The iPad is the storefront. Rolex edition.

So many pundits continue to miss the obvious. Tablets are not something you take with you -- you already have a smartphone and a laptop for that! Tablets are devices to be left nearby, at the ready; to be handed out when you enter a boutique, to be browsed while on a plane, or waiting for a table at a restaurant.

And they are not devices where you buy/rent/download books, movies and music. That's a sideline. They are instead devices you use to access any store, find any product, or build your own, and make a purchase. Amazon *has* to be in this space.

From Mobile Marketer:

A Gilt Groupe executive at the Mobile Shopping Fall conference said that the company is seeing that consumers are willing to transact on mobile, with a recent member buying a $24,000 vintage Rolex watch via the iPad.

During “The Next Generation of Tablets: Capitalizing on the Growing Product Landscape” session, executives  discussed how tablets are becoming the go-to devices for mobile purchases. The session was moderated by Ian Grody, senior conference producer at WorldWide Business Research, New York.

“For us tablets and overall mobile strategy started as an experiment,” said Chris Maliwat, senior director of product management at Gilt Groupe, New York.

“It’s becoming a gigantic part of our overall strategy,” he said. “Tablet users are willing to spend a lot of money.

“A $24,000 vintage Rolex watch sold on the iPad – it was one of the most expensive items sold on Gilt." According to Mr. Maliwat, Gilt is seeing an explosion in the mobile space.