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Closed source might not be any better but if you are buying from a company that has a reputation and a monetary stake in the matter then you at least have some leverage and some recourse if something goes wrong.

And get what for my troubles, some coupons and free downloads for more crap? I think I'll stick with what I have now.

it at least lends credence to my argument:

Well, here's something that lends some credence to mine. I'll quote the relevant bit to save you the trouble.

So at the end of the last day of the contest, only the Sony VAIO laptop running Ubuntu was left standing.

This link and this one

Did you read the articles you linked? Clearly state the apps only targeted jailbroken iPhones. This means they were not distributed through the app store and not in any way relevant.

This link and this one

"Kryder's Law" states that areal density doubles every year (yes, 12 months), which hasn't held true since 2005. As far as the capacity of drives themselves (which is not strictly platter density), it took 28 months to go from 750GB to 1.5TB (April 2006 to August 2008), and looks to be another 28 months between 1.5TB and 3TB. Which is quite disappointing, IMO, particularly since I've been holding off upgrading until 3TB drives hit the market.

The question is whether this slowdown is due to a lack of consumer demand, technological limitations, or a combination of the two.

Search for "google news outage september 22". (I don't know what comes up on Google; I use Yahoo as my default engine.)

Here's a good link. Google Outages Damage Cloud Credibility. It came a couple of days later and gave a roundup of recent Google outages. Specifics about that outage: look here.

I think it was particularly newsworthy because (a) it came on the heels of several other outages; (b) /. has had several stories about the debates with newspaper publishers, online aggregators, pay for content, etc.; and (c) this was now leading to questions about "is the cloud ready for prime-time" beyond just Google.

(Update: I just checked the same search on Google, and the first link is their app status dashboard). Looks like GMail has had problems over the last week.)

The profit margin was an assumption. But here's a web site that breaks it down. The other numbers come from my personal experience and basic math.

Article by PC World: http://www.pcworld.com/article/195185/gizmodos_iphone_saga_fact_vs_speculation.html Judging by the article, this guy did get raided, and is considering suing the police. They're still trying to figure out if he's protected by journalism shield laws. If Apple's actually pulling the strings, there are better ways to hype your product than to get into several legal battles. The very idea that they are, is ridiculous.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/196023/facebook_privacy.html I wonder when the privacy commissioners will start worrying about it.

It's worth pointing out that the pound is at an almost one year low against the dollar, and is sitting below it's natural level against the dollar and has been for months because of the political uncertainty.

Should we get a coalition government or similar that takes decisive action in cutting the UK's deficit which has been put off in the run up to the electon, you can add a good 10% minimum onto those percentages as the pound returns back up towards it's natural level against the dollar over the next 6 months to a year.

The fact that there's a markup at all when the pound is so weak against the dollar is quite inexcusable particularly as Apple has a history of taking years to rectify pricing issues by which time they've usually gotten away with it even when they accept that it's wrong in the face of an anti-trust case such that it's too late, and a few percent adds up to a notable chunk of money on not exactly cheap devices like this. Make no mistake, ripping off British consumers has long been part of Apple's business model.

It's worth pointing out of course that it's not just Apple that does this, however there are some notable exceptions, from places we perhaps least expect them. Microsoft points for XBox Live / Games for Windows Live are actually cheaper in the UK than the US thanks to current exchange rates when you factor in VAT for example, however they certainly weren't when things were riding at $2 USD to £1 GBP. Microsoft puts a massive markup on other goods too however such as Windows, Office and so forth but it's commendable they haven't used it as an excuse to up prices like some companies.

Companies upping costs in the face of weakened exchange rates is fine normally, but when we already pay much more to start with? They can fuck off, I wont buy anything that's severely marked up. To give some examples of when the pound was strong, I bought a Nintendo DS for my girlfriend and an iPod nano for myself, but I didn't buy them in the UK where they were both around the £120 mark, I bought them when we went to Canada where they were the equivalent of £65- almost half price. It was around $2.10 USD and $2.30 CAD to £1 GBP at the time. That's why I have little sympathy for companies that raise prices when the pound is weak, because they're more than happy to charge us nearly double rather than reduce prices when it's strong.

It's not about the things we put on facebook anymore, and it's not about the things our friends put there anymore either. Now facebook collects data about any site I may visit, see this article describing the problem, a "bug" facebook "fixed" already, (my guess is they just hid it from the users). This happened to me the other day.

I don't like a centralized place where my browsing info is stored, and where all my family and contacts can be related to that info. I'm not interested in anyone knowing that me, with parents named such and such, that attended school such and such, etc, just browsed a hentai porn site.

