iPad 1.0

It's important to see it for what it is: iPad 1.0. Yes, it lacks Flash. Yes, it lacks a camera. But it's a platform for building the publications of tomorrow. A standard, at long last. Gone are the Kindle and Nook, still promoted on Barnes and Noble's website as "The World's Most Advanced eBook Reader." Very funny. For all of its shortcomings, iPad instantly becomes the focal point for every publisher, editor and designer. It is the future, whether that future is two months from now or two years from now.

Will the iPad save newspapers and magazines? By itself, no. Steve Jobs can only build the 21st Century newsstand, he can't fill it. Its shelves are waiting to be filled with innovative products that leverage what the iPad can do. Those who fixate on its missing features run the risk of missing one of the greatest opportunities in publishing history.

It's 1.0, baby. Just wait until it's all grown up. Now it's up to the creative minds inside and outside of the publishing industry to get it there