The iPad’s Closed System: Sometimes I Hate Being Right

my solution: kill Steve Jobs, he's a jerk anyway

^Agreed^ Anything by apple sucks unless you are just getting it for something to use for a little bit, like my iPod touch. The OS is clean unlike windows but not nearly as open, and Windows isn't even very open. Then again I just don't like apple very much because everything is insanely overpriced.

There are a couple of interesting points you might not have thought of.

First, this was tried before. Windows Mobile phones were created eons ago, featured multitasking, and deliberately copied the Windows interface so it would be familiar to consumers.

If you had one, you would be perfectly free to install any application you wish.

Great, right?

Well, maybe not. I tried one of them, expecting to be at least somewhat interested. It was absolutely terrible; it was hard to even figure out how to make a phone call.

Clearly, then, Apple's idea that a phone deserved a different style operating system than a computer has been vindicated. It does. Apple deserves credit to have thought of this far more deeply than most companies, and coming up with something so brilliant it became the software gold standard in its category overnight.

Second, look at your PC and the software you use on it day to day. Odds are pretty good that most of it was created by the creator of the operating system you are using. For example, I own a beautiful new quad-core iMac. Right now, I am running Safari, Mail, Pages, Numbers, Terminal, FireFox, TextMate, Emacs, Photoshop and Final Cut Studio. Seven applications from Apple, four from third parties. I'm using Ruby and Ruby on Rails on the Terminal windows, and interestingly enough that is included in the OS by Apple, and most Rails developers turn out to be Apple fans. So even my open source software has an association with Apple. Curious! And I'm not even working on iPhone application development, as I usually am, which would skew the distribution even more towards Apple.

When I worked in a small corporation and had to use Windows, my Windows machine was running Internet Explorer, Outlook, Word and Excel! So much for rebellion against the Redmond juggernaut! (Of course my Linux box was running emacs and that was what I did all my writing on, but I digress. And you can think of emacs as software produced by the manufacturer of the OS, after all! Sorry, lame open source joke).

I'll bet that if you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, there is probably more software on it from small independent companies than there is on your computer. Photoshop on your computer, Brushes on your iPhone (and soon to be iPad). Clearly, despite all the gripes, the iPhone marketplace is thriving, and a very impressive place it is.

There are reasons, really good reasons, for the software walled garden on iPhone. I had a friend in the Philippines with a then state of the art Nokia 6600 phone. Pretty cool device, even if it had so many fiddly buttons I had a hard time remembering how to use it. It got a virus that started spitting out thousands of XXX-rated MMS messages to her friends. Fortunately, most of them didn't have her kind of phone and so were just baffled instead of infected! I was able to eradicate it for her but not before she incurred a $300 phone bill in a country where $100 a month is a living wage. And her phone company doesn't write off those bills like US phone companies generally do. She was stuck with the bill.

If you could imagine a program that called 900 numbers at random, which would be easy to write on any multi-tasking operating system that didn't have some form of prerelease code checking, you can understand why iPhone OS is designed as it is.

Apple has no problem with adding arbitrary videos to iTunes and having them sent over to your iPhone or iPad. Heck, Apple even approved the Kindle app for iPhone, and I'm sure there will be a very nice one coming up for iPad. Apple just wants to sell the device, and make sure it's safe from evil software that would run up your connectivity bills.

You can visit any web site you want on the iPhone and I see no way in the world Apple would ever change this, for iPad or anything else. If they did, I would be the first person to sound the alarm and quit using Apple products entirely. But they won't.

Finally, don't give up hope for multitasking. Despite the major changes in the iPad's operating system from iPhone's, it's considered version 3.2 as opposed to the previous version, 3.1. 4.0 is coming, and clearly signals some kind of radical change, or they would have called what they have now 4.0. I'm betting some kind of really smooth solution to the multi-tasking problem. So have a little patience and I'm sure you will be rewarded.

Of course Apple is not perfect. And it will be a cold day in the nether regions when Richard M Stallman ever uses an Apple product, even though his emacs is included deep in the bowls of every copy of MacOS X! But I think you are way overreacting to the actual way iPad is going to be used. So far iPhone has been an awful free environment for something that's so criticised as heavily censored. You really can't argue with 140,000 applications, many of them awful, many of them brilliant.

D

youtube.com/watch?v=lQnT0zp8Ya4

sums up what you're saying

I agree. If apple wants to put so many limits on a piece of technology that's suppose to be cutting edge then maybe they should go market their products someplace where this type of thing is widely accepted by the people, like in China. NO MORE LIMITS

I read what you wrote before, and I knew you would be right. The iPad is exactly what I pictured, only less. Everyting about it screams revenue stream.

Tablets have been around for so long, and everyone of them does more than this. Of course, the Macheads will respond by giant rationalizations, like the one posted above. Trying to convince themselves and each other of their superiority over the common man. I'm special, your not, because I own a Mac. That is why those duffus commercials were right on. They hit the sweet spot in the true Mac lover.

You're not better then me because you own a Mac. You're just a damn fool.

About the only thing that I see that's closed on the new iPad is the case. Who cares if Apple requires approval before your app is allowed into the app store. As a tech support person I spend a lot of time uninstalling poorly designed apps. Most of the users I support completely expect that anything they can install is problem free and safe to install. Most of them don't even make the distinction of open or closed.

So the best case scenario from a support perspective is that all users operate their computers within a closed or carefully managed environment.

I, on the other hand couldn't do the work I do without open systems. And to do that we fortunately have many choices, even some made by Apple. That won't change.

Read the book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Repair". Do we really need to understand the machines we use?

if i got one it would be my secondary com,,,, no free music or movies nothing,,,,sure you should pay for stuff butt i can't afford all i want , so that means only the rich get to buy music cds and dvds.. and the poor get screwed...yeh a cd is 11 bucks and a dvd is 30 bucks but i want more than i can afford .. come on if they sold cds and dvds for what they are worth you know a piece of plastic and a micro thin piece "o" aluminum we wood all buy yay greed !!!!!!!!!!!

The prophecy is being fulfilled! Steve jobs died and was replaced by a Chinese clone on a mission to conquer America and subject us to authoritarianism.

I wish it had handwriting ink recognition like the tablets.

No, but I read, "zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance"

I hate the fact that they are forcing you to use it their way. If it was truly an immersing browsing experience we would be able to experience it all.

At least give me the option to install flash at my own disclaimer. Give me the ability to install ANY software I deem necessary I paid for it. I was going to buy this, but now I will wait to see if they will come to their senses.

