iPad

Hi,

This, as you probably know, is neither a fully-fledged computer nor a telephone.
It doesn't have a USB port and FlashPlayer isn't installed. The memory capacity is limited and you cannot transfer any data to an external computer or hard drive except via iCloud (which also only offers limited storage). You cannot download an attachment from an email. The camera is universally acknowledged to be of poor quality and the photos come out grainy.

And when you download a track from iTunes you have possession of the mp3 but not the ownership (unlike, say, a 45 rpm record which, incidentally, had two songs).

Maybe the 'i' stands for 'idiot' or 'imbecile'.

No doubt Apple will change the operating system of iTs products within the next three months making it impossible to download upgrades, new apps etc.

And yet .... (for the photo is of my own iPad engraved with my name and email address) Apple products are bought in such large quantities not just for their utility but for their design. Apple users enjoy them because they feel they belong to a club an community and can look down their noses at the philistines who buy PCs and use Windows. Holding an iPad is a bit like like holding a painting or work of art - there's an aesthetic value.

And people become very attached, even addicted, to their iProducts.

What would the owner of a iPhone be prepared to accept in exchange for it and its contents? Would he or she prefer to abandon the phone or a partner?