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In and of itself, not much. Apple’s greatest asset with their media products is the extensive online store and rights management network they have built and reinforced with the iTV deal, iPods and iPhone which hasn’t really changed significantly in the past few years. The iTunes Store is what gives the iPad value (h.264 codec too ;). The technology for tablet PCs has been around for quite awhile and is nothing new. The careful staging and evolution that has lead to the iPad in catering to programmers, musicians, the general user, and it’s operating system have allowed for a unique level of evolution by providing a new crucial building block in their expansion and evangelization.

The pervasiveness of tablet PC usage in everyday life and the extension of Apples reach is the real value of the iPad. Software and integration of the iPad into specific industries will not only make them more productive respectively(providing Level-G with great and exciting and relevant work), but allow for a closer relationship with technology than we have previously had in many aspects of daily life.

Although the value of the tech. and net. are great, this does not mean that Apple will forever be infallible. They must continue to adjust their network according to new media developments on the internet as well as pricing and integration that the public demands on a regular basis in order to maintain their powerful market. The nature of the internet suggests they should stay on their toes and not take their success for granted, ahem..like other companies.

This also means the hardware must keep changing too, but I’m sure apple will keep us interested for a good while to come. It is clear they know the value of meeting the hardware needs of us people as it changes and the rewards of doing so successfully and what that means.

I personally eagerly anticipate more fluid and pervasive integration with technology. The original ‘tablet pc’ company, Asustek, is consistently making advances in wearable computing to keep ahead of the curve with products in development such as the wrist smartphone with flexible screen. It is basically a phone on your wrist, and I think it’s pretty damn cool. There are many other types of hci in development and I thoroughly look forward to bursts of competitive marketing for these technologies in the very near future. Another example would be gestural computing, neural mapping, and eye tracking, although there are hurdles to overcome, never underestimate the power of the ‘digital band wagon’. Display technologies are also very interesting these days with transparent screens, flexible screens, and projection technology, and 3d television.

Apple has proven the rule again that entertainment drives a lot of general technological development. Specifically computing, movies and gaming seem to be driving the interesting development. Not to mention DARPA.