It has quickly emerged that many products already exist with the name iPad, including bra pads and shoulder pads:
[T]here is an iPad made just for Victoria and her secrets. A small Canadian company called Coconut Grove Pads Inc. has been making a line of polyurethane bra inserts and shoulder pads registered as the iPad, since 2007.
.... There also may be a more serious issue. Japanese computer company Fujitsu Ltd. also markets a device called the iPad. The handheld device is made for retail stores to help them manage inventory, do checkouts on the spot and communicate with co-workers. The Fujitsu iPad has been in use since 2002. The company applied for a trademark on the name in 2003, according to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records. The trademark was never granted to Fujitsu, however, and a fight is now brewing as Apple considers whether to file an objection with the agency to claim its right to the name.
I haven't seen an iPad (of any type, insert or electronic). But based on what I have read, I don't think I would want one of Apple's. It is not as convenient to use as an older-style tablet PC and it is too big to carry in my pocket. In other words, it would be yet another gizmo to carry around, and it wouldn't fit in my pocket.
My reaction: why bother? and judging from the slight downward trend in the price of Apple's stock since news of the product began coming out over a month ago, maybe analysts share my perception.
It might be another example of a glitzy product that some people will rush out to buy but others will rationally avoid. If that happens, Apple can rename it the iEdsel. Or maybe iBetaMax.