The very first thing I did was stroke the back, and say: "I want one". It is without a doubt a beautiful device, even by Apple's high standards. The build quality is extremely good, with a full metal casing like an MBP. That's an important point to note, as you can see in the pictures too, it's not a shiny scratchable surface like the iPods.
As I tinkered with it some more I came to the conclusion, yes, it is a large iPod Touch, but what you can do, and what Apple has done, in terms of the interface, with that extra real estate is phenomenal. The best addition is the sidebar type menu that some apps feature, allowing you to change between screens, without hopping back out to a main menu type screen, particularly useful in the Settings app, but I'm sure it will be implemented in wondrous ways.
The landscape springboard is also a neat feature. A hard to explain why I'd want it, but it is something I have always tried (and of course, it doesn't work) on my Touch. I am also incredibly glad they include the orientation lock button, this also bothers me on the Touch, when I'm lying in bed reading a website or something and it flips around, even though I'm still looking at the device in portrait, despite it's gravitational landscape position... I hope this will be included in future Touch generations.
If the Apple logo on the back wasn't potrait, there would be nothing stopping me from using it permanently landscape, providing all apps supported it, of course. But if we can remember, on the MacBooks (Or PowerBook/IBook then I presume...) it started off the other way up. So that when you lifted the lid anyone you were sat opposite saw it upside down, but when you closed the lid it was the "right" way up. So who knows? Maybe that'll change on the iPad, after all, in landscape it is very much more computery, and if Apple want it to replace the computer for people-who-don't-use-the-computer-much [Read: Noone reading this site] then that maybe the sort of thing they need to look into.
Like it as I do, I just can't justify the Apple Tax. 16GB wouldn't cut it. A 64GB WiFi would set me back £599 and quite frankly - that is ridiculous. I do use the computer "much", I use several, and a lot. If I were to buy an iPad it would fulfill a small purpose, mainly holidays. But, a netbook is much more powerful and convenient for everydayness when on the go, and for travelling will play some music or movies just fine. For the price difference between a 16GB + 64GB (£170) I could probably buy about 3TB worth of external hard drive for storing all these movies.
It is overpriced. But then, it is beautiful.
