iPad: Should Apple Bulls be iGlad or iMad?

CUPERTINO, Calif. (TheStreet) - The age of the iPad has arrived -- and, at least so far, Apple's(AAPL) latest toy lacks some shine.

The iPad coming out party was like the technology sector equivalent of a Junior League of Alabama debutante ball. The iPad did not hit the launch pad with a thud, but it didn't exactly rocket from the launch pad either. There are questions as to whether the iPad will stick with consumers.

The more important question for Apple investors, however, is whether the iPad will pad profits of the technology giant.

Has the Apple fallen too far from the tree? Will the iPad rot Apple's core?

On Jan. 29, Apple hit its lowest stock price since early December -- of course, that week was a down for the overall markets -- but Apple stock did slide in the two days after the iPad launch.

Many Apple watchers had anticipated that the new tablet device would debut with a price tag of $999. Apple surprised the market with Steve Jobs stealing a page from Ron Popeil's infomercial playbook and offering the iPad at the low-low price of $499.

Maybe some of the negative reaction to the iPad has to do with the price: there is a fine line between over-pricing and pricing at a point where U.S. consumers assume the device can't be all that great if it's too easily within reach of their wallets.