albo - 2:48 pm on Jul 31, 2010 (gmt 0)

The apps do not the iPad make (because the browser is open, and one can get to all the web through Safari).

But surly SJ and his walled garden keep the iPad a tethered appliance requiring the presence of a mother PC, as opposed to an independent device.

MSFT has a real opportunity to leapfrog AAPL in this respect. And I see tablets having a firm future - for easy travel, if nothing else. Webmasters must learn appropriate new site styling for them.

Some education institutions are already parceling out iPads to students for use in classes, instead of textbooks.

The iPad (so far, anyway) has limitations for being purely a data *consumer* and not a *producer* - and thus not strictly suited for all. Balmer spoke of the tablet being able to print. That's an important first step. Document and photo editing, even at a rudimentary level, will provide a winning device. Go MSFT!