Doonesbury covers the tablet release

Cartoonist Garry Trudeau is of course no stranger to the constant expectations and travails of being an Apple fan -- he famously skewered the Newton years and years ago in his comic strip Doonesbury. And with the Appleverse on high alert for what could finally be the "second coming" of a revolutionary handheld Apple computer, he's at it again. Today's strip lampoons Apple fans who are hoping for a religious experience tomorrow, and Trudeau will likely be posting Apple-related work all week long.

The satire is biting as always -- while I'm as big an Apple fan as the next guy, it's very true that many people are expecting a life-changing revelation, and in reality, all we'll get at most is a brand new piece of technology. A piece of technology that might change the way we do a lot of different things, sure, but if you're hoping for "miracles" over and above, you know, a new way to read newspapers or watch TV, I wouldn't hold your breath.