Just another toy..........

I would have thought mac would have learned this lesson before. I mean didn't this idea almost kill there company before?

well either what learn here or their sells will drop again and another open system. if anythig open soruce ox's like lenix will be there to take its place.

i like it because the operating system is clean and the device is priced to sell at just above what the original iPhone sold for when it debuted. sometimes multitasking is not so good because it creates those annoying bottlenecks of data which actually increases the time it takes to do the simplest of things. so, i have no problem doing one thing at a time (fast & well), because it seems to be more efficient in the long run.

i also love the extremely open architecture of windows systems and i have my trusty net book on hand to do whatever i need to do online with g3 capability on wireless networks.

i really don't mind coughing up 600 bucks for the ipad and i love the name.

no worries

HP slate. that is all.

I think it's great, myself.

Now my next Mac laptop will be much less expensive.

The iPad?

It's gonna sink like a stone.

Plain and simple? Ignoring the hypno-hype?

Who needs an iPhone that weighs a couple of pounds?

Really.

AG

Now that the Jesus Tablet has been crucified, we'll have to wait for it's resurection as iPad 2.0 Maybe that one will let us talk and surf like the AT&T commercials brag about.
Of course, you can now, you just need an iPhone and an iPad. Hey wait, isn't that what the commercial makes fun of?

If it had a webcam, they could have called it the iBall. And guess what everyone would have called its use for cybersex...

@mescha

that's exactly what i was thinking, scew apple and it's overpriced oversized iphone. just get the slate

I've been thinking just this for a long time now.
Everyone on Marquette's campus has atleast one mac product. I even have an itouch and macbook pro.

I don't want them to take over like they are. I want other companies to be better to give mac competition so they will continue to give me great products that they will make me think i need.

But at the same time, mac does things right. PC, not so much. You can't blame people for switching over.

Don't worry, javor jav, out here in the real world, we all have PC's.

It sounds to me that everyone here doesn't realize that it is a free market and if you don't like the i tampon you just buy someone else's tablet.

It doesn't have to be this way, even with a phone OS. For example, Palm has only provided encouragement for people distributing patches and homebrew apps for WebOS phones. You can go through their app catalog but you don't have to. Oh, and multitasking is there. (Android is fairly open too, but there's a different hazard there, since it pushes you to make all your personal information available to Google for purposes of serving you personalized advertising.)

We'll probably have a wave of new tablet devices over the next year or two if you don't feel like getting locked into the iTunes system. I'm certainly going to wait.

I can't say that it is 100% true but where windows is the big PC giant that mac has always been there to fight, no one is fighting apple of it's monopoly over music and video...
This is based on hearsay of course. The person that told me this claimed that apple either owned or had large share in RIAA. Top that off most music rights are owned through some sort of licensing program that apple supposedly owns. All your music are belong to us is what the person was getting across.
If that is true why is anyone surprised that any business eventually does what makes them financially more capable.
OK so skip the hearsay sort of stuff. Think of the Iphone operating system as a video game console. Apple is following the same business model that game system makers have started. Make a system, make it affordable, then collect your losses on the sale price through the sales of software and updates. Why do you think games are 40-60$. Sony/XBOX, and Nintendo all reduced the units sale price and added some arbitrary recoup fee to all software sold. The only real difference is that I don't think Apple has actually made the product more affordable on the front and are collecting on the backside as well.

The only reason I think apple is doing this whole 'closed' system and iphone OS thing is because of their customer base. Their original customer base is simple non-tech savvy person who wants a simple music player/computer/phone with minimal knowledge to operate but maximum rewards. Their products are intended to be as user friendly and ergonomic(emotionally and physically) as possible.

That is what the iPad is, a simple addition to their simple customer base. It's more practical to watch movies on, surf the (non flash) web, and probably read ebooks even though it doesn't have e-ink.

Everyone that's upset at it is not the intended customer base, it's just the ppl that kind of got on the bandwagon and liked it. Those people see the real potential of their technology and don't see it realized. Frankly I think Apple is the successful ginny pigs of computer technology. They come out with something awesome but absurdly limited, and other companies jump on those opportunities(i.e. droid phones, hp slate, windows 7, etc).

Correct me if wrong.

The guru's and the savvy multi-taskers do not want the iPad. So don't buy it. Duh. And, If you desperately wanted the device to do more then it's supposed to, apple has always allowed us to hack their devices. Yes, allowed. Have you tried to copy Disney's "Up" lately?

The iPad is specifically for the average person that doesn't want to guess if they made the right decision on their new computer purchase. The iPad is for the user that won't understand how 10 applications are running but they can only see one of them. The iPad is brilliant and absolutely perfect in its intention to bring a simple and beautiful interface to people that don't know how or even want to learn a more complicated OS.

I believe most computer professionals take their abilities for granted. There is still a lot of ignorance and fear surrounding modern technology. The iPad clearly bridges a gap that need not exist.

My own mother still sees the internet as an intimidating concept that she shy's away from. I believe that is because up until now, computers have lacked the "out of the box" interface that she NEEDS. Sure, I could hold her hand, help her purchase, install a mom/kid friendly interface...But that is the entire point of the iPad. And let's not forget the ISP. She has no clue what a wifi router is, let alone how to pick out what speed she will need from the modem. She can do it all without me. The iPad will offer everything right out of the box. And I imagine when she turns the device on for the first time, it will greet her, and make her so happy to be viewing the content all of us take for granted. You cannot imagine the kind of self-esteem boost and confidence-giving experience this will be for her. Thank you apple.

As a teacher, I understand this device is perfect to help begin a learning experience for a person that would otherwise never pursue the benefits of modern technology.

They're free to market it, whether it fails or flies. If you don't like one, don't get one. If you fear M$ copying the closed system architecture, install Linux.

Used Tablet Notebook: 3-400$ (eBay)
Linux: 0$
CD: 0.25$
The look on your mac loving friend's face when your open source tablet smokes the iPad in every performance test:
Priceless.
Some operating systems cost money, for everything else, there's Linux.

sean. they don't 'allow' their stuff to be hacked. Everything is hackable, and apple at first was a pain in the ass to hack.

The first kid that did it, received a job offer, 2? more iphones, and a 350Z (yes a car) from a 3rd party company.

Apple is in a really tough spot here folks. They could not come out with the Mac OS on the tablet, and make it great, and sell it for $400 bucks. Because if they did, everyone would stop buying their laptops and workstations. Really. A full Mac, with a docking station for chump change!! Who would buy another Mac?

