The iPad and apple is like a bad memory that won't die. Have you been by an apple store and seen the signs for OSX lion? I don't know how much you know about apple but i remember seeing in 1999 in apple stores a sign for OSX leopard. Do you know what this tells me? It tells me that yet again apple has yet to release a new operating system. Infact the current one is going on 13 year of age. It doesn't matter what animal name you attach to OSX, it is still OSX. Incase you don't know, the X represents 10 meaning OS version 10.
If memory serves me right, the biggest improvement from OS 9 to OS X was the move from 16 bit to 32 bit computing. As I type this, i am thinking to myself,,, wow, in thirteen years apple couldn't come up with something new. In anycase, i take this as a sign that the apple code reached end of life over a decade ago and every new product they release in a new OLD product. The apple OS will continue to be the same old same that is was 13 years ago while the PC market continues to advance. Eventually pc's move to higher than 64bit, whats apple going to do with anitquated code? Microsoft abandoned DOS years ago do to programming limitations, why is apple still clinging to old technology? I believe the answer is simple, apple invested heavily in patents, and a business model designed to get consumers in the door then make sure they apple is the sole proprietor of the users needs. Why this is not classified as a monoploy, i don't know why.
I'm going to take a step back, I shouldn't knock apple to much, they have a created a good product and the reason why it is so successful is they control the software, they control the hardware and everything to do with it and what YOU do with it. I would be willing to say that if microsoft made a computer that noone else could produce hardware or software for and control it the way apple does then they to would have a computer like apple but microsoft doesn't want to do this. Microsoft chooses to allow the PC industry to move forward by allowing a wider base or development thusly creating and industry that any company can take part in instead of poeple the sole proprietor of the whole pie like apple. Ultimately this allow the PC industry to move forward and make faster and better machines. Google follows suit with android in the same fassions. Steve jobs was very good at on thing, selling a idea. An idea that has a status attached to it. Hell he even made it cool by copywriting the use of the letter infront of certain words..lol I am curious what the future of apple will be now that steve jobs is iDead (the letter i is intended).
I am fully behind this comments made earlier about apple, "If you like being tied to iTunes for everything you do, and locked into a single point of development content, then the iPad may be just what you are looking for". Infact i couldn't have said it better myself. Ultimately the choice is yours but consider what you are really buying before buying an iPAD. Oh, and have fun spending all the extra money on the dongles to make the ipad do what the acer iconia does.
I'm not anti apple am i?...lol