But like anything else, once you spend some time getting to knows the ins and out of a device, you get a better feel for works great and what doesn't. These articles share a bit more insight into problems (or complaints) about the iPad.
By the way, if you're interested in alternatives to iPad, here's an article detailing iPad's 12 biggest competitors.
Acer is also working on it's own version of the iPad. This one (compared to the others) looks the most interesting to me.