they strategically leaked just enough information to allow public speculation to rise.
I don't think that's the case at all. Apple doesn't do leaks. At least not on purpose, which precludes any
strategery.
Jobs made fun of netbooks in his announcement but due to the inability to multi-task, it won't seriously replace a netbook.
Multitasking is more or less a fancy way of saying you can easily switch from one task to another. I agree that it's not really a netbook replacement. I've never understood the appeal of netbooks, though Maybe it's due to the size of my hands.
it can't replace an iphone either because it's not a phone
It was never intended to replace or compete with the iPhone. I don't understand why this is even a topic of discussion.
it was definately overhyped (some fault of that is thiers)
Again, Apple does not do leaks.
with a company with the resources that Apple has behind it, I'd personally argue that it should have been much more.
I think people really think Apple's capable of magic. The iPad, like the iPod before it (but even more so), was a monumental undertaking. I have a feeling people's minds will change about just what niche the device fills when they get the change to play around with one.
For the record, I'm far more on the "don't need it" side of the fence than the "need it" side -- at least until I'm able to play with one.
