iPad or iFad?

As a lover of all things Apple, I must say that I'm not sure what to make of the iPad.  And while I love my iPhone, this new device seems to be nothing more than a strange "middle-man" between my iphone and my laptop. 

But without a phone, a camera, or a browser that can handle flash yet, I'm not really sure what the iPad will do that my laptop already can't...or that my iPhone can do better.  And once I saw that the iPad has a real keyboard accessory (huh?!), I'm not really sure if this isn't just a big-ticket vanity item for those who need more of what they already have.  I guess I'm waiting to be proved wrong.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/technology/companies/28apple.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60R5J620100128