Macworld — The iPad itself is nothing but a support system for its software. Years ago, a company -- I think it was Exidy -- tried to sell software as just a plastic bag full of electrons but they encountered considerable consumer resistance. Ever since then, no company has been so bold as to try to sell apps without some sort of computer out there for it to run on.

Slideshow: iPad Apps: A Sneak Peek
Slideshow: Apple's iPad: The Key Capabilities, at a Glance

And the iPad is certainly the single most software-focused computer on the market. Apple (AAPL) emphatically makes this point with every step of the iPad's design: it's a picture frame for software. And like a real picture frame, if you take notice of the frame instead of the software then something's definitely gone wrong somewhere. Either you've got a gaudy picture frame or you've got deathly dull kids who will probably make their living designing tax forms or standing outside telling people where they can't park their cars.

The iPad has been available for a few weeks now and I'm disappointed to find that one of my predictions seems to be coming true: the iPad won't truly be "out" for another few months, when developers have finally had enough time with a real iPad in their hands to design true iPad-focused apps. Most of the freshman class seem to be either embiggened editions of iPhone hits or apps that bear the fingerprints of mouse-and-keyboard user interface design.

Even Apple's own apps are problematic. The iPod app has only one big improvement over the iPhone edition: I can create custom playlists. But wouldn't the ability to play music wirelessly through an Airport Express be useful? How about a single "Update All Podcasts" button?

And they couldn't make better use of that larger screen? They do realize that Apple makes a lovely tabletop dock that appears to have been meant for using the iPad as a media controller, don't they?

Some omissions are just plain silly. When I first tried the iPad with a physical keyboard, I was pleased to find that the OS supported the usual cut-copy-paste command key equivalents. So when I tried to italicize a word and nothing happened, I assumed that I'd just mis-keyed the Command-I. The thought that Pages wouldn't support these basic shortcuts had never crossed my mind.

Bad: to apply even such a basic style, I need to reach up and tap a button on the screen.

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