Has Apple done it again?

We won't know until March, but the Apple iPad (I don't like the name as much as iTablet) will either create another revolution or ... maybe not. If you check the Apple demo at the iTunes store, you'll be impressed -- a number of Apple senior VPs, ones involved in iPad's creation -- speak eloquently about the product. If Amazon does -- as is says -- sell three Kindle e-books for every 10 paper and print books, the battle for control of e-reading should be interesting in 2010.

Of course Apple's pad does a bunch of stuff--shows videos, handles e-mail, surfs the net, has color and much of the interactive appeal of the iPod and iPhone. The pricing for iPad starts at $599. That is more than the competition, chiefly Kindle and SONY, but the iPad does all that Kindle and SONY do, plus lots more (did I mention color, e-mail and videos, including movies; did I mention 10-hour battery life, which may be enough for three or four movies during a long flight?). I thought of it as a quiet way to take notes, too, since the on-Pad keyboard looks interesting (it's almost the size of a standard laptop keyboard).

I think I would have named it Alexandria, in honor of the famous library, but I guess that wouldn't fit with the "I" motif.

What do you think will happen in March? Will the iPad sell like hotcakes? Should we buy Apple stock now?

Have a great week.

About the Author
Richard Hoe

Richard Hoe

Richard Hoe, ChFC, CLU, AEP has been an investment professional for 40 years, and is a registered representative and investment advisor representative. He has been writing professionally for more than 50 years, and is a member of the adjunct faculty at the California Institute of Finance, a graduate school at California Lutheran University that offers an MBA in financial planning. The information in Mr. Hoe’s columns is intended for financial professionals only, not the general public. Opinions expressed are not a solicitation to buy or sell any specific security. Mr. Hoe may have positions in the securities or other investments discussed in his columns.

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