You do realize that almost everything on your list is compete and utter trolling, right? An iPad can basically do almost everything on your list. It's not at all hard to come up with things that an iPad can't do, yet still you proceeded to dump a huge list of things that it can! Strawman argument, perhaps?

I can use its camera - iPad cannot

That's easy. Buy the iPad Camera Connector Kit and use a real camera. Oh, you meant a built-in camera on the Netbook? Those are universally crap anyway.... :-)

I can multitask - iPad cannot

This is, of course, coming soon.

I can install anything I want - iPad cannot
I can write a program and use it instantly - iPad cannot

Sure it can. You just need a $99 iPhone developer program membership. Or jailbreak it. Either way.

I can use various memory sticks - iPad cannot

Again, easy. Buy the iPad Camera Connector Kit. It supports memory sticks as long as they are capable of working correctly on low-power USB. In other words, if you can plug them into your keyboard, they should work. If they only work when you plug them into a computer, they won't.

I can dump my camera to it - iPad cannot

Apparently you haven't heard of the iPad Camera Connector Kit? Because that's exactly what it's for....

It has a real keyboard - iPad does not

I'm pretty sure you can connect any standard USB keyboard using the iPad Camera Connector Kit. At least that's what a number of folks have discovered.

Also, there's always the iPad Keyboard Dock that provides a standard laptop-sized keyboard (no keypad)

I can plug a real keyboard and mouse in now - iPad cannot

Again, I'm not sure it's officially supported, but the iPad Camera Connector Kit does this as long as you're connecting a standard HID-class-compliant keyboard and mouse. I'm starting to sound like a broken record here.

I can plug in an external monitor with hires - iPad cannot

Actually, yes it can. It can output up to 720p if you buy the iPad VGA adapter. Sure, it's not DVI, but if you wanted that, netbooks cannot, either.

I can use dual monitors on it - iPad cannot

On what netbook!?! I've never seen a netbook with anything more than a single VGA output. If you're going to compare an iPad to a netbook, at least compare it to a netbook that doesn't live in fantasy-land. Oh, you meant outputting something different than what's on your screen? Yup. iPad can. The app has to be coded to do so, but plenty of apps do this.

It has multiple USB ports - iPad does not

USB hub. $10 at Fry's. Seriously, you're not trying very hard, are you?

I run multi-boot OS's on in (Win7 / Linux) - iPad cannot

There are, no doubt folks working on that, too.... It's pretty much inevitable.

That's less space to display stuff, DPI is only a measure of how smooth a line would be.

No, it's not. Anything you can fit on your iPad screen, I can fit on my netbook with 352 x 768 pixels to spare. By your logic, a 52" bigscreen TV with 160 x 90 resolution would be better than a small computer monitor with 1080i. I have some oceanfront property in Arizona I'd like to sell you...

As opposed to the iPad's 256MB?. I'm sorry, 256 is bigger than 1 does not work in this case.

Actually it does. Because all iPad apps are developed against that base target memory size, and the OS and frameworks are all built around the fact the memory is reduced.

That's also why browsing on an iPad is a LOT faster than on the system you brought up, because the software is optimized for the system. With a netbook you are going to be running a lot of software targeting a desktop that will indeed run, but not run that great, on a more constrained system.

Ever heard of "Ubuntu Netbook Remix"? Runs amazingly on this netbook, and it WAS build specifically for netbooks. So sure, you have an app that was developed against 256MB, but an equivalent application for the desktop that was built around 1GB of memory or so will be able to run more quickly, because it can cache more data. The ONLY advantage the iPad has memory wise is that it's permanent memory is Flash.

for some keyboard (like a number pad) the keys will be far larger.

So? Why the hell does that matter? If you've learned touch typing on a number pad, having huge keys is a hindrance not a help. Sorry, I'm no grandpa.

And if I really need to I can use an external Bluetooth keyboard.

So can I. And I can also use a USB one without having to by additional, overpriced, apple accessories, so I have more options than you.

I can just as easily say that I am dubious about Apple's battery claims

Actually

you

can't.

Pogue said he was able to use the device for 12 hours before it needed a charge, while Mossberg said iPad withstood 11 hours and 28 minutes of continuous use.

One thing Apple does, is give a realistic figure for battery life for all its products.

And as I said, I have used my laptop and found that HP's estimates are pretty accurate as well. You have only served to prove my point:

You

can't

either!

