Or iPhone?
I just realized that when I come here on my iPhone there’s no earthlink involved. At least not that I can see. Is this so, and is it the same for an iPad? I’ve had iPhone since the first, and never noticed.
I can drop earthlink? If so, it’s bye bye computer, hello iPad. In a few months. 
Peace,
mangeorge.
The same is true for almost all phones - the phone company is your ISP, there is no extra charge beyond what you pay for data access
And when they say “unlimited data,” they really mean “unlimited up to 5 gigabytes per month.”
An iPad is not a computer. It’s essentially just a big iPhone that you can’t make phone calls with. It’s not a replacement for a real computer, or even a netbook.
You would be surprised at how many people don’t need a “real” computer…
I have unlimited data on T Mobile, I have never heard of anyone being charged for using too much data.
You have unlimited data access on TMobile.
Although TMobile is a bit nicer than AT&T or Verizon-- they cap at 10 gigs and then start throttling your connection.
Still, it’s not unlimited in the sense most consumers would take the word unlimited to mean.
The real problem with the iPad is that it, like the iPhone, can only run one application at a time.
If you are used to using a modern operating system, you will have to endure a distinct change in mode when using one of these gizmos.
This seems like a really silly limitation to me.
I was all set on buying one until I read about this. Funny how Apple doesn’t heavily advertise this feature. Also it doesn’t do Flash. Yes, I know they are pushing HTML5 but still.
It’s not going to be a limitation for long: http://m.gizmodo.com/site?sid=gizmodoip&pid=JuicerHub&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fgizmodo.com%2F5506488%2Funconfirmed-how-multitasking-will-work-in-iphone-os-40%3Fop%3Dpost%26refId%3D5506488
I don’t doubt it. But those buying an iPad and expecting to be able to do simple things like open a Word document, run a Flash program, run two programs at once, or even just play a CD or DVD will be sorely disappointed. Base models only carry 16GB of storage, maxing at 64GB for a cool $200 premium; up to $829 if you want 3G (which many will). I could fill 64GB in a couple of minutes, let alone 16.
Note that you don’t need an ISP if you use only the 3G services (and note that the 3G iPad isn’t even available yet). If you want to access a WiFi network (and today’s release is only of the WiFi product), you may still need an ISP account.
Some devices nativity support tethering, which is using the phone (ipad?) to basically be a modem, so you don’t need a separate ISP.
I was able to use a Verizon 3G PC card in my laptop to run a wired network through internet connection sharing. Also a recent IIRC Verizon cellphone will act as a WiFi hotspot. I don’t know about Apple devices.
Amazing how Apple discovered multitasking after Android starts to become popular.
Multitasking on my Droid is a pain when background apps drain the battery, getting a ‘task killer’ is a must - and beyond the ken of many users - who just complain about lousy battery life. As noted, multitasking is coming with the 4.0 release of the OS.
IMHO, mostly ‘geeks like us’ really care about multitasking, my wife and mother don’t know and don’t care - they are more confused than helped by multiple windows.
I watched my wife use her iPad all morning without a complaint or help from me - this is not true with the computers in my house.
Back to the OP, to get web access without an ISP on an iPad, you will need the ‘3G’ model that has a cellular connection in addition to WIFI. It is not for sale for a couple of weeks and will cost you between $15 and $30 per month.
Normal people (non-geeks) multi-task all day on a regular PC or Mac. Why should their phone be any different?
But if you really don’t like multitasking I found out there is a version of DOS you can buy on a new Dell PC. 
Saying the iPad isn’t a computer is just silly. Of course it’s a computer. It’s a more powerful computer than anything you could buy ten years ago. It’s got a keyboard (built in, on the touch screen, or with a dock). It’s got all kinds of I/O (bluetooth, wi-fi, USB, dock connector).
For that matter, an iPod touch is also a computer. So is an iPhone.
No, it doesn’t run flash, and it doesn’t multi-task. But then, a PC doesn’t have a touch screen either. They all have their limitations and features.
Multi-tasking is not as necessary as some think. They think you need it because on desktop machines it takes a long time to switch between apps. But if you can open and close apps with a finger swipe and it takes a couple of seconds, the need to multi-task goes way down. And note that the iPad does multi-task - you can play music while using another app, or download files in the background. The multi-tasking is just not brought up to the desktop application level. I don’t really have a problem with that, given what this device is intended to do.
Those of you who don’t see the need for this are seriously underestimating how much value user interface and user experience issues add or subtract from a device. I used to read e-books on my PDA, and thought it was okay. But in the end, I rarely used it - basically if I was stuck somewhere and had to wait for a while, I’d read on my PDA. But I never found myself choosing to read it at home if I had the book available. On the other hand, I bought my wife a Kindle, and it’s so much better for reading that I find myself actively avoiding print books. It’s just a better experience on the Kindle.
So while the PDA ebook reader was kind of a cool gimmick that was sometimes useful, the Kindle changed the way we read books. And the only difference is user interface - a more readable screen, easier buttons, fewer clicks and less time to get from startup to be back reading where we left off.
I suspect the iPad will be much like that. I rarely watch movies on my computer, even though I can. Because ultimately, I don’t want to watch a movie sitting in a chair. But with an iPad, I can lie on the bed or sit on the couch and just watch. That seems like a much better experience.
And I absolutely hate trying to use information applications on a netbook. I hate the awkward clamshell shape, the need to navigate with a touchpad and pointer, and in general it’s just not that great an experience. An iPad with a touch screen should be much better - especially with the usability features of the iPhone OS.
A netbook is a single-person tool. The displays generally don’t have a very good viewing angle, and the clamshell shape means people have to sit side by side. As a result, it’s never used as a group interaction device. An iPad has an IPS screen with nearly a 180 degree viewing angle, and being flat you can put it on a table and many people can interact with it.
Being a tablet, it’s much easier to remove from a bag and casually read or use to look up something. A netbook isn’t that convenient - If I were waiting in a line, I wouldn’t be pulling out my netbook and balancing it in my hands to use it. But the iPad? Absolutely.
Basically, it’s the details that matter. If you’re just thinking, “Bah, just a big iTouch”, or “I don’t need one because I have a netbook”, then you’re just not getting this thing. Wait a month or two until you hear what people say - I predict just about everyone will want one.
A) because a phone screen doesn’t have real estate to see multiple applications at once.
B) because you don’t do the same things on a phone.
C) because on a PC, most people use multitasking because of the tedious save/close/open/wait for hard drive load process of closing and opening apps. If a phone can do this with the same number of clicks or touches that it would take to bring up a task switcher, and it can load apps almost instantly, it’s functionally the same thing.
D) real multi-tasking (as opposed to a replacement for task switching) is supported. You can still download in the background or listen to music or be alerted by events while surfing or playing a game.
I will buy one if it runs Android
I indeed do little multitasking. And 3G is 1/2 half the cost of earthlink. Even more important, ATT will bill ebill at my credit union and I can pay manually each month. Earthlink won’t let me do that, and that annoys the shit out of me. I pay their penalty and pay them electronically anyway.
I’m away from WIFI a lot, so I can really use 3G.
I was concerned about photos, but I see I can load them from my iPhone. So far, iPad has everything I need. I even like the (extra cost) case, but someone will probably top that.