I'm a sucker for Mac products, and I would certainly give it a good review if Apple decided to send me a free iPad.
That said, my friend KY is right on with this one:
New Thing: Anyone who says "I want a iPad" will get the response "Why, do you have your iPeriod?
Perhaps Apple should consider having some women work in their Dept. of Putting i in Front of Things. Just sayin'.
I'm also a bit perturbed that you still can't play flash on the iPad (or, for that matter the iPhone). I find it a little feudalistic that we have to watch internet TV in Apple-approved ways.
Along similar lines, Devilstower, over at Daily Kos, brought up an interesting--and disturbing thought:
Just as the web replaced earlier systems, Apple is building an alternative ecosystem that uses the Internet's backbone covered with their own cross-device platform. The early focus of that system has been on media. They've successfully built a massive presence in music even though everyone predicted their failure ("who is going to pay to download music when you can get it for free?"). They've called their entrance into television and movies a "hobby," but it's a hobby that outstrips all competitors. Even the little application store for the iPhone, which gave every appearance of being an afterthought, has turned into a revenue stream of around $5 billion a year.
Tablet or not, odds are that this week will see Apple's entry into books and magazines. The bow wave of that pending event is already reshaping everything from how much the New York Times is willing to give away on their web site to what Amazon pays in ebook royalties. When this wave has passed, there's every chance that a lot of people will make their way through the Internet without ever seeing the letters "www" again. It won't be the web. It'll be the Orchard.
There's a certain disturbing logic to this, but I'm not sure how likely it is that Apple's foray will result in a ghettoized internet. After all, Hulu made it possible for me to be a more discriminating consumer when it comes to iTunes. Now, instead of not buying a show off iTunes because I'm not sure I'll like it, I can watch a show on Hulu and decide if it's something worth rewatching. In this way, the two internets become connected, enhancing each other.
The arc of the internet bends toward freedom, and I have a hard time imagining that Apple by its lonesome can invert that arc. But maybe I'll hold off until Apple comes out with an open souce iPad.
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