But still has 768 pixels! What's your point? I see that you failed to mention that it is LARGER in the other direction

Only in terms of pixels - diagonally it's almost the same size screen as the iPad, which means it's physically about as wide, but not as tall (holding the screen as you would a laptop).

That's less space to display stuff, DPI is only a measure of how smooth a line would be.

Yes, you got me on the IPS display, but that's just one factor.

But an important one for shared viewing, and also long term reading.

As opposed to the iPad's 256MB?. I'm sorry, 256 is bigger than 1 does not work in this case.

Actually it does. Because all iPad apps are developed against that base target memory size, and the OS and frameworks are all built around the fact the memory is reduced.

That's also why browsing on an iPad is a LOT faster than on the system you brought up, because the software is optimized for the system. With a netbook you are going to be running a lot of software targeting a desktop that will indeed run, but not run that great, on a more constrained system.

The largest keyboard you could fit on an iPad is 7.76 inches long.

Yes, but for some keyboard (like a number pad) the keys will be far larger. And if I really need to I can use an external Bluetooth keyboard.

But basically the customizability of the keyboard for the task makes it more useful than a cramped physical keyboard.

I can just as easily say that I am dubious about Apple's battery claims

Actually

you

can't.

Pogue said he was able to use the device for 12 hours before it needed a charge, while Mossberg said iPad withstood 11 hours and 28 minutes of continuous use.

One thing Apple does, is give a realistic figure for battery life for all its products.

For downloading I have no idea where I can download and install Office, Quicken, or TurboTax legally.

Office, Quicken, TurboTax. HTH!

And sleep is not instant on.

"Yeah, I asked for a shaggy dog, but I didn't mean that shaggy."

Come on. What do you think the iPad does when you "turn it off"? It goes to sleep, just like the iPhone and iPod (and Android devices, and most smartphones and PDAs). When it has to do a full reboot, it takes around 15 seconds, which is nothing special.

I have had countless times I've gone to boot a Netbook or Laptop that I left in sleep for a week only to find the battery had completely drained.

Heh, my Mac laptop did that even if I shut it down completely. I think that's a "feature" of the battery.

I have yet to find a Netbook with a 10 hour battery life

Try this one, this one, or this one.

Hell, even my full-sized laptop will run for 6 hours on a charge.

Bam

http://www.pcworld.com/article/173092/3_reasons_why_iphone_wont_get_adobe_flash.html

Apple has ALWAYS been know to be control freaks. They know best mantra. Instead of listening to their customer base on what they want Apple did it's usual tactics of "Apple knows best". The other problem is the backwards compatibility to older iphones. It's literally a technical limitation where users would not have a "seemless" experience. aka their hardware is insufficient to provide a non laggy user experience with flash.

Flash however, like any language, can be written very poorly and Apple is afraid that they can't put enough protections in place should a bad app get on the phone. Security exploits etc...

I don't like Apple. Never have never will... I did buy an itouch because the user interface was great until I realized I couldn't get pictures OFF of it. Now it sits in my room and my Droid happily replaced it.

Apple has a great product but there are MUCH better products out there now than the iphone, with much better service, at much better prices.

Cya iphone.

Nope and your links all agree with me.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/194465/adobe_announces_flash_for_android_beta_testing.html
"Adobe Announces Flash for Android Beta Testing" aka it isn't released yet and it is not an open beta.

http://mashable.com/2010/04/27/android-flash/ [mashable.com]

"Google Confirms Android 2.2 Will Support Flash"
Will and 2.2 has not shipped yet.
AKA it doesn't exist yet.

"http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/05/01/1426209/Flash-Support-Confirmed-For-Android-22?from=rss [slashdot.org]"
  "Flash Support Confirmed For Android 2.2"
Let me explain. Will have, announces beta, and confirmed for an unreleased OS all mean that it doesn't exists yet.
At least not in the hands of the customer base.
And I really guess you didn't bother to read my post so let me show you.
"1. Flash on mobile sucks. Adobe likes to flame Apple for not allowing Flash on the iPhone but Adobe has not delivered Flash for Android, WebOS, or RIM. Flash Lite is terrible and out of date and is the only current "Mobile Flash" solution for most people. Yes I know Adobe has Mobile Flash in Beta but that isn't delivered now is it?"
Read the last bit. It covers your entire post in a nut shell. A closed beta == not delivered it is vaporware until it ships.
Is that really so hard to understand?

