No, but you're being stupid - intentionally.

Have you had one in your hands, Mark? You seem to know so much, you must have done some extensive tests....please tell me your strong opinions are based on more than a couple of YouTube vids.

I know you fanbois are getting pretty desparate for validation these days. I wish I had better news... but as more and more respected reviewers pan your little cat toy etch-a-sketch, and more hidden technical limitations are revealed, it's clear. The writing is on the wall. Apple whiffed this time.

And the joke is made all the more cruel when you realize that if they had only done a few key things differently, it would be a whole different scenario. If only they'd put in that $10 webcam and $5 USB slot... if only Jobs didn't have that pathological hatred of Adobe... if only the iPad were actually capable of the things Apple claims it can do.

magical!

There's nothing pathological about a hatred for Adobe. It's just good sense.

Mark, it's not that you don't have valid points. What people are asking you is why is your reaction always so over-the-top negative whenever it comes to anything Apple? You still haven't answered the question. Ever since I started visiting this forum, I knew if there was a post about Apple, it wouldn't be long before you'd come ranting. You act like you're personally insulted by the company. It's just a computer! Even if the iPad had a camera and a USB port you would still be complaining about it.

A friend of mine works at one of the New York City Apple stores. He says it's been impossible to keep up with the demand for the ipad. Go figure.

I went to a local Apple store the other day to look at the new laptops. I ventured over to the iPad display, really not wanting to like it. Picked it up, played with it and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Yes, its not the answer to everything (or anything, for that matter). Its just a very well designed, fun device. I give Apple credit for taking risks. It is a home run? Nah. But who cares. Will I buy one? Maybe. Maybe not. Again, who cares. Will there be apps, upgrades, wireless and phone options that will make this a more desirable device? Very likely.

It will definitely find its place in our lives... or even music studios - BUT! Other than all the kids gadgetry, I wish that Apple would put more of its effort to supporting their loyal hardcore PRO users, who kept Mac afloat in their rough years. For example - cutting off Logic / PPC users at version 9.0.2 is very unfortunate. Since the Logic 9 came out as an Universal Binary, they should finish it as such... and go the Intel only version from L10! WTF?!

For Mark K. ONLY.

A Byte Out of Apple

No doubt, Bill Gates realized how profitable a successful GUI for IBM computers would be. He had seen Apple's Lisa computer and later the more successful Macintosh or Mac computer. Both Apple computers came with a stunning graphical user interface.

As a new product, Microsoft Windows faced potential competition from IBM's own Top View, and others. VisiCorp's short-lived VisiOn, released in October 1983, was the official first PC-based GUI. The second was GEM (Graphics Environment Manager), released by Digital Research in early 1985. Both GEM and VisiOn lacked support from the all-important third-party developers. Since, if nobody wanted to write software programs for an operating system, there would be no programs to use, and nobody would want to buy it.
Microsoft finally shipped Windows 1.0 on November 20, 1985, almost two years past the initially promised release date.

Microsoft Windows version 1.0 was considered buggy, crude, and slow. This rough start was made worse by a threatened lawsuit from Apple Computers. In September 1985, Apple lawyers warned Bill Gates that Windows 1.0 infringed on Apple copyrights and patents, and that his corporation stoled Apple's trade secrets. Microsoft Windows had similar drop-down menus, tiled windows and mouse support.

Deal of the Century

Bill Gates and his head counsel Bill Neukom, decided to make an offer to license features of Apple's operating system. Apple agreed and a contract was drawn up. Here's the clincher: Microsoft wrote the licensing agreement to include use of Apple features in Microsoft Windows version 1.0 and all future Microsoft software programs. As it turned out, this move by Bill Gates was as brilliant as his decision to buy QDOS from Seattle Computer Products and his convincing IBM to let Microsoft keep the licensing rights to MS-DOS.

Windows 1.0 floundered on the market until January 1987, when a Windows-compatible program called Aldus PageMaker 1.0 was released. PageMaker was the first WYSIWYG desktop-publishing program for the PC. Later that year, Microsoft released a Windows-compatible spreadsheet called Excel. Other popular and useful software like Microsoft Word and Corel Draw helped promote Windows, however, Microsoft realized that Windows needed further development.

On December 9, 1987, Microsoft released a much-improved Windows version 2.0 that made Windows based computers look more like a Mac.

The gift that keeps on giving! This time it's from THE WALL STREET JOURNAL:

Princeton, Cornell and GWU All Ban Buggy iPad From Their Networks!

and

iPad Struggles For Acceptance at US Colleges

Choice quote: "Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pa., had promised free iPads and MacBooks to all incoming freshmen next fall. But most of Seton Hill's 2,145 students will now have to pay up to $800 a year in additional technology fees for an expanded wireless network and support system. And Seton Hill says students will still need to buy textbooks."

magical!