From the video I saw on Apple's site, one does not need to have iTunes to get stuff onto the Pad so the whole "Tied to iTunes" doesn't seem to hold water.

This is not a phone. Comparisons to phones makes no sense at all. Comparisons to Kindles Sony Readers, Nooks and the like make sense

That said I think the reason Apple left off the camera is because they plan on milking it's customers for an upgrade sometime in the future. Plans for the camera are already in the SDK. You would have to be a complete idiot to think that apple did not consider VOIP or video chat when they made this thing.

personally I'm weighing the pros and cons of this thing since I arguably don't need half of my laptop when I'm at work or doing non-development work.

I had my doubts about the UI but the video on Apple's page was pretty compelling. My 800 has shown me how "little" I "need" my laptop, just as my laptop has all but replaced my desktop. I see the Pad as being a supplementary device for content creator types and possibly a primary device for people who mainly ingest media.

If it gets voice commands and voice transcription, it will be a serious game changer. We'd all do well to keep an open mind on this.