Apple Inc. has announced its new multi-touch iPad will be available for sale in March of 2010. The tablet-style computer will have print, video, photo, multimedia and Internet browsing capabilities, and can also run most iPhone apps.

At just 1.5 pounds, it’s more portable than a laptop, and the 10-hour battery far exceeds the typical laptop experience, which drains after a couple or three hours. It’s even thinner than the super-thin Macbook  Air.

CEO Steve Jobs is touting the iPad as a fantastic web browsing device. “iPad offers the best web browsing experience there is-way better than laptops,” Jobs says. Yet, it didn’t take long after the oohing and aahing for the criticisms to roll in, and most of them are focused on what the iPad can’t do: can’t take pictures, no video chat, no Flas, etc.

Why are some people downright giddy with excitement over the iPad while some are saying “pish-posh?” Because it’s not for everyone, and therein lies the genius of the iPad. Apple has had the forethought to make a product specifically for the group of people who need it, tapping a niche market in the process.

Sure, there are things an iPad can’t do –things a computer already does. A large number of people around the world daily are using a piece of equipment that is expensive, complicated and cumbersome, and they’re using it to check their Facebook status and watch YouTube videos.

It’s like using a bazooka to kill a gnat.

Consider toast. If all you want is toasted bread, it would be silly to buy a toaster oven. It would be a waste of money to be talked into a wide-slot bagel toaster. You just want toast; you just need a toaster. Period.

Car manufacturers are doing the same thing when they target specific audiences with specific features, and its a brilliant way to market. Lately, you’ve probably noticed a lot of car commercials touting innovative stereos. You may have even thought, “Hey, that looks handy.” At the same time, some folks are sitting on the couch grumbling that they don’t care about the stereo when they’re buying a car.

When a company markets specifically to a niche group, it’s naturally going to alienate those who don’t fit in.

Apple itself is focusing on the iPad’s use for emails, browsing and photos, and for a lot of consumers, that’s exactly what they need and want. Do you think that doesn’t sound like enough? Then the iPad isn’t for you. Move on.

For those who just want toast, though, this is one helluva toaster.

By Elizabeth Kelly