Here at Thinq we like to plan for the person using the device, rather than for the device itself – devices such as the recently released (to unprecedented anticipation) Apple iPad. But here I get stuck…. Just who will use the iPad?

The early adopting gadget addict? Let’s call him Michael. Sure, he’ll probably want it, may even line up to buy it, but I predict the iPad’s shininess will rub off quickly…..  The inability to multi-task applications will drive him mad (what, I can’t check my emails and watch a movie at the same time? Or listen to Pandora and surf the web?). I can hear his scoffs now.

How about Gary, an on-the-go businessman? He wants to impress potential clients with slick presentations on a lightweight device – the iPad will certainly do that. But will he have time to figure out how to use Keynote, the only presentation software the iPad will support? And does he really need another device (he’s already got a laptop, desktop computer, and iPhone). More importantly, will his IT department buy it for him?

Then there’s Cary, a uni student sick of lugging stacks of text books around. She loves the iPad her Dad bought her. It holds all her textbooks, she can research on the web between classes and take notes with it during lectures. But the 10 hr battery life means she keeps getting caught out in class with a dead iPad because she forgot to charge it overnight. And although the LCD screen looks pretty (much prettier than the e-Ink based Kindle), she can’t see it in the sunny courtyard between classes. And whilst the iPad’s price tag is low, I’m not sure it’s low enough for a student budget if Daddy doesn’t cough up the dough.

Which leaves Helen, an avid book reader. Her favourite room in the house is the study, which is packed with books she’s collected over the years. She hasn’t bought a Kindle yet because she thinks it looks and feels “clunky” and loses the romanticism of reading a real book. But the cheaper prices from the iBooks online store, and the iPad interface have convinced her it’s time to jump into the eReader market (even if she does have a giggle every time she sees the name iPad).  Then she discovers that Random House, the world’s biggest publisher, isn’t supported by iBooks…

So who will buy the iPad (aside from Pee-wee)? Well, I’m not sure droves of people will. But then whilst there are some big gaps in expected functionality (tough crowd), it’s bound to revolutionise the way we consume media.

When you think about it, the original iPod simply stored and played music. The iPad already does a lot more than just store books. It stores and plays music and movies, stores your photo albums and provides an unprecedented large screen, touch based web browsing experience. And that’s just the native applications – what apps are developers the world over dreaming up for the iPad right now? So it’s already leaps ahead of where the original iPod was, and look how that’s shaped mobile communications.

But what about you, would you buy it? And if so, how would you use it?