The tablet segment could not stand a $1500 entry, so they were forced to dumb it down to protect their margins. They have to make you buy a tablet AND a Mac, or they go broke.

Do the math, it means that it can NEVER function as a Mac in any way, v2 or v3. It will never be great. It can't be.

not true.

The always innovating TouchBook is open source with hardware and software, uses Linux, is super efficient, and does everything the ipad does except the multi touch, it has a built in, removable keyboard, a touch screen and normal desktop, and costs less.

"The unveiling of the Apple iPad could be the opening phase in a transition that could change the face of personal computing as we know it."

The face of personal computing is broken for all but a few who know how to keep a PC running and have the time to do so.

Everyone else suffers, enriches guys at the repair shop, pesters knowledgeable friends and relations. All in all a huge time-sink for all involved.

Change the face of personal computing?

Bring it on.

useless bit of crap if you ask me. I like my notebook, but this is just a bad idea.

bwah bwah bwah, you "im a pc" guys need to shut up already. You're comparing a Toyota to a Cadillac. The Caddy doesn't get good mileage, can't park itself, and it costs a lot more. But it looks sweet, has leather interior, a great sound system, and it does what I need it to do....get me to point B. iPad's the same. If all you do is browse the web, check Facebook, and watch Youtube vids, and you want to do it in style, then the iPad is for you. If you need to work and multitask then get Macbook with OS X. Do you really think OS X will be tanked one day?....Apple employees need to multitask, too!

I'm so glad someone shares a similar opinion. Wired.com and Gizmodo.com are all so blinded by there obsession with apple that they can't see the flawed device in front of them. Apple products are for stupid people. There products are designed for people who can't operate anything but a simple interface and don't understand the basics of computing. “I’m sorry you can't help yourself from downloading an executable file from a random email."

@bdunbar "The face of personal computing is broken for all but a few who know how to keep a PC running and have the time to do so."

You are one of the stupid people I was talking about. I have never gotten a virus on my computer, ever. Six years on the machine I built. Oh and don't pull the Macs don't get viruses BS on me I have repaired over 10 Macs ravaged by Malicious software, you are not immune.... just stupid.

You are one of the stupid people I was talking about.

That would sting if you were not a tool.

dbunbar: Typical MacHead response, resorting to insult when they have nothing intelligent to add. Thumper: “not true.” Another great intellectual reach. The shift key is the little up arrow on your Mac.

PhillinYork, lol he was responding to being insulted fyi. Last paragraph of alpha's post.

@alpha. u have learned the way. Now teach it to the 3+billion people that need to know how to work on a PC or Mac effortlessly in the next year and put Apple out of business. I see your point, it's good, but it floats in a cloud of "you're a tool." bdunbar hit the spot with what he wrote. What he said is what Apple has been banking on since the launch of the iPod.

I'm not saying Macs are bullet proof (I fking hate them), but the simplicity of the iPod,nano, iPhone, and this over-sized iTouch is undeniable. Yes... it sucks for us, the people who see its potential, but for the last time; It's not meant for us! The amount of ignorant people that need a simple computing slab outnumbers the people who know computers.

(forgive any of my spelling errors)

They major problem with your argument is that the iPad isn't supposed to replace a computer for those of us who are aware of the difference.

There is a gigantic market of people out there who really don't care who is in control of their internet experience as long as they can check their email and watch videos on youtube. Add in managing pictures, some fun boob-jiggling games and virtual zippo lighters, and you end up covering a pretty fair sized chunk of users.

The PC will never go away because people who want that control, and are aware of the need for it, will always buy PCs..

I think it's pretty sensationalist to say that this is somehow positioning the computer market for a total takeover by iPad like devices.

yelirekim: Very good points. People play farmville, so it is not a big stretch that simple stuff is all they will want or need. If all it did was deliver the internet, that would be enough for it to win. Go to lunch, and surf the net. Go outside and surf the net. Infinite content. It is not a revolutionary J-tablet, but so what. It doesn't have to be to provide value and make money for Apple.

You don't need a keyboard to surf the net. You don't need a web cam. You don't need a Mac or a PC. The back is round because you will type from your lap, not a table. It is not a computer. It is a portable browser. That is all. That is enough.

Application development is all going browser based. So you don't need a real computer to run the software. Just the internet. Just the iPad.

Come on this is Apple, who said it needed to be a $400 dollar children's toy? I would have been truly impressed if they made something decent even at the $2000 price range considering the Apple tax, but for a REAL tablet. I wish someone would partner with Wacom already.

Oh, other dude who referenced it, go back and read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" again, because I think you missed the entire point of the book.

I don't know that it can be summed up any better than by what alphadark said.

Apple designs their products for people who can't do anything but click a few buttons and in most cases want to look and hip more than they want their product to work.

A lot of the comments made to this article are made by uninformed idiots with little or no experience of the real world of computing: academia.

Most of what comes out of CS research is conducted on UNIX machines and a lot of those are Macs, which are UNIX machines. They have an OS that doesn't annoy the hell out of you from the moment you boot it and they have all the power and flexibility of UNIX under the hood. Windows offers nothing like this.

You can't beat UNIX for scientific computing.

You say Apple isn't open, I say it is. The kernel, Darwin, at the very heart of Mac OS X is open source. Apple runs a number of open source projects such as CUPS (that's right, when you print in Linux you're using APPLE software), Bonjour, and WebKit (used in Safari and Google Chrome).

www.apple.com/opensource/

I dare anyone to prove that Microsoft is more open than this. When you run Mac OS X you immediately have access to open source development tools such as Java, PHP, and httpd.

You get nothing like this on a desktop spin of Windows. Sure, they might give you the proprietary IIS, but you're not getting ASP.NET for free. No way.

You see, perhaps counterintutively to the uninformed masses, Macs are used by people who actually know what they're doing. It just so happens they have a GUI that is easier to use than Windows' so normal people can get along with them too.

They're great machines for everybody, except gamers. That's the only point I'll concede. Get an Xbox :p

David_Dennis - thankyou. What that hell is all this, "Apple have an evil plan" rubbish? Sure, Apple is a corporation, profit is their reason for being - you can't differentiate between Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, Nintendo or your friendly local corner shop.

The fact is, Apple realised that in order to create a safe "consumer" computing environment that people would trust and use, you had to police it. I don't think Apple is unfairly restricting developers in the least - joining the iPhone development programme is cheap and easy, anyone can do it. And the question of "multi-tasking" - if you think iPhone OS doesn't multi-task, you're a technical dunce. What it doesn't do, however, is allow Apps to run in the background, flattening your device's battery in a couple of hours.

