Two words: Form factor. Form factor is not just width, height and weight. It also means ease of use, features, software, ease of purchasing and configuring, an ecosystem for developers and distributors, and of course cost. The iPad may be the right combination of these factors.

There were MP3 players before the iPod. But Apple was the first manufacturer to nail the form factor, which they repeated with incremental versions of the product line (nano, shuffle). The competitive Zune product from Microsoft is actually an impressive device from a hardware and price standpoint, but it doesn't have the entire form factor right. So being the first or the cheapest or the fastest isn't as important as getting it right. The reason Apple may win the slate/netbook war is not because they made the first or lightest or most robust product (they didn't) - but they may have nailed the form factor. It's still too early to tell, of course.

Here are 3 reasons you should consider regarding the iPad's relevance:

Reason #1: Meet the parents. It's not your father's Oldsmobile, but maybe his iPad. If you were born between 1955 and 1985, you have probably been tasked with providing unlimited free and agonizing technical support to your parents. Have you uttered any of these phrases into your phone?

• "No, Mom, that's not your WiFi signal, that's why you can't connect to the internet."
• "No Dad, you have to SINGLE-click the mouse."
• "Mom, you have to go slower and follow my instructions - don't keep clicking"
• "Mom, tell me whom my real parents are, because there's no way that we are related!"

So that's the AARP crowd - that's a huge number of consumers. If you're ever had to run antivirus software on a parent's computer, you may have already found your next Christmas gift.

If you think you really must must must have a "real" keyboard on the iPad then perhaps you haven't tried the Dragon dictation app yet. Try it. That's the future. The best keyboard is the one you see in the mirror each morning. Your mouth. Just talking instead of QWERTY. Eventually voice will be integrated into applications. (Investors: you can buy Nuance stock now when it's still relatively cheap - symbol NUAN)

If you still think you must, must, must have a keyboard on the iPad then buy a bluetooth keyboard. But for email, photos, web browsing, TV watching, etc., the iPad may be the right form factor.

Reason #2: your office. The iPad may be an expensive iPod Touch to some, but to others it may be an inexpensive laptop. Your field staff may get what they need from an iPad more cost effectively than a laptop. Schools may not need the "laptop cart" if a bunch of iPads do the job. For your office, it might not be a superfluous purchase, it might be a better and more economical replacement. Financial analysts with a Bloomberg box at their desk may not need all of that fancy technology in a few years. They might get what they need wirelessly on an iPad.

Check out this slick E-Trade app running on an iPad: