After the iPad

As I sit here at McDonalds, drinking 75 cent coffee while checking mail on my iPad (conveniently nesting in the steering wheel) using McD's free wifi, I'm reminded of one of my first thoughts about the iPad. "You think this is neat? Just wait for the "Pro" version."

An updated "Air" could be it: a ubiquitous mini-laptop that runs real software applications when needed but can instantly morph into a go-anywhere entertainment and social networking tool... all in an iPad (or MacBook Air) lookalike product... for an appropriate price.

The hard things have been done already: Thin, light, long battery life, bright display (LCD now but changing to OLED could improve both image quality and battery life) fast, optical disk sharing, optional external conventional keyboard and mouse or stylus, and high volume production.

Emphasis on the operating system makes sense. The next big thing will have to start out with a dual-mode user interface with both traditional keyboard/mouse and touch capabilities.