Since we are currently developing an awesome ipad game with MobileBits , it was essential for us to get our hands on the device early (at least for Europe). We have our Ipads now since the 6. April .. not bad 
So what is my first impression of the device? Overall it is clearly a winner – you feel you have the future in your hands .. at least the first version of it There are quite a few #fails in the product in the current status. Here is my first impression after playing around with it for almost 24 hours:
#wins:
- awesome product with clear USPs: replace your iphone in static situations (e.g. home, train, bar), replace your notebook for certain activities (mainly internet, checking mails) and entertain yourself/family/friends (games, pictures, videos …) in a new and unique way
- Battery life (10 hours + !!)
- Integrated speaker is great. You dont really need external speakers even in bigger rooms/balcony etc.
- Some of the new native Apps are awesome (e.g. YouTube App) .. some not so much (e.g. Mail app)
#fails
- charging seems to take ages (at least with my iPhone cable and while the iPad is running) .. have been charging now for 2 hours and only got like 10% more battery power
- Reports about “overheating issues” are true. Just tested the device in the sun (but only around 18 degrees) for lunch and it took only about 30 minutes and i got the “overheating” message. This sucks!
- Screen is not great in the sun but you can still read a book. Reflections are annoying. Amazon Kindle is probably much better in this regard.
- Probably my biggest complain: the iPad is quite heavy! It is a little bit too heavy to hold it comfortably in one hand .. in this regard it feels like an old Nokia cellphone like N95 which had all the great features but was just too big and too heavy to carry around. Lucky iPad: it does not want to be carried around much .. however i want to be able to hold it in one hand comfortably … this would be much more elegant!
- Auto-Brightness does not work as it should be … yesterday evening it was too bright for my eyes. Software will probably fix this.
- Multitasking is missing .. however this thursday will probably fix this
- Dont like the virtual keyboard .. even though i do like the iPhone virtual keyboard. Currently I cant imagine writing a long email, blog post etc. with this virtual keyboard … we’ll see
General thoughts:
- I want an 3G iPad .. sucks to sit outside in the bar and not be able to surf the internet. I guess this is one of the main USPs
- We will see totally different apps for the iPad than for the iPhone. Especially the games feel totally different. We need different controls and also different type of games. Especially multiplayer games on one iPad will be huge on the iPad
Overall the iPad so far was great for me in the following situations:
- reading a book sitting outside in the sun for lunch
- in the train watching a movie
- sitting on the couch at home surfing the internet
So it is a great device and will be even better in the years to come .. Steve has enough open improvements to bring a new better version every year