If you (like me) don’t own and haven’t used an iPad, you may enjoy John Gruber’s lengthy review. I think this bit is exactly right:
Kindle has a better chance of long-term success as a software platform than a hardware one. From day one I have wondered whether Amazon.com intended to make money on the Kindle or whether it was a proof-of-concept designed to spur the market for e-books. They’ve been aggressive about porting the Kindle reader to other platforms, and Amazon.com seems to be doing quite well selling digital music even though they don’t sell a music player. I imagine their margins are very good on e-books, regardless of whether or not the buyer purchased a Kindle.