"Where do i(pad) fit in?"

It is a pet peeve of mine for companies to simply introduce new products to the marketplace because they can.

With no phone capabilities and the inability to skype or video chat, the iPad seems to me to be a underserved, yet glorified laptop.

Where is its place in the market? A successful product should satisfy the needs of consumers that were once unmet; it should have a niche. However, with a phone, laptop and mp3 player of some sort in one's possession the need for this device is non-existent (unless the heat from the laptop on your stomach presents itself as that much of a nuisance).

I think I'll wait another year, when a better version inevitably becomes available, before I allow myself to become even mildly interested in the iPad...