Reserve (iPad) Online, Pick up in Store

I will be traveling to the Apple store in beautiful Emeryville, CA later today to pick up my iPad, which I reserved rather than purchased online — mostly to give myself more time to decide if I really wanted one.

I had an interesting conversation on Friday with Trulia CEO Pete Flint about whether the device could be considered a “local” device. In my view all digital media has a local aspect (especially in a commercial context) in the sense that they drive offline purchases. However, it’s a very different use case than a smartphone.

Trulia competitor Zillow is already out of the gate with an iPad app.

Among the nascent top apps, there are no “local” ones. As with the PC or laptops, iPad owners will be doing location-based searches and shopping, which ultimately is about the offline world. The clear distinctions between local and non-local will blur further and even collapse over time. Case-in-point: Skyhook Wireless’ new API that adds location and related maps and pages to any mobile app.

NearbyNow’s Scott Dunlap told me last week about some pretty interesting stuff they were cooking up for the iPad that enhances and extends what they’re already doing: linking brands and products in magazines to stores where they can be purchased.

I must admit to being excited about the possibilities of this new “form factor” and even by the uncertainty of how people will use it.

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