The lack of a camera for videochat seems more like a missed opportunity than a serious design flaw. I expect to see it resolved by the 2g iPad.
I know they are a company and they want to make money and I don't fault them. But whenever I get an apple product, it always seems like a year later a new generation comes out, its ten times better in any way, and I just get pissed off. Obviously Apple doesn't put some features in their first G to milk money out of the product, and I only blame myself whenever I buy apple stuff, but it's still annoying.
Yeah, I know what you mean. The "early adopter tax" on apple products is VERY high, and all you get in return is the cred of being the first guy in town to own an iStick.
The other side of it is that they might be leaving out features to boost other features in the first gen product. Dropping the camera might have let them squeeze an extra hour of battery life in, or some other desirable trait that's going to sell the concept overall. The reliability and overall performance of this first generation is critical for establishing their market presence. When the new generation comes out next year, and it's got slightly decreased battery life with a new camera, it won't affect the already entrenched market very much.