If your "facts" are that no one can provide a product beyond the iPad that is a slate tablet bigger than pocket-sized that can run third-party apps, but not have (from the user's perspective) a general-purpose OS, and cost no more than $500, then, yeah, okay.

I'm not sure what the point of that fact is, though. The iPad is not totally pointless. I'm sure that there are people out there who want all of those things in a single device, but there aren't many.

My point is that there is nothing that it can do that another device can't do just as well, if not better, often for a lower price, unless you absolutely want all of those exact features in a single device.

If you want an eBook reader, you can get a Kindle or a Nook for less, with a screen far more appropriate to that purpose and with a battery that will last an order of magnitude longer. And if you want to be able to download new books from anywhere (that is, have non-wifi data access), the Kindle or Nook is far cheaper. (As an aside, I have a first gen Kindle, and I'd far rather read lengthy things on it than on an actively screen any day. Okay, unless there was no other source of light. That would be tough. They should build a LightWedge-type light into the Kindle. Seems there was a good solution for the Sony Reader.)

If you want an iPhone, you can get an iPhone or an iPod Touch for less and have what's likely to be a more cohesive experience with the 3rd party apps, and be able to carry it around in your pocket. Or an Android or Blackberry or Palm smartphone, if the specific apps aren't what you're looking for.

If you want a digital photo frame, you can definitely get one of those for far less. (Though most of those, admittedly, seem to be absolute trash. I'm holding out for color ePaper, FWIW.)

If you want something that can run spreadsheet, presentation, and word processing software, you can get any of various computers that will do that undoubtedly better than the iPad will, with a real keyboard, and with video output.

If you really want something that can do all of those things, but only one at a time, and don't mind that it does each of them less well than the more appropriate devices, then, yeah, the iPad's your man. But who exactly is in that demographic?