My first impression of the Apple iPad is: I like it. It’s pretty much what I imagined might be announced, and it would work nicely around our home for its intended purposes: browsing the web, checking emails, reading news and weather, viewing photos, videos and movies. I can even see myself reading some PDFs and eBooks with it that I just can’t get into on my iPod Touch and MacBook Pro.

The reimagined iWork gives a hint of how apps can be optimized for both mobility and multitouch. It would be great to see Boxee develop something for streaming content, from both online channels and via UPnP devices. I’m sure our son would love watching YouTube on it as well.

Initially, I thought the 3G-capable models would appeal only to those who work and travel, but then it occurred to me maybe I wouldn’t need to shell out the big bucks for FiOS at home if we had such a wireless connection, esp. since it’s unlocked and pay-as-you-go. Just a thought.

What I’m most excited about, though, is using an iPad to make music: I can already imagine running iPad-enhanced versions of BeatMaker, 8Bitone, synthPond, technoBox and especially TouchOSC as a multitouch controller. And, dare we dream of a mobile Ableton Live? With the iPad’s larger surface and faster processor, a lite version with virtual instruments Impulse, Simpler, Analog, Tension and a handful of basic effects would make a great audio sketch pad.