If you're a very technically savvy person, maybe this environment isn't for you. If you're someone who just makes the Internet, games, video and music part of your lifestyle, it definately is. Me? I'm a systems analyst for a very large UK brand - I'll be buying an iPad as soon as I can, because I have enough of bugs and failures during the day!

This is one reason I won't be buying an iPad it's too closed and thus no substitute for a notebook.

Besides I can think of a lot of things I'd rather spend $500 on.

If you ask me the real Steve Jobs was replaced by an alien of some sort years ago.

I'd rather wait for the gang of iPad "killers" to hit the market in a few months and select the best pad PC that can multi-task and let me do all sorts of things with it.

Don't tell me you don't have a choice between buying/not buying Apple's products. If you are so passionate about freedom, help Linux by buying FOSS hardware/software. Easy.

Don't give yourself airs. This isn't new, and besides, if the iPhone can be hacked, so can the iPad. Apple has made itself a name for being the all-encompassing provider of software and hardware, and by golly they've done a good job. At least they don't try to be like *everyone else*.

Honestly, i see this as just anouther way for Steve Jobs to screw us over. it seems like now it is either get the overpriced peice of crap and have to deal with extremely restricted options or be the one who is smart but is criticized by everyone else for not going with the trend. Personally, i hate the trend and will never go with it.

it's just another step up to another step up, as they've been doing to us from the beginning of time, give us a lil taste, instead of just doing it right the first time...
of course it is closed software.... how else could they make us spend more with them if we can get it for free elsewhere....
David Dennis, an inane argument about what the software is susceptible to, it's completely irrelevant....

spend lil sheeps spend,

or take a stand and tell the government we're not going to continue to be slaves!@!!!

@David_Dennis

I Smell a Fanboy.....'Nuff said!

@David_Dennis

I Smell a Fanboy.....'Nuff said!

ben86. even though i agree a lot are uninformed, I am to your degree, but calling everyone idiots is a little much. Not a good way to get your point across. Also not everyone knew this information, or bothered to connect apple with opensource. And for the record, this is a different OS.

Mescha, when you say "this" in "this is a different OS", what is the "this" you a referring to? iPhone OS? That IS OS X.

don't worry about apple, Jobs has overplayed his hand on this one. the apple fanboys are a small percentage of computer users.

as far as the mobile market, google android will take a large percentage of that by the end of the year.

this ipad is headed for the WNBA just like Apple TV. Layups and Jumshots!

Anyone who says that apple can do it better must be stupid. The iPad (it doesn't take that much effort to realize the connotations in that particular name?) is just another moneymaking scheme by apple. They refuse to allow users to download unaffiliated content downloads, unless you can hack it which everyone with an iphone that i know can do, which, admitedly is a good business decision on apple's part because that way they make more money. which is all apple is is a prostitute willing to sell its soul for more money

Wow people can become very heated over something so ridiculous!

The grass is always greener isn't it?

Really people? Calling each other idiots and stupid for using technological devices beyond anyones grandmothers dreams is beyond me.

The grown up's must not be using computers still if this is all people have to do or say on them. Take a chill pill and buy whatever computer/tablet/phone or OS you want and be happy that they even exist. Dang.

Have to agree completely almost to a word with the article.
I own a mac mini, macbook pro, Iphone, various airport expresses /time capsules.. I AM the normal make loving guy.

I feel completely betrayed by the iPad. Like they've made a product so different than the mandate they've put forward, that I literally feel screwed out of the much better product it could have been.

Are they trying to herd us all into the iPhone OS? Maybe,
But I think it will back fire as many die hard Mac fans, consider a Windows tablet in the coming year..

Shame on you Steve Jobs.

Let's see the iPad is evil - cus, it's too much like an iPhone or an iPod.
It's evil - cuz, it doesn't have an open system.
It doesn't have the latest display technology.
and,
It doesn't shovel your sidewalk when it snows...

Come-on....
Apples are apples and other stuff is not.
A Mac prints when you tell it to - cuz, there aren't 1000's of open-source blote code-drivers throwing deranged 1's and 0's at it.
A Mac display delivers a reasonable image for the same reason.

If ya want open - go WinWoes... It's open and it's crap.
Apple made a choice a long time ago.
Lock it down and make it work.
WinWoes is the wild west - where a screen saver can reformat your hard-drive.

The iPad isn't an all-n-one - do everything device.
But,,
If you review the specs = understand what it is designed to do - it will probably do what it said it would do.
Where (in the Intel+WinWoes universe), you never quite know what the damn thing was supposed to do in the first place - but, Billy-G will assure you that he'll fix whatever is wrong in the next version.

>>>>>>>>>>>>
Look at it another way...
If the iPad was open - and, if you could dump all the WinWoes blote-code on to it, it would become as psychotic as any other WinWoes device.
The hardware, firmware, and OS won't fix fundamentaly defective applications.

Be very careful of what you wish for.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Even if the iPad could handle all the apps in the Mac universe, the results would likely be less than satisfying.
By the time you add all the streaming videos, graphics acceleration, wifi this and that, displays, etc.... the critter would be reduced to running for 15 minutes between charges.

It is what it is.
It aint what it aint...
Who knows where it will go...
but,
If I were selling laptops, I'd be very nervous...

Sorry Tom, but you're off base here...

Apple's wild success over the past three years or so has been due in no small part to crafting a very careful balance between "open" and "closed' to deliver superior products that work very well and bring great satisfaction to the vast majority of users.

The iPad follows a similar approach, and portable devices, with an eye toward processor and battery performance, will probably be a bit more closed to make sure the experience doesn't degrade. The ONLY time my Mac has issues are Flash errors in Safari or Firefox...I can see Apple's point that Adobe is resting on its lard-butt and has no plans to support Flash until it's greatly optimized. Flash is barely supported on any mobile device, so perhaps there some similar feeling amongst Apple's competitors as well.

Most people DON'T want to tweak, tinker, or heavily customize - in fact, that's been the bane of most Windows users, forced into trying bizzare techniques and workarounds because the system is so inherently poorly designed (Windows 7 has nicer curtains, but its' still got the same core issues)

Saying you can't do everything you want with the iPad is like complaining the BMW 750i you just bought is not easy to tinker with. If you want something to customize ad-nauseum, get a different tablet (or car!) There's plenty open about the iPhone OS iPhone takes the time to think about it.

