Regardless of the success or not of the Apple iPad (and let's face it, Apple products succeed commercially regardless of other issues), the sheer volume of posts on MR relating to the iPad clearly displays the level of iHype surrounding the possibility of an Apple eReader.
It was never going to happen - Apple have been going down the iPod Touch / iPhone road for some time now, and clearly their next device was going to be more of the same (as it is). Their computers kick ass (iMacs, MacBooks, Mac Minis, etc.) but they are yet to win me over to their handheld devices. They definitely have superior human/machine interface technology (even though nobody does touch screens as good as them, and the iPod "wheel" is a masterpiece in simplicity and functionality) - but I just don't have the use for it yet.
They have a lot of other baggage that keep people wary, and on this forum DRM is always, shall we say, a sensitive issue. So I found the info below both informative and entertaining - hope MR readers do too! - I like the boys over at DefectiveByDesign,... well done!
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/blo...d-drm-petition
Quote:
Sign the petition: iPad DRM is iBad for our freedoms
Posted On: Wed, 2010-01-27 12:18 by holmesworcester
Today, Apple launched a computer that will never belong to its owner. Apple will use Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) to gain total veto power over the applications you use and the media you can view.
We've launched a petition calling out Apple's new product for what it is: a frightening step backward for computing and for media distribution. Can you read it, sign it, and share with friends?
Sign the petition
Apple will be getting a ton of press for the launch today, press coverage that will likely ignore the fundamental social problems introduced by its DRM scheme. Help us spread this petition wherever folks are talking about the iPad.
Defective by Design's John Sullivan is on the ground at the Apple event with a group of protesters, letting the public and journalists know about the "Restriction Zone" Apple is constructing around their products. We posted images from the event and will be adding more news throughout the day, check the DbD Live Blog at live.defectivebydesign.org and help us circulate these images.
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And here's the petition text from
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/ipad :
Quote:
iPad DRM endangers our rights
Mr. Jobs,
DRM will give Apple and their corporate partners the power to disable features, block competing products (especially free software) censor news, and even delete books, videos, or news stories from users' computers without notice-- using the device's "always on" network connection.
This past year, we have seen how human rights and democracy protestors can have the technology they use turned against them. By making a computer where every application is under total, centralized control, Apple is endangering freedom to increase profits.
Apple can say they will not abuse this power, but their record of App Store rejections and removals gives us no reason to trust them. The iPad's unprecedented use of DRM to control all capabilities of a general purpose computer is a dangerous step backward for computing and for media distribution. We demand that Apple remove all DRM from its devices.
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And a few more articles on the DRM issue and the overall iHype surrounding the latest iGadget from Apple (some linked already in other forum posts on the iPad):
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/n...alf-of-drm.ars
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/c...ml?autostart=1