Steve led up to the unveiling of iPad with a few statements about HOW to create a third category of products between a mobile phone and a laptop. His key point (and one I’ve made before; self high-five) is that a Tablet must do the things it does BETTER than a smartphone or a mobile phone.

It’s early, and I don’t expect to have a chance to play with an iPad for months, but I think I can say a few things. Here are the things it does better than a laptop and/or smartphone.

Web Browsing – Multi-touch is pretty much made for it.
Connectivity – AT&T deal (despite network issues) is pretty great
Apps – They are great on iPhone, they don’t exist on Macbooks.
Ebooks – Perfect form factor for it. Will be great for students

But there are a lot of things that laptops/smartphones do much better.

Communication – typing at length seems to be awkward here, email/no telephony (right now at least)
Portability – Like it or not, you will need a separate bag for this
Music – This is tied a bit to the size, but iPhone crushes it for this

Jury is still out on

Multi-tasking
Productivity (Exchange, etc.)

There is simply too much overlap. I don’t want to speak in absolutes so soon after the launch of this product, but I don’t see incremental benefit enough in this tablet to stray someone away from a Macbook or an Smartphone. It’s sexy as hell, but is it meeting any needs that are not met in my life? Right now I’m in a coffee shop on my Macbook using TMO wifi with an iPhone for everything else. In this scenario, there is ZERO need for anything iPad is bringing to market.

Unless you are a student of course (textbooks will be huge). And until they launch Microsoft Office for iPad (for professionals such as myself). But I already spoke about that.

-Joenandez