Personally, I hope Apple just rushed this out half-baked to beat others to the punch, and that they’re actually going to release it with far more capabilities than what we saw previewed.

On another note, if we call PCs ‘Windows PCs, what do we call those machines running Linux and other systems?

Look, everyone already knows the whole ‘PC’ term evolving to exclude Macs is technically incorrect. But that’s just the way it is. You’ll never change the way a billion people refer to Macs and PCs as separate.

I’ve been trying to convince people for thirty years that there’s no such thing as red licorice, but it’s just not gonna happen. People are going to continue saying it even though they’ll never see the word licorice anywhere on a package containing red candy.

Can’t guess why? Because TiPb needs iPad to succeed for their own growth. There is nothing new to write on the iPhone now, and if iPad flops, TiPb will have to shut shop.

Ok, but seriously, it is designed to revolutionize magazines, books, newspapers. Print. We have yet to see what they roll out on launch day. You have to save some surprises to reheat interest die to the time between the keynote and launch.

That comparison would be okay if they were bashing Congressmen but then praising Senators.

At LEAST say Windows PC. It just makes people sound like complete idiots when I hear people say PC’s are horrible, like Macs are not PCs.

But I do agree yet disagree. If the iPad was launching the App Store, then yeah…I’d say it’d be a shocker for Gates in the end. But that’s the difference between iPad and the iPod/iPhone.

iPod launched iTunes and a seamless ecosystem of syncing not yet seen. Along with the iTunes set up which was rarely seen. iPhone launched the App Store which gave a whole new distribution for mobile apps (although the method is old) it gave mobile phones a “one place to shop” place for apps and extensions for their phone. Where normally they’d have to hunt them down.

The iPad is just…an iPad. It’s not launching anything not seen before. I think that’s why Gates has the mindset he does. And he has all right too. The reason the tablet failed in the first place was it didn’t really bring anything not seen. It just took a desktop OS and put it on a touchscreen.

In a way, the iPad is just that. If the iPad came out then the iPhone/iPod Touch…then it might have garnered a bit more excitement. But as it stands…

For everyone saying I’ll never use a “PC”…you do know Macs are PC’s right? Regardless of how the commercials market them.

Oh, not this again…

“PC” is the widely-used and universally-accepted term for IBM machines to differentiate them from Macs, and has been for decades. It doesn’t matter that Macs are also Personal Computers, just as it doesn’t matter that Senators are also Congressmen. But we’ve come to refer to only those in the House of Representatives as ‘Congressmen’ just as we’ve come to refer to only those IBMs as ‘PCs’.

As for Gates; I think he’s being genuinely sincere when he says he’s not impressed with the iPad (like many of us here)… but I’m thinking he’ll be surprised once it’s been out awhile and the apps start coming.

I mean, it just stands for Personal Computer. Yeah…

But on to subject, I look at it this way. Mr. Gates knows failure on the Tablet horizon. He’s not saying it will flop, but it won’t push the tablet market to where most people think it will. Whether he’s right or wrong, we’ll see. Will it go the iPod route, or will it go the Apple TV route.

It’s refreshing to see competitors (even though he’s not really a competitor anymore) concede to admitting that a rival’s product was really superior to what they had. But hey…he doesn’t care. He’s not in charge anymore, so he can endorse anythign he wants. LOL

As for the iPad, Apple and Steve deserve every bit of “ridicule” they get. You can’t release a product and call it magical when it lack all innovation and is just a larger version of an already existing device. I truly hope that iPhone OS 4.0 really evolves from what 3.0 is and makes the iPad worthwhile, but I don’t have much hope as Apple is showing signs of starting to get complacent comfortable and that has never worked well for them.

However, I agree with the use of the word ‘ridicule.’ Apple has definitely received a surprising amount of ridicule over the iPad announcement, IMO — which I feel are for the most part unfounded. However, because of the degree and intensity of criticism at this point, it’s easy for Gates to be publicly blase about the iPad.