This is really the same reaction both the iPod and the iPhone both received when they were first released.
But... whatever people claimed, they really were innovative and different enough to absolutely stand out from the crowd. There's alternatives coming out with android that support multitasking, flash, have better displays and so on - I just question whether it will be enough this time. The iphone OS really was very different to the mobile windows OS at the time which was truly horrible. The android OS has been designed from the ground up for this very purpose. Even on the software front, I'm struggling to see any advantage of the ipad over the tablets coming in the near future...
I also get a bit annoyed when apple act like they are undoubtedly the best at everything. "This is the BEST at browsing the web." Err... not for viewing a flash based site it won't be. Yes apple, I hate flash too. Yes, I think it should be abolished from the internet as well. But the fact is it's not - and as such it seems they've created the ipad for the place they want the internet to be tomorrow, not what it actually is today.
It's not the best. It's just different. Claim what you like - most intuitive, most pleasing, I don't care. But claiming a device that doesn't support flash offers the best browsing experience money can buy is plain wrong as far as I'm concerned.
Another thing that makes me uneasy is the fact that wherever I look, people are creating problems to try and apply this thing to. I'm fine using a laptop to show people photos. I'm fine using a netbook for a bit of internet browsing here and there. I'm fine using my existing email client, and I bet I'm a damn site more productive on thunderbird with sorting out my email!
I'm open to any new product, I both the ipod and the iphone, despite the fact I'd never personally buy the latter. It seems like for the ipad though, apple has switched from being "it's cool, it's new, it's different and it's innovative, try it!" to "we're the best, this is the best, netbooks are crap and everyone else is wrong, use this." I'm not saying it's a bad device, it's just this time round I genuinely think there are better alternatives. Who knows though - perhaps apple will release a second generation one that blows the socks off everything else. If that's the case then good on them - I just don't think this device cuts the mustard.
I honestly think it'll all come down to whether people are clued up enough to realise that the ipad definitely isn't the be all and end all of the tablet world.