The iPad's incredible effect on the PC industry is only beginning

Well the iPad's incredible effect is that it both creates new uses for computers, and replaces PC in doing some things either equally well or better.

Good for Apple as the iPad is relatively peerless.

I've bee told that it is difficult to take out e-pub books from your library with a Kindle. Is that true.?

How can you editors sit back and believe tim cook?? He states that iPad sales took a small bite out of mac sales, but at the same time he makes some crazy statement saying that iPad has took a more devastating effect on PC sales, even though windows laptops are cheaper than iPad. He is full of crap, and makes me ashamed he is playing politics with this stuff

I did a search on the this "polarized problem". It turns out the only complaints I found, were "Oscar Goldman" posting the same story in other forums. As it turns out the FAA recommends against using Polarized sunglasses for pilots. I would have to label this "huge problem" as a nonsense post.

(From the FAA regarding polarized glasses)
Polarized lenses are not recommended for use in the aviation environment. While useful for blocking reflected light from horizontal surfaces such as water or snow, polarization can reduce or eliminate the visibility of instruments that incorporate anti-glare filters. Polarized lenses may also interfere with visibility through an aircraft windscreen by enhancing striations in laminated materials and mask the sparkle of light that reflects off shiny surfaces such as another aircraft’s wing or windscreen, which can reduce the time a pilot has to react in a “see-and-avoid” traffic situation. (Airliners.net, 2009)

More information:
FAA publication: Sunglasses for pilots: beyond the image. http://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/pilotsafetybrochures/media/sunglasses.pdf
FAA pilot safety brochure: Pilot vision. http://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/pilotsafetybrochures/media/Pilot_Vision.pdf

Hmmm

@oscar,
I think your being harsh for a product that has barely been out 18 months and is only in its 2nd model.
Your pointing out a flaw for one specific aviation use and believe Apple during the busy time and short window of design for iPad 2 should have concentrated on this polorisation issue.
Is this your own observation or one that you have heard about?
Has anyone even you know off even bothered to alert Apple about this observation if it's accurate?
If so, based on the mind blowing variation of uses for the iPad that have come to light in such a short period of time, it's a bit egotistical to assume one particular use should have been prioritised and actioned already in just the second model!

In fact the more I read of the previous post, this sounds just like one of those naysayers I posted about previously.
They all follow the same theme moaning about openness and lockdown issues.
I'm still flabbergasted to believe that people really think Apple just lockdowns devices for control issues, it's absolutely ludicrous, it's obvious that it's the only way they can attack the success to twist twist things kid this to try and make it a sound like a negative.

The simple fact is, Apple does have an OCD, and that is to ensure the user experience is kept to th e same quality they intended. Open and uncontrolled that these people wish for is the mess you get with android Market place and all the security issues that have been widely reported!
Apple doesn't really have a desire to control what you do with a device and anyone that believes that is a fool.
Apple does want control, but that control is to ensure you don't end up with poorly written apps that will degrade your device, they want to ensure your privacy is kept (to the best of emir ability) and not just leaked to all and sundry!
I for one love Apple controls, I feel their attention to detail in these areas provide a safer environment for me and my children to use these devices without the risk of abuse from fake app creates who only want to harvest your personal information. That's one of the main reasons I would not risk my families exposure with poorly controlled devices like android that are simply churning out code to and steam ahead. Openness and uncontrolled are key factors to androids ability to try and forge ahead, they tout them as benefits to the user which is conviienient as they are really only benefits to them themselves. Trying to control the user experience takes a lot of time and resources!

I love it when I'm right, I absolutely knew it was going to be successful , there was not the slightest doubt in my mind and whilst I know many others were as convinced as me, I had a few run-in's with naysayers in comment sections on various blogs like this. I wish we could go back and ask thoses people what they think now :-)

It's not so bad for people to be wrong in life, especially if they truely believe their viewpoint at the time and are willing to adjust their viewpoints when it's become clear they were wrong. That's the most valuable and positive thing you can gain from an error. What's completely worthless are those thats we call 'naysayers', who debunk stuff just for the sake of it because they simply have a dislike for a company and wish them failure rather than have an actual factual viewpoint.

The sad part is how Apple has needlessly crippled iOS devices and squandered so much potential. It's as if they learned nothing from the failure of music DRM. If iOS devices had proper I/O, and third-party apps could sync information with counterpart apps on the computer, we'd see a major increase in the number of USEFUL apps. And there'd be no loss to Apple.

Apple wants to tell everyone else exactly what these devices can be used for, and prevent anything else. But they've predictable failed to imagine a vast many ways people want to use them, and failed to test them accordingly.

For example, one of the articles linked to above describes the use of iPads in aviation. But the iPad is seriously flawed for this purpose, because the screen is polarized in the wrong direction. Every pilot wears sunglasses, and a huge proportion of them are polarized.

Unfortunately, Apple didn't pay attention to which way the screen polarization went on the iPad, so the images on the screen are only visible in landscape orientation with said sunglasses. That's not the way you're going to position it for aviation. There are even kneeboards to hold the iPad on your thigh (where pilots normally keep notepads or other aids), but of course it's in portrait orientation.

This mistake is symptomatic of Apple failing to recognize the potential of these devices. They're PORTABLE. That means they might be used in vehicles or in other dynamic environments. But the extent of Apple's imagination is someone browsing the Web on their couch. This was clear in Steve Jobs's uncomfortably lame introductory presentation at the iPad's launch.

Even worse is the failure to fix the above-mentioned problem in the iPad 2 (despite it being an acknowledged bug).

If the iPad is truly disruptive to the computer industry, it's because people didn't want computers. Not because it's versatile.