No Flash for android?!

http://www.pcworld.com/article/194465/adobe_announces_flash_for_android_beta_testing.html

http://mashable.com/2010/04/27/android-flash/

Or hell, just a few days ago here on slashdot, with the typical slashdot-delayed reports ;) :

http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/05/01/1426209/Flash-Support-Confirmed-For-Android-22?from=rss

Forgive my use of hyperbole. Apparently everything I write must be a "fact."

There have been a large number of Google based apps that have been banned from the app store
http://www.pcworld.com/article/188696/apple_bans_the_word_android_from_app_store.html

Now let's examine Steve Job's letter:

"Adobe’s Flash products are 100% proprietary. They are only available from Adobe, and Adobe has sole authority as to their future enhancement, pricing, etc. While Adobe’s Flash products are widely available, this does not mean they are open, since they are controlled entirely by Adobe and available only from Adobe. By almost any definition, Flash is a closed system."

Closed system?
Property?
Future pricing?

Perhaps you should reread it...

I get that you want to make fun of other people on the internet, but taking an off the cuff remark as a series of "facts" seems a little excessive.

That was hyperbole, but thanks for taking it as "fact."

If you'd like a "fact" though:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/188696/apple_bans_the_word_android_from_app_store.html

Apparently the word "Android" is banned from the app store

Yep, in one word, "Apps".

Furthermore, the privacy settings are not as straight forward as they seem. Case in point is Facebook's new instant personalization feature that will show one's interests to others, including the general public - see link for more details.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/195385/facebook_gets_a_little_too_personal.html

On a related note, the number of Facebook friends one has is a risk in of itself ... you may have your privacy settings locked down tight, but what about all your friends?

The more "friends", the more risk of one or more of them being "hacked" and your "private" information being leaked out as a result. Then there's the related issue of "friends of friends", which is in and of itself is seemingly innocuous, but can become a privacy threat when one of them uses the same app you and/or friend does. "Rogue" friends are another privacy hole - very easy for one or more to slip in, especially for members who already have large friend lists.

Ron

It won't be chosen by the likes of Apple or Microsoft. I won't be chosen by potential lawsuits (at least not to a significant extent.)

Nope. There's one industry that will dictate the next standard. That industry is porn.

The porn industry had effectively chosen Blu-Ray as the de facto new standard for high def video: http://www.pcworld.com/article/125618/porn_industry_may_be_decider_in_bluray_hddvd_battle.html

The porn industry chooses its standards. Everyone else follows.

um... I honestly believe that the latest Android phones have comparable features to the latest iPhone model, yes.

like anything you buy, the competing products have various strengths and weaknesses. but they're all comparable and none is clearly superior to the rest.

google informs me that I am not the only one who thinks so

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/devices/htc-incredible-vs-apple-iphone-3gs/

http://www.pcworld.com/article/194464/droid_vs_iphone_3gs_an_update.html

http://www.ifixit.com/Misc/nexus_vs_iphone.html

bingo. Android marketshare is going way up, and all apple has is hype. Now that they've locked down the codebase, they're slowly bringing the DRM to the masses. Patent infringement lawsuits are a sure sign that apple knows they're fucked real soon.

Apple is a master of spin, not unlike MS, but when you try to bring policies like the RIAA (restrictions of what you can do with something you purchase) people are eventually going to adapt and just move on altogether.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/184446/googles_schmidt_roasted_for_privacy_comments.html

If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place, but if you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines including Google do retain this information for some time, and it's important, for example that we are all subject in the United States to the Patriot Act. It is possible that that information could be made available to the authorities.

Basically he's saying it's not as big a deal as everyone's making it out to be if they publish it on the Internet, because the US government is legally empowered to confiscate all of it without much due process.

It is not illegal to have a monopoly, it is illegal to abuse that monopoly. Whether Apple gets a monopoly or not in the handset market is not relevant until it looks like the position is being abused.

It seems like slashdot is getting fewer and fewer user posts and more and more M$ related astroturf.

YANAL, and you're wrong.

It IS relevant before deals get done, and mergers can be blocked in the US, UK, Europe and Australia and no doubt many other places without any "abuse" being demonstrated.

Here we're talking about one of the major players in the smart phone market acquiring the ability to significantly harm the competitiveness of ALL of the other players by controlling an essential component of smart phones. It would be surprising if that is allowed to happen.

Just don't use your laser printer. Your serial number is printed in encoded yellow dots on every page: http://www.pcworld.com/article/118664/government_uses_color_laser_printer_technology_to_track_documents.html

http://www.pcworld.com/article/194387/apple_rejects_pulitzer_prize_winners_app.html

Yes, it would be a bad thing if Apple had won the PC wars.

