A device that has a jailbreak applied will then be allowed to have their own software or bootleg songs and software without going through iTunes or Apple’s store.  It also allows a device to be “unlocked” and usable outside of the mandatory AT&T carrier service.

Jailbreaks are nothing new to the iPhone OS, the first version of the OS was cracked within a month.  However, the fact that a new product like the iPad runs on the same operating system as the iPhone made it easier.  In late March, George Hotz claimed to have a jailbreak that would work on the tablet at iPad Launch, but that never materialized or at least has not been promoted as complete.

MuscleNerd, a well reputed iPhone and iPad Jailbreaker produced a video to demonstrate how anyone at home can crack and add software to their iPad.  The iPad runs OS 3.2 and will upgrade to OS 4.0 when that is released for the iPhone.  It is also speculated that the iPad 3G will be vulnerable to this jailbreak.

For average users, there’s no fear that someone else will hack into your phone or iPad unless you give it to them and they actually apply/hack into it, so don’t worry.  But for the higher-end developer users, we’re all aware of how cool it is to actually get to the “root” of your device and muck around in the operating system.

While iPhone users can rely on jailbreaking to unlock their handset for use with unauthorized carriers, the 3G-capable version of the iPad, scheduled to arrive in late April, ships unlocked by default. However, its 3G frequencies are only compatible with AT&T in the U.S.

But the warranty-voiding jailbreak process can also allow users to run software Apple does not allow. Hackers have created their own custom applications that allow features, like multitasking, which not currently permitted within the iPhone OS.

The survey lists a variety of reasons that the tablet pc is preferred over the normal, traditional laptop but topping the charts is weight and portability.  The surveyed, as well as most folks, are having the dilemma of balancing computing power -v- portability.  While the iPad launch ushered in a new era of portability, the iPad still doesn’t multi-task, a big problem with the heavy-duty user.

Bruce Fair, Managing Director at Kelkoo, expressed that the iPad may change the tides of how people feel about tablet pcs.  Up until now, the tablet pc push has faltered on several attempts and fronts but the acceptance of this new iPad Tablet as a portable internet device opens the door to some healthy iPad competition.

“It is rumoured that the launch of the company’s latest brainchild, the iPad, could equally turn around the fortunes of the struggling tablet PC market by redefining the category as a premium multi-touch entertainment product, and in so doing, pave the way for other manufacturers to follow in their footsteps,” Sky News quoted Bruce Fair, Managing Director of Kelkoo UK, as saying.

Original numbers from Daniel Tello around the 20th of March had 200,000 iPad units sold.  The next 12 days apparently added about 500,000 iPads sold…and that’s with the 3G iPad not yet available!

If the numbers hold, this could challenge the iPhone’s first month sales numbers that put about 3 million iPhones on the market.  This would be the first tablet pc device adopted on a massive scale.  While some think of the iPad as an oversided iPhone, the iPad appears to be the next device from the Apple world to take hold.

Today’s launch was also limited to Wi-Fi models and to the United States. 3G-capable models in the U.S. and all models in a number of other countries are set for launch later this month, undoubtedly setting the stage for another burst of sales.

iSuppli, an electronics research group, predicts that the iPad will sell well over 7 million units and will almost double in 2011.   iSuppli doesn’t see the product so much as a tablet pc as it does a hybrid of that and a pure internet device.  In essence, once again, Apple has created a market for a device that really didn’t exist or have traction before.

In the article, it is noted that Adobe Flash (or lack thereof) may be a barrier that could open up a door to a market for another tablet pc vendor.  While Safari will play video on iPad’s HTML5 browser, it’s unrealistic that the millions of websites in the world are going to migrate so quickly to a technology that is not even adopted completely by other browsers.

Backwards compatibility will somehow be a key factor in future tablet pc players…and Flash falls into that genre.

“Until Apple addresses this issue one way or another, its decision not to support Flash … will have a limiting effect on the iPad’s sales potential,” iSuppli analyst Francis Sideco said in a statement. “This is because one of the key use cases of the device, as marketed by Apple, relates to Web browsing or consumption of online content. Absent Flash, iPad uses will not be able to enjoy Flash-driven content, which is used in a considerable [number] of Websites, as well as Web-based games and video.”

It’s possible the iPhone frenzy isn’t here for the iPad, or it’s possible that since it’s just a big, souped-up version of the iPhone there’s less WOW factor.  One thing is certain, the iPad will be in stores tomorrow and if you’re lucky enough you can get one without the lines.

Supplies are extremely limited.

But with many able to pre-order the gadget since mid-March, there was little reason to stand in line ahead of Saturday’s 9 a.m. launch. Those who ordered early enough online get their iPads on Saturday, via pickup at a store or home delivery.

Apple has staked much of its reputation on the iPad, pitched as a revolutionary new category of device: a lightweight mobile computer that strives to combine the best attributes of a smartphone and a laptop.

It is Apple’s most important launch since the iPhone. Wall Street is keen to gauge consumer response to the device, the firm’s next growth driver, and the crowds at Apple stores this weekend may provide an early indication of its popular appeal.

The Barron’s online article is only available by subscription, but Forbes has written a small excerpt from the article itself complete with the Steve Jobs CEO bio written by Andrew Bary and clearly explains why Steve Jobs is the Most Valuable CEO in technology:

Probably the world’s most valuable CEO is Steve Jobs of Apple, as shown by stock dips on news of his medical problems. Apple recently hit a record, with a market value topping $200 billion, a reflection of the Street’s confidence that a healthy Jobs (at least from what we can tell) continues to keep Apple ahead of the game. Jobs likely accounts for $25 billion or more of Apple’s market value.

Tello, who has tracked the iPad frenzy closely, claims that the orders announced are primarily for shipping and not store pre-order sales which will increase Apple’s numbers as well.  The iPad sales for pre-order may eclipse the numbers from the iPhone, which sold 270,000 units before release from Apple.

“I think sometime during Friday, perhaps before noon, the counter should roll to 200,000 units pre-ordered,” Tello told Fortune.

What accessories you might ask?  Well, some of them are frivilous like the iPad Soft Pad Case and some video connectors.  Others are pretty integral, like the 10w iPad Power Adapter and the Keyboard Dock…and they are still is waiting on a shipping date.

Apple has no official word, but they are dolling out the iPads at a steady rate.   The story was first reported by the Electronista, then followed up in-suit by other media outlets.

Originally scheduled to ship soon after the iPad launch in April, both the keyboard dock and 10W USB power adapter for Apple’s tablet computer now have estimated ship dates sometime in the month of May.

The first 3 hours saw 50,000 iPads sell through pre-order, with the remainder coming over the next 2+ days.

The numbers show the first real acceptance of a tablet PC on the market.   At a $829 price tag for the top-of-the-line model (64GB + WiFi + 3G) they are only slightly more expensive than high-end netbooks.  However, if you’re in the market for an 11 carat, diamond-encrusted iPad, feel free to check it out Mervis Diamonds.

Thinking back to earlier product issues such as the iPhone Replacement Screens and iPod battery replacement, one assumed that Apple would follow in suit.  The fact that they aren’t charging full-replacement value for the battery means that Apple’s Customer Service is learning a valuable lesson in consumer products.

Apple says it will give people whose iPads have a “diminished ability to hold an electrical charge” an entire new unit. The service will cost $99 plus $6.95 in shipping charges.

In retrospect, $99 plus shipping is a small price to pay…and if the initial battery lasts even a year, just sock away 9 bucks a month in a reserve fund for the battery replacement…