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Here Come the Linux iPad Clones
CWmike writes "You can now pre-order an Apple iPad; but do you really want to, asks Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols. 'I mean, I get why you'd want an iPad. I'd like one too,' he writes. 'But,' he says, 'when I consider that there are soon going to be literally dozens of cheaper, Linux-powered iPad devices on the market, I find it a lot easier to resist putting $499 on my credit card. On top of that, Apple will be including DRM on some eBooks and other iPad content. I really, really hate DRM. All that said, I agree the iPad is really cool. I predict with absolute faith that the iPad and its clones are going to kill off single purpose devices like dedicated eReaders such as Amazon's Kindle and GPS devices within the next three years. How can it not work out this way? For the same price as a high-end dedicated device you can get a tablet that will do everything they can do and far more. But, and this is the important bit, you don't have to buy an Apple iPad to get all of the iPad's goodies. ARM, a mobile microprocessor power, is predicting that we'll see no less than 50 ARM-processor-powered iPad clones by year's end. And, what will they be running? These ARM-powered entertainment tablets will all be running Linux.'"
Linux will take over the Pad market just like it took over the desktop ? 50 different models, all incompatible with each other, each with a different UI and the user has to compile the app for their version to get it to run....if they can get the right version of the source and the right compile flags...
Funny, the vast majority of those people have had no problem with computers up 'til now. There's absolutely no evidence to suggest that they need something even more dumbed down.
No, the iPad isn't for them, either, it's for Apple's insatiable need for control.
your right, the itampon is the most restricted, useless, over priced heap of crap i've seen in a long time. i'm pretty sure the hype about it will turn when people actually see it's nothing more then an iphone which can't make calls.
If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
Half the price of the iPad But....
-- 2GB of storage (expandable to 8GB) - versus 16GB
-- 802.11g -- versus 802.11n
-- half the resolution
-- 400Mhz processor versus 1GHz
-- the screen is 3.5 inches versus 10 inches
So exactly why were you comparing this to an iPad?
Surely the Linux world learned its lesson from the desktop wars, hasn't it?
Yes, the Linux world has: nothing other than Apple will ever satisfy the Apple fanboys. They'll badmouth Linux and complain about it no matter what. And Microsoft will say anything because they know Linux is a big threat to them.
As for the rest of the world, it seems to be standardizing on a couple of Linux distributions and Linux is steadily growing in market share. It innovates (even if Microsoft and Apple copy it and then claim they did it all themselves). And it's everywhere around you even if you don't notice it.