Except that Macintosh hardware is not dependent on the app store.

Xbox development is locked down just like iPhone OS development is, but the Windows market is open just as the Mac OS X is open.

iPhone == appliance == NetApp == purpose built. People don't bitch about not being able to run Postgres or MySQL on their NetApp, I don't see why they're bitching about not being able to run random programs on their iPhones.

It is not illegal to have a monopoly, it is illegal to abuse that monopoly. Whether Apple gets a monopoly or not in the handset market is not relevant until it looks like the position is being abused.

It seems like slashdot is getting fewer and fewer user posts and more and more M$ related astroturf.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/194387/apple_rejects_pulitzer_prize_winners_app.html

Yes, it would be a bad thing if Apple had won the PC wars.

They're not lego robots but you mean like this or this?

It is true - 1st saw this about 8 years ago - that color copiers put a pattern of yellow dots on every sheet; supposedly, the pattern is tied to the serial number of the machine. You can see the dots, at least for some machines, with the naked eye, if you look really carefully and know what to look for. and this is just what we know http://www.pcworld.com/article/118664/government_uses_color_laser_printer_technology_to_track_documents.html

Can we just please let this one slide and go pick on Apple?

No, but Apple is also evil.

I like my Microsoft mice and keyboards. They're actually pretty decent, don't make me hate them too.

I find that they suck fucking ass. The wireless ones have inferior range to the Logitech products, and they do not have the MTBF, either. Microsoft's gamepads are the quickest to get sloppy; the analog sticks get twitchy and drifty LONG before Sony's, for example. Microsoft knows jack about hardware design. The shape of the mice is probably the most inexplicable thing. Make it fit my hand like a glove, so I have to move my whole arm to use it? This is stupid.

The Newton flopped.

100,000 the first year.

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/Q4.06/600D65E6-A31E-45CA-AFC5-42BC253F5337.html

While the iPad has at least tripled that

http://www.pcworld.com/article/193781/ipad_sales_estimated_to_top_600000.html

I had a couple Newtons, an MP 130 and later a 2000

Both of the guys who ran it were hard core.

Yeah, them and NCR, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and WaMu. OS/2 was for real [1] [2] (see page 2).

I think WaMu was the last to ditch OS/2. I worked B of A. Any WaMu vets know?

This is seriously black humor, disentangling oneself from Big Blue. Let's not forget it.

--
Toro

Oddly, the vast majority of the (millions) people who have bought iPhones don't appear to give a shit if there's no flash on them.

I call BS.

Other sources that I found said around 600,000. I have no problem admitting that PC World could have been wrong.

As far as I know, Apple dropped "trusted" computing support in 2006. They dropped DRM for iTunes in 2009. And of course MacOS X is based on FreeBSD and major portions of the OS are open source.

So the fact that they make a few completely closed products doesn't fully characterize their entire culture of openness vs. closedness. The truth is more complicated. I am no Apple fanboi (I'm a Ubuntu fanboi) but I consider MacOS to be a lot more "open" than Windows, in some ways at least. For instance, MacOS ships with development tools.

He likes the iPad
http://www.pcworld.com/article/193329/apples_woz_ipad_great_for_students_grandparents.html

Though, I can't imagine using it as my only computer as a student, blech

According to PCWorld, the Apple press release citing 300k units is including those sold to Bestbuy, which is of course entirely different from the number of units sold by Bestbuy.

Taco may have skipped this issue, but other reviewers haven't:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/193389/ipad_as_ereader_glaring_problems_promising_apps.html?tk=twt_strohmy
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/ipad_ebooks_kindle_for_ipad_ibooks.php

Based purely on my iPhone (also known as "the precious"), I would skip the iPad and get a Kindle if reading is your primary goal. If you want to do all sorts of stuff, and read books too, then you may be happier with the iPad.

