After months of speculation Apple has finally announced the iPad and its reception is exactly what you would expect from a major Apple product announcement - a blend of everything from people ready to trade their children for one to disgust and disappointment.

But there is no denying that Apple's loyal followers will drive the sales of this tablet up beyond that of any other tablet on the market, and that means there is another app gold rush coming. With that rush will come a barrage of new games and a mountain of money... But not necessarily for independent game developers.

So what can indie devs expect from the new device?

First let's examine the good news:

• The iPad builds on the success of the iPhone: existing apps will have an expanded market and new apps will be gobbled up by hungry iPad owners
• Apple has a well established distribution system that is backed by a broad community of developers
• The iPad's lack of Flash support means iPad developers don't have to compete with thousands of free versions of their game already out on the internet
• The multi-touch interface and accelerometer allow for the creation of highly engaging games that are still unavailable on many platforms
• The low price point of apps for the iPad opens up the potential for more impulse purchases than in a desktop computing environment

And now the bad news:

• iPad developers will have to face the same approval challenges as iPhone developers have
• The number of games being developed for the platform means independent developers risk getting lost in the shuffleThe lack of physical buttons means many common game types (SHMUP and platform games, mostly) will be difficult to recreate on the device
• The lack of Flash on the iPad means existing web games won't see any benefit from the iPad
• Anything developed for the iPad will run on only two types of device, the iPad and possibly the iPhone
• Apple's closed distribution platform means they dictate what you can sell and how big their cut is, unlike many of the less restrictive platforms (Android, Windows 7)

The tablet format seems to be gaining ground: whether it is the Amazon Kindle, the HP Slate, or any one of the numerous Android tablet devices. Whether or not the public want these devices, tech companies want to sell them to us. If there is anything I've learned from Hollywood movies and video games, it's that in the future we'll all want to be carrying around tablets.

This is good news for independent developers in many ways, since it gives us the opportunity to create new and experimental experiences that might be considered too high risk for bigger developers. The tablet format in general means that many types of group/party games are possible that just wouldn't work on an iPhone or other smaller device or a laptop. For example, a tablet could replace the game board of many common family games such as Monopoly, Chess, and Risk.

While I am generally miffed about the lack of Flash support, I'm excited about what the iPad means for gaming. Just as the iPhone brought the idea of smart phones to the masses, the iPad could potentially elevate the tablet market. And while I'm not terribly impressed with the iPad in general, I do like the idea of a nice big touch screen device that can be passed around easily as a gaming device.

Now, if only I could get confirmation that Adobe Flash CS5 will be able to export iPad apps...