Alright, alright, I’ll stop shouting.  But just in case you haven’t been subject to the media bombardment surrounding Apple’s newest tech toy, the ‘bigger-than-an-iPhone-and-smaller-than-a-laptop’ gadget has been causing quite the stir among technology lovers everywhere.

Reminiscent of Star Trek’s PADD (Personal Access Display Device), the iPad has been proclaimed as “the best way to experience the web, email, and photos”.  This may be true, but I was hoping the newest Apple wunder-gadget would have a few more of the things that most people consider essential in a personal computing device.

No USB port?
No multitasking?
No camera?
No SD Card Slot?

I mean, c’mon…when held captive, Dr Arik Soong was able open every lock in an entire San Francisco prison using nothing but his PADD! Alright, maybe that was in space, on television, and about 150 years in the future. But still… no camera?!  Even my bulky laptop has a camera in it.

Call me a Luddite, but I’m pretty content with my current technology setup.  Perhaps I will be more inclined to pull out my credit card when version two or three comes along – or when the elements I consider a necessity are included.

But that’s just my opinion.  The bigger question is:  How will the iPad fare in the eyes of increasing tech-savvy real estate agents?  The iPad has the potential to be a game changer for real estate.

Just how, you ask?  Here’s just a few of the benefits we spotted…

- Real Time Access – make appointments, check your email, or make VOiP calls anywhere
- High def video, pictures, and virtual tours of properties
- Digital listing presentations
- Bring up neighborhood goodies from the likes of Google Street View, Yelp, or Zillow
- Possibilities for future killer apps are almost limitless. Custom mobile-CRM anyone?
- Go paperless – take care of contracts on the fly. Faxes are so 1980.

So what do you think?  Do you plan on investing in your very own modern day PADD?  Will you pre-order or brave the mobs when the iPad hits store shelves and give ‘the best online experience ever’ a try, or is this just another case of too much hype and not enough substance?