In terms of "fearing" the iPad is the pre-cursor to the next version of the Mac OS after X, it's pretty clear that Apple is developing both, and alternatively migrating features from one platform to the other as they build a better hybrid OS for next year. That's a good thing.

@ aquatic69

Buy FOSS (free open source software)?
bad choice of words there, but I agree with you 100%

It's so sad to see all the close mindedness and hate here. If you don't like it, you don't have to buy it. No one is putting a gun to your head and making you buy one... Apple is NOT a monopoly, if you think so, you need to go read the definition of it in the Sherman Act.

It's also sad to see that so many people here can't see that the times they are a changin'... you old-worlders out there need to read this:

stevenf.tumblr.com/post/359224392/i-need-to-talk-to-you-about-computers-ive-been

Computers are no longer multipurpose devices that you can use to do anything that you can upgrade and hack, etc. "Computers" are appliances now, and they're meant to do a small subset of specific tasks very well. They are a disposable commodity no different than cell phones and pagers. The PC companies still don't get it and that is why they're all losing market share and Apple is gaining share. If you don't believe me, just look around you, "computers" are everywhere, the key-dongle for your car doors and trunk, the new RC toy you just bought for your son, etc. Hell, the LED flashlight I just bought has a "computer" in it.

And by the by, I am a "power-user", I'm a university professor, I program my own experiments in C, I use MATLAB and R for data analysis, I know how computers work, etc. And frankly, an iPad would complement my work very nicely... I can't wait to have to not carry around a bag full of 300, 500, 1000 pg. textbooks, reference manuals, etc. with me to work and back so I can write lectures, work on data analysis, write programs for research, write manuscripts to submit for journal publication etc. It would be an excellent compliment to my MacBook Pro.

Those of you who want to stay in the old days are welcome to do so, but for those of us with our eyes open who see how things are unfolding in the real world would appreciate it if you wouldn't spew your hate stemming from your lack of understanding how the market and the technology are changing and the way things actually work and are done now.

...and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell*, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast** or the number of his name***. Here is wisdom Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.****

* AppStore totalitarian policy - no buying or selling apps without permission.
** Every Mac OS X is a Beast: Cheetah, Puma, Panther, Jaguar, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard.
*** "A mark" or "number of the name" = DIGITAL SIGNATURE.
**** CHMOD 666 permission set in *nix operating systems means "you can read, you can write, but you cannot execute code (without the number of the beast, i.e. Apple's digital signature).

RESUME: Apple is from HELL!

I have to agree with your thoughtful comments and warning.I used to be a PC user till four years ago and the shifted to the Mac as Microsoft products and viruses on the computer pissed me off. I think the ipad is a big ipod touch for all practical purposes. The main purpose of creating it was first big money and then in a small way service to the customers with with thick fingers and poor eye sight. In the long range Apple could heading in the direction of violating international trade agreements just like Microsoft.I would personally avoid the ipad around my house just like dirty laundry,

All of this doom and gloom over an iPad?! A dystopian society all because of Apple?! Really?!?!?

Of course, any sane and reasonable person knows without even thinking about it that Apple does what Apple does. There are no long term goals for world domination, no more than Microsoft that is. Do they try to create a 'revolution' every time they release a product? Absolutely. Do they desire to change the face of the world? You bet your biscuits they do. Do they have a Maoist bent to overthrow our way of thinking and force us to do their bidding? Only if you are taking illicit drugs and have an IQ below average.

Unfortunately, the author of this article did not get it right, not even close. His hindsight will be far and away from 20/20. He will look back and go, 'Oh no, I didn't write that crap did I?! Why can't I find a job?'... but I digress.

Is this so called 'Savior Table' what we all expected? No way. Did Apple in any way provide us with any information that would have fueled any of these expectations? Nope, not one. Is each and everyone of us to blame for believing the media and falling into their pathetic hype machine? I don't think I need to answer that... do you?

Apple has created what it has created, an over-sized iTouch to compliment its successful iPhone OS. Period. If it is not what you expected, too bad. But the story doesn't end there and unfortunately this is where the lazy minds have somehow permeated the landscape with their ridiculous conclusions. Why is that? Because for those of us that can think beyond the present moment, this is just one step, the first step, towards an even more brilliant solution.

Do you think that the iSlate just didn't make the coin toss? That the iPad was the better choice for them? I feel everyone on the name, but only as far as I don't understand the significance (hey, I even sent Steve an email begging him not to use the name with a link to that MadTV skit). The iPad, the extension of the iPhone and iTouch, is just that... a pad. Which is to say, not quite a full blown computer. It is meant to expand the capabilities of that particular system whether you agree with it or not. But jumping quickly to the conclusion that this is it... the end... with all portents of doom and gloom at our doorsteps, well that is why I suppose better minds are in the positions they are in.

This, of course, brings us back to the iSlate. Naturally, it isn't much of leap in ones thinking to realize that Apple doesn't have just one tablet product in mind for us. No, there are at least two! The iSlate will be the laptop version running OSX that everyone thought the iPad would be. Simple. No gloom and doom. No need to take that cyanide capsule just yet. And of course now the name iPad finally and thankfully, makes sense (sort of).

See? That wasn't so bad was it? Instead of giving us no choice, they are in fact going to give us a choice. The ability to choose exactly what we want. With, of course, the oft forgotten choice of not choosing Apple at all. Now, can we all go back to being excited for the next great thing?

Thank you!

Remember, don't go away mad... just go away!

You are right, why this gloom and doom? Well if Mac and PC are trying to exploit us too much we have a third choice which is becoming popular, that is Linux. Not too long ago I got a Acer one netbook with Linux platform with most of the essential software on it, to browse the net and work on your email. It does a good job while traveling. It also has "Open Office" on it for word processing. There is also talk about, Google is coming up with its own OS system. So there is hope and choice for us all.

@gillettd

You being tech support and having to uninstall bad programs doesn't make PC any less or Mac any better. People's lack of knowledge of the system they are using is the reason you do that. Take any edgucated PC user and see how many faulty programs they have. And even if there are the bad programs out there for PC it is the fact that you have an option if you should so chose to use those programs.

for everyone else.

It pretty much boils down to Mac being a dumbed down PC. IF you are knowledgeable with a PC they work great. The open interface and access to any faction of the system is perfect if you have a use for it. As it is, its not a very big percentage of the population that can even reinstall windows on a computer let alone fix any type of hardware errors. The mass majority of people seem to prefer to be able to buy a prebuilt pre-programmed system that they dont have to worry about buying parts to upgrade or worrying about what programs to use.

