I saw an iPad the other day.  It's very slick and stylish, but I don't quite know what I'd do with it (other than show it to people and say, "I have an iPad").

I wouldn't use an iPad for gaming, because I'm a "hardcore" gamer.  I wouldn't use it to read magazines, because I don't read magazines.  I wouldn't use it to read newspapers, because I get my news from RSS feeds with Google Reader.  I wouldn't use it to read books because I only read books to fall asleep and I wouldn’t want to drop an iPad on the floor.  I wouldn't use it to play videos, because I'd rather use the television so my wife could see it too.  I wouldn't use it for blogging, because typing a lot on the virtual keyboard would be a pain.  I might use it to read email but I wouldn’t use it to write email.  I definitely wouldn't use it for software development or word processing or editing photos and video.

What does that leave?  I could use it to browse the web or Google Reader on the couch, but that’s a small part of my day, and I have a netbook anyway.  I might use it to write Twitter posts on the couch, but again, I have a netbook for that.  I might sit it next to my desktop computer and load it with an e-book version of a programming reference, if such things are available for it.

Most likely an iPad in my house would sit on the end table by the couch, where I would occasionally pick it up during a TV show to either play some mindless casual game or look up something on the web.  Both of those things can easily be accomplished with my netbook - which has a keyboard, USB ports and even a webcam, and was cheaper.  For the shockingly rare occasions when I'd want a handy mobile device while traveling, I'd want something considerably more portable like a smartphone or an iPod Touch or a Zune HD.

So if it’s not right for me, who would it be right for?  From what I've seen, I'd only recommend an iPad for "collectors" (who would buy anything new), or for casual users that want to play simple games (along the lines of Solitaire), email short notes or surf the web -- who have good vision to see the small screen -- and aren't very good at typing so the virtual keyboard won’t frustrate them.  Other than that, I can only see an iPad being useful for really niche applications or remote data entry tasks.  Like, for example, an input device that a UPS driver or a nurse would carry around, or a control surface for music production or performance, or something like that.  Single-purpose stuff.

It'll be interesting to see what other tablet devices appear on the market.  Unlike after the iPhone launch, I think competitive Windows and Android tablets will appear very soon.  But I’m not sure what they could do differently to interest me.  Some USB ports would definitely be a nice starting point.