With less than a week into much-hyped April 3-launch of the Apple iPad, the early users find themselves on either of the two sides of what can be considered the apparent iPad ‘divide’ – with those admiring the capabilities of the touch-screen multimedia tablet on one side, and those slamming it as bulky, underwhelming gadget on the other side.

While those users who admire the iPad vouch for its portability and its 9.7-inch screen for reading, Web-surfing and other content consumption purposes; those who pan the device cite its hefty $499 price-tag, its problematic Wi-Fi connectivity, and its obvious limitations like lack of camera, physical keyboard, memory card or USB port.

No matter on which of the two sides the people who have had personal time with the iPad may be, the countless comments for and against the device have actually brought back the ever-nagging question of the device back to mind – ‘what - and who - on earth is such a unique gadget good for?’

Going by the reviews about the device, it appears more of an in-home entertainment gadget – a fun, family entertainment device - practically much more suitable for the living room or bedroom rather than for the users on the go.

Apparently, a netbook is a more suitable and more economical choice for routine utilitarian jobs like online bill payments, reading e-mails, and Web surfing!