I for one am a Die Hard PC user though i have tried Mac. I'm not going to say one way or another about pc/mac which is better but i will say that they are geared towards a different level of users.

I'm no fan of closed systems either.

As if they didn't have enough money now they are forcing Amazon ( thru publishers ) to raise Kindle e book download prices from 9.99 to what Apple wants to charge 12.99 to 15.99 for it's e book IPAD. Who Ipadded who's palm. It must be nice to be able to buy off publishers so Apple can make a slew of profit.

Ok, so everyone's making a big deal about the closed OS. Well, anyone with any sense should realize, "there's an ap for that". Actaully, only sort of. A program called Blackra1n can jailbreak iPones and iPod Touches. I'm not sure if Apple likes it, but most people do. One of the benefits of jailbreaking is something called "backgrounding". Little hint: you can make programs run in the background, therefore, better multitasking. Also, the Aps you can download with a jailbroken system are open source. So, you can beat the OS system, just jailbreak it.

WARNING: jailbreaking can be a security risk, follow the guide on fixing this on the jailbreaking site.

The Mac vs. Windows debate is not only endless, it's based on opinion. Being a Mac owner myself, I recognize many of the Mac's capabilities but also it's shortcomings. I.e. Macs cannot open executable files, only extract them in the terminal. ( exes are auto-running program files that contain many needed applications.) Mac has it's own format, the .dmg or mountable disk image and it is admittedly less common in on the web than the older .exe.
The iPad itself has many shortcomings. It does not support flash, which nearly every website employs in one form or another. The iPad is also not capable of multitasking, so as a portable browser it fails on two accounts. Basically the iPad is an oversized iPod touch with a screen too large for the network's bandwidth.
Overzealous Mac owners that religiously purchase and defend everything Apple manufactures: "Have you no shame?" You are exactly the people that have given Apple the reputation it has; a caterer to elitists who desire nothing more than a pretty machine washed in unicorn tears.
Apple produces some amazing products. The iPod was a revelation, Snow Leopard operates seamlessly. And there has yet to be an epidemic of malware infecting Macs. But Apple failed on the iPad and if we want a continuation of great products, let them know.

"It pretty much boils down to Mac being a dumbed down PC. IF you are knowledgeable with a PC they work great."

Open? Windows? EXCUSE ME? I suggest you educate yourself here; Windows is and always has been a closed proprietary system. Just because you can use WindowBlinds doesn't make anything about it, even the 'interface' open. On the other hand OS X is certified as fully POSIX 3, and is based on Mach BSD, a tried and proven technology with a record of over 30 years of security and stability behind it that is GNU licensed, so anyone can see its guts and change it as they like.

I suspect your crack about the 'interface' in Windows is meant to disparage the fact that Apple keeps the Aqua interface proprietary, but again, this in no way makes Windows, even just the 'interface' open in the slightest.

As for dumbed down, would you care to enlighten us as to how much Unix you know? In my department at my university, I don't have a single colleague who would call me anything other than a power user.

I do visual visual psychophysics and cognitive neurophysiology on a Mac, including single and multiple cell recording with rhesus macaques from various brain structures, and the stimulus presentation and data acquisition system I built in my lab runs on OS X on Mac hardware and replaced a Windows based system that was not even close to as stable or capable as OS X. Further, most of my colleagues in other labs at other universities also use OS X because of its superior stability, security, and performance. For these type of high level scientific applications, Windows, or even Linux, simply doesn't cut it because they don't offer the combination of power and ease of use that OS X does.

With respect to the iPad, those here criticizing it are doing so on criteria the device was not meant to meet, so take your red herring arguments and live in the stone age of Windows if you like. Old-worlders are welcome to stay in their caves. As I mentioned above, the days of the upgradeable, reconfigurable computer are over, they are commodities now designed to be nothing more than special purpose machines. As for myself, I will get an iPad as soon as the textbooks and programming reference manuals, and statistical software manuals I use regularly are available in a PDF or e-reader format that I can use a mark-up application to make notes on. I can't wait to not have to lug 10 or 15 lbs. of books to and from my lab most days and replace them with an iPad I can use alongside my MacBook Pro or the Mac Pro running my lab apparatus.

The iPad is only the first step. The new way of interacting with computers is what it heralds. Those of you who say it's a failure or a disappointment are still probably using floppy disks and PS2 cables. Come out of your holes and have a look at reality.

First of all, I may be the only person on planet Earth who actually loooooooooooooooves the name iPad!!

If only people over 70 use the iPad to stay in touch with their kids and look at the pretty pictures, Apple has brilliantly created a whole new (ignored) market that doesn't give a crap about Flash, multitasking or cutting-edge techno-geekatude.

So Apple created it's own universe where babies learning to sketch on one of the drawing apps today, will be designing graphics and multi-media with their fingers as adults.
Quit hatin', and realize that within the next decade there will be a million variations of this sort of device to suite the needs every conceivable consumer. Apple just kicked off the "POP" version of the coming trend with the iPad.

30 years ago, who would have ever imagined a future in where consumers had SEVERAL varieties of TVs and telephones in their homes.
Well get ready for a ton of different types of media devices coming our way.
Am I in a rush to possess the infamous iPad myself, not really, I'm young and tech-savvy enough to make do with my desktop and laptop.
But I can't WAIT to get one for my 81 year old mom!!

O

@ben86

A language is not "open" or "closed" source in any way, so calling Java (or better yet, PHP, lol) an "open source" language is stupid. Besides, it doesn't matter what Apple gives out. Whether I'm on my Mac (which I am now), Windows, or Linux, I can (and do) just grab NetBeans; Eclipse if you're into a bit of self-flagellation.

And why would you ever have to "pay" for ASP .NET? You don't pay any money for a language or libraries, ever. If you're talking about IDEs, you realize that for ASP web development you can get the completely free MS Visual Web Developer Express Edition, right? Before that, there was the ASP .NET Web Matrix, also free. If you want to, say, work in C++ or C# (yes, even with that apparently costly .NET framework!), the Visual Studio Express Editions, also completely free, right? I mean, it's not like they're completely free, excellent IDEs provided directly from Microsoft that allow you to do more than you'd ever want to do outside of large software development teams. Oh, wait, they are.

There's nothing more annoying than someone who *half* knows what he's talking about.

@overvision

How could creating a device for a shrinking market be forward-thinking? Seniors are generally not computer-saavy because they only became prevalent later in their lives - in many cases after they had already retired, so they weren't forced into company training programs which got them up to speed on basic functionality.