They are already facing some serious time in court over the hoopla with VOI>P and it is only going to get more ugly before the Feds step in and regulate them.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/06/atandt-now-allowing-iphone-voip-calls-over-3g/

http://www.skype.com/download/skype/iphone/
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/185433/vonage_offers_unlimited_intl_calling_for_iphone_blackberry.html
http://www.truphone.com/applications/devices/iphone/
http://www.fring.com/default.php

• Assuming this story is correct. As described in IEEE Spectrum, Intrinsity is an unique company that produces technology capable of significantly boosting the performance of many ARM processors. Considering the ubiquity of ARM, this technology could've potentially benefited a large range of consumers; but, apparently, that benefit will, now, only fall on those purchasing Apple products.
• Apple's suit against HTC: This is an obvious ploy to impede if not completely halt the ascent of Android. Apple sues HTC for infringing on its questionable soft patents while refusing to pay Nokia for the use of its hard patents.
• E-book Price Increase: This is an instance of Apple using its virtual monolopy in the mind share if not the market share of mobile devices to hurt the consumer. Perhaps, previous e-book prices were artificially low; I won't argue that point. The fact remains that Apple's entry into the e-book business has resulted in higher prices for the consumer -- with one concrete instance being the 43% increase in NY Times subscriptions.
• Banning of Google Voice App: In additional to a multitude of other features, Google Voice allow users to make free domestic VOIP calls; so, the adverse affect to consumers of this rejection should be obvious. Furthermore, this isn't an isolated instance: Apple has a history of rejecting apps that compete against its products or those of its business partners.

Forget the power grid, all our communication infrastructure is equally if not more vulnerable.

A year ago, all of South San Jose suffered a communication outage due to this intentional fiber sabotage:

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/162910/fiber_cuts_slash_silicon_valleys_internet_arteries.html

I was driving south on 101 to Morgan Hill to work. About 3 miles north of my destination, my cell phone call was lost. At work, we had power but no internet, phones, or cell phones. We had radio, that was about it. It was later blamed on the fiber lines cut, which happened coincidentally right after the AT&T union contract had expired. Might as well been a terrorist.

Care for a little Crunchpad/Joojoo?

Keep in mind that this thing was publicly confirmed LONG before the iPad. Even if you want to go back when the name was changed from the Crunchpad to the Joojoo, it was STILL publicly confirmed before the iPad.

And no, it is not vaporware.

[citation needed]

Any actual unbiased reviews to back that up? I would have been impressed if they used the same battery capacity and the droid was better. It does have a bigger battery, so I would expect it to have a bigger capacity.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/30/motorola-droid-review/

http://www.pcworld.com/article/148348/3g_iphones_mediocre_battery_life_still_beats_rivals.html

I don't see anything in these to proclaim HTC/Droid phones far superior when it comes to battery life even with a larger battery.

According to what I'm seeing, these folks are only getting a day's worth of use. I get 3 - 4 days on an iPhone before I have to charge it.

I often listen to thousands of songs stored on the device via bluetooth to my car stereo, while using my GPS Nav app, and I don't have a problem. I prefer it to the crap you get from streaming sites.

Meanwhile, other employers are (or were?) demanding facebook passwords to more easily monitor job applicants

This means content creators first off have something more to worry about theft and counterfeiting: there's no way to lock up your shit, and there's no barrier to entry for huge-scale counterfeiting. Sure, someone could produce a CISCO switch copy; but manufacturing a million of them and displacing CISCO? How about making 100,000,000 cracked copies of Windows XP available for digital download?

I've read stories about Chinese fake iPod models coming out within a few weeks of the original products. The barrier to large-scale counterfeiting is largely the fear of getting caught even with physical products. Most OEM makers aren't going to take the risk of installing fake stuff, the statistical majority of people don't download copies of software instead of buying it due to the prevalence of trojans, etc. In short, counterfeiting concerns are not really unique to software.

Since you mentioned Cisco, there was a huge Cisco counterfeiting ring that was recently busted and some $78 million worth of fake equipment was recovered (about .2% of Cisco's annual revenue). Could it displace the real thing? Probably not, but neither could counterfeit copies of WIndow, for the reasons stated previously.

It takes 4 to 20 minutes for data to travel between Earth and Mars (each way) depending on the planet positions.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/137509/coolest_tech_jobs_driving_the_mars_rover.html

Still, Mars is one of the closest planet to Earth. It looks like we will need to find some kind of warp driven data transfer mechanism to network the planets and take full advantage of IPv6 for real time applications. ;-)

Achieving warp speed for data transfer should be easier than for matter and human beings so I suggest we look at this first. ;-))

Examples:

1. http://www.google.com/
2. http://developer.apple.com/programs/iphone/
3. http://www.pcworld.com/article/18447/apple_unveils_os_x_beta_ibooks.html

Maybe because:

"As of CES, 17 SuperSpeed USB 3.0-certified products were introduced, including host controllers, adapter cards, motherboards, and hard drives (but no other consumer electronics devices)."

From here:

PC World CES Article

No joysticks, no webcams, no digital camera support, no real external HD supports, etc.