Drooling Over the iPad's Killer Apps

Why the iPad's true genius lies in the software

What's the best part about the Apple iPad? For many enthusiasts, It's not the slick design, multi-touch screen or lighting-fast processing speeds. It's the apps. Today, this feature got even more delectable following reports that Netflix is unveiling its own app for streaming movies and TV shows. Tech writers expatiate on what is arguably the iPad's finest attribute:

• It's All About the Apps, writes Edward Baig at USA Today: "The iPad will run just about all of the 150,000-plus iPhone or iPod Touch apps sold (or available free) in the App Store, presenting boundless 'there's an app for that' possibilities. If you own an iPhone or Touch, you already have a stable of programs to work on the iPad."

• Netflix, Baby, Netflix! exclaims Robert Quigley at Geekosystem: "This is a major coup for the iPad and the crafty, good-looking people who preordered it: As exciting as electronic magazines are, Netflix will go a long way towards cementing the iPad as a bona fide multimedia device." Trevor Sheridan explains the details. "If you're a netflix subscriber you can watch instantly anything in Netflix's online collection directly on your iPad. You can stream TV shows and movies just like you would on your computer. You can watch as often as you want as it's part of the Netflix unlimited membership if you have it."

• Now Let's Think About Hulu's Potential, writes David Pogue in The New York Times: "Wow -- can you imagine? A thin, flat, cordless, bottomless source of free, great TV shows, in your bag or on the bedside table?"

• Don't Forget the Other Great Apps, adds Walter Mossberg at The Wall Street Journal: "The photo app is striking, and much more like the one on the Mac than the one on the iPhone. The device can even be used as a digital picture frame. I tested a small selection of the new third-party iPad apps Apple hopes to have available at launch, and most were also rich and feature-filled, beyond what iPhone apps offer. These included games such as Scrabble and 'Touch Hockey,' a database app, news services and more."

• The Really Slick Apps Combine the iPad and iPhone, writes David Pogue in The New York Times: "That Scrabble app shows the whole board without your zooming or panning: a free companion app for your iPhone or Touch is called Tile Rack; it lets you fiddle with your letters in private, then flick them wirelessly onto the iPad's screen."

• The TV Networks Have Apps Too, writes Brian Stelter at The New York Times: "At least two of the major television networks will stream their programs onto the iPad, ensuring that buyers of the new Apple tablet will be able to watch plenty of free TV. Episodes of ABC and CBS shows will be available on April 3, the day the iPad is introduced. Episodes of NBC shows will likely be available by the end of April."