Most people under 50 who haven't taken hits to the head can navigate the basic functions of a computer. Those that can't will likely also have issues of one nature or another even with a limited system like the iPad. Either way, as time goes on, a larger and larger percentage of consumers will be more technologically inclined as they've started learning at a much younger age, meaning that a system such as this will feel frustratingly limiting, not a relief.

This ignores other things you said that made no sense, such as classifying "Flash" in with other "cutting edge" things. Sorry, Flash is as mainstream consumer as you can get. Saying it's okay to ignore it if you're an "average" web user is contradictory; the average user won't understand why all of his favourite sites don't have all those nice flashy navigation bits or movies, and won't know why. How is that an improvement?

Lastly, babies shouldn't be "learning to sketch" on drawing apps on an iPad. There are much better and safer communal learning touchscreen-based learning environments for kindergarten-level children out there that can be used in the classroom much more effectively. I'd know; as a computer science graduate student, I get to play with them when I feel like dropping by our Human-Computer Interaction lab. Thinking that Apple is the safest or best bet, or even anywhere near the first to think of that kind of thing, is completely, fundamentally wrong.

Now, I'm going to start here by saying that I'm not in the sciences. Everything I do on a computer has to do with managing documents, and that's my entire realm of experience. With that said ... that's what iPad is billed as *doing.* It's an office/academic tool, and it's one that does *not* offer the flexibility provided even by the ordinary MacOS builds. I tend to agree with the initial article.

>Computers are no longer multipurpose devices that you can use to do anything that
>you can upgrade and hack, etc.

That's a *defense* of this kind of thinking? No, I'm sorry, that's absurd. A computer is a chunk of hardware. It can do all of the functions of any of those specialized devices. It's only the software that imposes limitations on that, and it's a ridiculous waste, one designed to force users to buy multiple devices and live with the inconvenience of carrying them about.

>Second, look at your PC and the software you use on it day to day. Odds are pretty
> good that most of it was created by the creator of the operating system you are using.

No. Just no. I have a Linux PC, and my most common apps are Google's Chrome, Skype, GIMP, and Sun's OpenOffice.org. When I had a Windows machine at work, my most common apps were ... Google's Chrome, GIMP, Sun's OpenOffice.org....

That's an even percentage of open- and closed-source apps, all of them cross-platform.

>I was able to eradicate it for her but not before she incurred a $300 phone bill in a
>country where $100 a month is a living wage. And her phone company doesn't write \
>off those bills like US phone companies generally do. She was stuck with the bill.

The bit you're apparently missing in this anecdote of yours is that in North America, Australia, and most of Eurasia, those fees *would* have been written off. Why did she have a smartphone in a developing country? Ah, because she was a professional who could afford it. It's not adding up, man.

Security is always going to be an issue. It's something that software developers have to constantly fight for. But the funny part is, you're talking about trading *freedom* for *security.* That sounds oddly familiar. = )

>The always innovating TouchBook is open source with hardware and software, uses
>Linux, is super efficient, and does everything the ipad does except the multi touch, it
>has a built in, removable keyboard, a touch screen and normal desktop, and costs less.

Yes, but it's also slow as hell. My plan at this point is a bit more complicated - MSI Wind + Hoba touchscreen kit + custom stylus + Ubuntu Karmic, with its expanded touch support. There's no problem with holding a netbook by the spine, because it's still smaller than paper media anyway, and it's more convenient than a tablet in some ways, because there's something to hold onto. Price comes to the same as the Pad.

But that's not really the point. It's painful that Mac keeps putting out such beautiful hardware, running the best damned kernel in the market, and then putting a UI over it that has the flexibility, power, and external hardware support of a Nintendo Wii.

>If all you do is browse the web, check Facebook, and watch Youtube vids, and you
>want to do it in style, then the iPad is for you.

Except that it still lacks Flash support, so ... no Youtube, anyway.

Frankly, the utter uselessness of the thing is the only saving grace. It makes this dystopian future a little less likely. But with technologies like Blu-Ray and 3G limiting your activity to what the service provider or license holder wants you to be able to do, instead of the limitations of the hardware, well, we could still end up in the same place.

>I wish someone would partner with Wacom already.

A thousand times, yes! = ) Let's go with HP, if we can. = )

>I dare anyone to prove that Microsoft is more open than this.

Well, I can't well do that. I'm a penguin. But it's irrelevant. Yes, unquestionably, Mac has a beautiful kernel and architecture. It also locks the average user out of any chance of making use of those things, and something like the iPad makes it physically impossible.

I'm well aware that Linux and MacOS evolved from the same branch on the tree. That's what makes it so frustrating - knowing that there's a real operating system under all that Windowsy commercial BS.

>Lastly, babies shouldn't be "learning to sketch" on drawing apps on an iPad.

No, it's a complete waste of time; if they're old enough, they should be learning to touchtype, dammit. = ) Kidding, kidding.

>At least they don't try to be like *everyone else*.

Is that a KDE burn? = )

It seems like both Microsoft and Apple are trying to screw us over. One is trying to close out everything that it doesnt like and the other is letting everything in without control. Its a case of which is more evil. Well to everyone complaining about them both, switch to Linux and see how that turns out for you.

What I like is to be able to do my own stuff; typing in a terminal and partitioning for instance.

>It seems like both Microsoft and Apple are trying
>to screw us over. One is trying to close out everything
>that it doesnt like and the other is letting everything
>in without control. Its a case of which is more evil.

I don't see that. They're both heading in the same direction. Windows isn't all that open, and it's not getting any more open. And it's not malicious coming from either one, either - just a shortsighted strategy.

@David_Dennis

There are a number of problems with your argument there. The fact that many people use the software that came with their computers comes completely out of laziness and resist to change. People typically don't like to change. For example, I used IE for a long time before switching to Firefox. I used Firefox a long time before switching to Chrome. Both times I switched I found that I liked my new choice better, however the effort (although minimal) of switching wasn't really worth the gains of the new program. Just look at how people have freaked out EVERY time a new the guys at Facebook or Myspace change something. People just don't like to get used to new things unless they have a good reason to.

About your comparison to the those Windows mobile phones: just because something doesn't work right doesn't mean you have to axe it. Also, you're comparing the iPad to a phone. The whole idea is that it's not a phone. I agree that the iPhone does not need much multitasking and a simplified OS works just fine for it but once you scale up the size of the product you should also scale up it's capability. I own and iPhone and if somebody told me I could trade my phone's calling capabilities and camera for a large screen and the ability to read books, I would literally just laugh at them. That is the most ridiculous idea I've heard. Fact of the matter is that the iPad isn't some new category, it's a computer. It is just a touch screen laptop without a keyboard. Tablet computers are nothing new, they have been out for years and really the only places that Apple improved upon those old clunkers are in things like size and battery life but at the expense of actually being able to do things that we've come to expect computers to do.

