it to browse the news websites on my daily commute but found the 3G broadband connection too slow and patchy, so have switched back to the trusty print edition.

There's been some confusion over what the tablet can do and how it differs from a laptop, can you elaborate?

The iPad is a content consumption device. The gorgeous display and touch screen interface make it perfect for browsing the web, watching video, playing games and flicking through photos, but the on-screen keyboard is a pain to type on and it lacks other laptop features such as a webcam and the ability to completely customise the operating system. You can buy a keyboard dock accessory, but who wants to carry that around? And, if you're going to be using it like a laptop, there are a lot more affordable netbooks out there.

Now that we've seen version 1.0, how do you think the apps and the tablet itself will evolve? What is missing and what will make it better?

The apps will only get better as developers get a better idea of how people are using the device and adapt their ideas accordingly. The main benefit of the iPad is the ability to enhance the traditional print product with video, photo galleries, interactive feature articles, etc, but so far what I've seen is cut-down versions of the websites or glorified PDFs. If local media companies invest the same resources in their tablet apps as US publications such as Wired magazine, I think the potential is huge.

Do you think it will save the newspaper industry?

The jury is still out on that one. I think one of the main issues with porting newspapers to the iPad is, how do you make it sufficiently different from the website to make people pay? Do you just upload a static version of the day's newspaper? Or do you update it throughout the day? And how do you design it so the user experience is better or different to the standard newspaper website? I don't have the answers, but I'll be watching intently. If people are going to pay, it has to offer something more than what they're currently getting for free online.

On the other hand, I think the iPad has the potential to completely revolutionise the magazine industry. The size of the device is perfect for magazines, as opposed to a broadsheet newspaper, and the tablet just brings them to life. Designers have long had to see their hard work stripped away in favour of slabs of text when the magazine is put online, but with the iPad, all of the original layout can remain in tact while there is also the opportunity to add further interactive elements, video, audio and photo galleries.

One Australian media app that I have been very impressed with is the ABC's, which is awash with video, radio and other content. The broadcaster is even talking about putting live TV on there. But, of course, they don't have to worry about commercial pressures.

What about advertising? We know advertisers will be able to track readers and their behaviours, but will it work?

Assuming there is a critical mass of readers, there is the potential to charge a lot more for tablet ads than for standard online ads. With the iPad, we can go back to the full-page, nicely designed creative we're used to in print, but this time add interactive layers and video. For instance, a car company can allow readers to see what the car looks like with different modifications and then, using one touch, show the car on the road in a pop-out video. If the audience gravitates to tablets, I think companies will pay significantly more for this kind of engagement.

What do you know about Google's tablet? Release date, functionality, and is it serious competition for the iPad?

This has been one of the big disappointments this year. Google-based tablets from a range of manufacturers were expected to land earlier this year, but so far all we saw out of the big Taiwan companies like Asus and MSI were tablets based on Windows 7. The Google Android tablets are coming slowly, and they will definitely provide some hefty competition to the iPad by the end of the year.

Just look at the mobile space, where Android-based phones are fast encroaching on the iPhone in terms of features, design, sales and manufacturer support. Hardware makers are lapping up Android because of it's free, open-source nature, which lets them customise the interface to their heart's content. And because so many phones from a range of manufacturers now run Android, developers are populating the platform with thousands of new apps every week.

Asher Moses is the Technology Editor across smh.com.au, theage.com.au, watoday.com.au and brisbanetimes.com.au. He was an Online finalist in this year's Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year Awards. These are his personal views, not those of Fairfax.

Image courtesy of www.apple.com