Instant iPad reactions: Whoa, awkward name

Who needs opinion columnists when you have Twitter? Once the hub of micro-punditry recovered from a molasses-like slowdown

In general, people seemed optimistic about the pricing, since some rumors had pegged it as north of $1,000, and the iBooks store was getting reactions of eager anticipation--but many other tweets were underwhelmed or downright disappointed. No Flash, no camera, no multitasking, and too much AT&T were a few of the common complaints; some lamented the lack of surprise, since pretty much all the rumors had already leaked, and others expressed skepticism along the lines of "let's see how long the battery really lasts." Could it be that the hype about this one got to be too much even for Apple fanboys?

There's even a Twitter account called @TheiPadSucks, which popped up on Wednesday, devoted almost exclusively to retweeting critical tweets about the gadget.

But beyond all technological complaints, people on Twitter seemed to really be dissatisfied with the device's name. Women were especially vocal about the fact that "iPad" sounds like, well, a feminine hygiene product.

"About the iPad. Is it just for my light flow days?" quipped @kimseverson. Another Twitter user--not linked because her account is friends-only--said, "Come on, iPad...clearly no woman was in the room when the naming decision was made."

The link to a 2006 MadTV skit about something called an "iPad" (making that same awkward phonetic connection) began to make the rounds. "Holy crap, did no one at Apple Google the name of their product before they named it?" one YouTube commenter asked.

And--I'm not kidding--the joke term "iTampon" became one of Twitter's hourly trending topics. Some of the puns pertaining to it are, needless to say, a little bit dirty. We'll leave you to do the searching.

Of more pressing urgency regarding the name of the device, however: the fact that "iPod" and "iPad" will likely sound identical with a Boston accent. Wicked bad.