Your strange idea that Apple is looking out for your well being is one of the most bizarre things I have ever heard. I've worked for some pretty large corporations that I won't name but I'll mention that one is one of the top video game companies in the world. I can absolutely confirm to you that the average company that gets to the size that Apple is does not at all care about anything about you except your money. Windows didn't make defender to help ensure that your computer is safe, they did it because customers were losing faith. I have no doubt that a large reason that I can't run Flash on my iPhone is because it would cut into the bottom line of the App store. They allowed a Kindle app to be made because they get a cut of the profit, not because they thought the guys at Amazon seemed really nice and they thought their customers would enjoy it.

While I assume you are right that you can visit any website on your iPhone, it doesn't really matter because you can't use all of the features due to things like lack of Flash support so that point is moot.

If I'm going to lug something of that size around, I want the freedom to actually be productive. If something can't fit in my pocket, I don't consider it portable (I'm sorry, but the prospect of having an iPad purse or something like that is just awful). I mean they can make it as thin as they want but I can tell you right now that if I had a sheet of paper that I could not fold for some reason I wouldn't want to carry it around. If something isn't portable, I expect it to be more powerful. For example, I love digital SLRs because they take beautiful pictures that are just hard to get with a point and click. That makes up for the fact that they don't fit in my pocket like their counterparts. The iPad doesn't meet that criteria when compared to my iPhone. It also doesn't seem to beat a laptop.

I want to separate this because it has been largely ignored for some reason. They already had a better version of the iPad made. They called it the MacBook Air. Go ahead and compare the dimensions, they are really really close (about 9x13x.75 vs 10x8x.5). Yeah, I know the prices aren't close, but just think about it for bit.

Well from talking to my friends i am not that unusual..

We have
1 desktop that needs a refresh
2 laptops running windows7 that are the kids
1 work laptop still running xp
2 iphones
1 matrix pantech
1 xbox

So do i need a netbook? No i have three laptops

Do i need another laptop no

do i need another desktop no

Wife wants something that can do email, web browsing, some word processing.

That means....IPAD

Will it be the primary work computer, no that is mine

Will we use it alot YES
Will we read books at the beach NO (sand/water and electronics dont really go together)

AS far as it being a closed system - i dont get it.

My iphone can be used as

usb drive - yup there is an app for that
mini usb cable - yup there is adapter for that with my extended battery pack
micro usb cable - yup there is an adapter for that
private browsing - yup app for that

Flash - no, by the way many corporations do not allow flash on their computers either. So i cant watch hulu, that sucks for now, but long term Apple will provide or another APP will provide that same functinality.

Kindle - yup i have that app plus 2 books.

Apple does not want 90% of the market - 10% and make money that has been the apple koolaid.

tomatolord

Im doing a essay and i need help determining how the apple ipad tablet helps economy and businesses and people?

Im doing a essay and i need help determining how the apple ipad tablet helps economy and businesses and people?

I just laugh when people call Microsoft a huge monopoly. I see their operating system on a dozen or more manufacturers computers. You can load up your PC with any program imaginable. From hundreds of different companys.
Ummmm the last time I checked, OS X was just avalible on 1 computer. If Mac's are so wonderful, how come they dont release the operating system to major manufacturers so we can have a choice?
A monopoly is a monopoly. Wether you are PC or a Mac.

Something about this OS reminds me of four simple letters. Does U.S.S.R. ring a bell to anyone. Maybe communism comes to mind. If you can only use what Apple says you can then it sounds pretty communistic to me. Honestly if they ever move that Operating System to a Mac then try and get people to not buy it. If they ever did move it to a Mac then it would be to make money. Should they try it, make it just be a drain to their wallets I say.

Completely Agreed,
I am totally enthralled in all sorts of Apple products, being surrounded by Macs iPods and phones. Although lately I am beginning to gradually hate Apple more and more. It's not so much as the products or software as since from the beginning of computers we have always had the ability to edit. It is Apple's continuously ongoing push for the "New" version of whatever they are offering at that time.

Apple comes out with a new product every year, and most times not much has changed since the previous reiteration of the product. Old products soon become obsolete with only a year or less life expectation before the new "Current" Generation hits the store shelves. Apple, taking advantage of people to buy their new "iProduct" while simultaneously abandoning the old technology. The old technology (which still has value but is minimal compared to what it was in the previous months) now sits on someone's bookshelf collecting dust, as a paper weight, or worst of all in the garbage where it goes to pollute our environment.

I guess I shouldn't put all the blame on Apple, because Apple certainly isn't a great contributor to the pollution in the world, but it certainly holds the ideal for technology, which is: Products are not being built to last, or to be "High Tech" for years to come, but to break and become obsolete fast so that corporation continues to make money with new products. I believe this ideal in the long run is what will hurt humanity the most.

TIMBAP_AMC

You’re right of course, the iPad is a game changing technological development but it’s important to keep in mind that the game is played in periods, not all at once. Apple has always been over-protective of it’s OSes, at first. They are trying to break new ground here, to get millions hooked ontop the whole touchpad concept. The last thing they need is to muddy the waters with hundreds of sloppy aps from dozens of hack developers. Soon enough the iPad (like the iPod, the MacBook and the iMac) will slowly morph into the expectations of those of us who expect the stars and are disappointed when we only reach the moon. My advice? Patience, young grasshoppers.

www.scootek.co.uk

An important fact not referenced in the article is that Apple's success is directly dependent on how well they satisfy consumer desires in free and open markets. Currently, Apple is vying for sales against very robust competition.

Most notably Google's Android OS, popularly perceived as having a more open architecture, counter's Apple's iOS, popularly perceived as having a closed architecture.

The consumer decides what virtues they want their operating system to have from among the choices offered. Just as with other corporations, it is in Apple's interest to provide consumers with the very best user experience they possibly can and to follow strategies they think will best achieve this goal.

The first Apple product I used was an Apple IIe in the early 80's. Through the years (now decades) I have consistently found Apple's user experience to be superior to their competitors offerings. If Apple continues to offer a significantly better user experience, I will continue to prefer Apple products.

Thanks for the post and great tips..even I also think that hard work is the most important aspect of getting success.
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