Considering how the market has developed after the release of the iPad (or iPhone, or iPod...) the Apple haters are missing something in their arguments. Sure, Apple products tend to be more expensive, and no, there was nothing magical or revolutionary about the hardware in the ipad, and they do occasionally make mistakes (hardware design, PR, etc.), but they sure do have a way of shaping and defining entire product segments, and even creating new ones from scratch. Perhaps some apads or this 'blackpad' will in fact be superior to the iPad in some ways, but remember that they owe their very existence to the iPad, Apple, and in no small part to Steve Jobs. Even if you never buy an apple product, hate Steve (who could blame you?) and disdain their closed platform philosophy, you have to see that they are an incredibly powerful driving force, and they sure spur innovation and competition. And that's the cornerstone of the free market ideology. I'd wager that today, even the apple haters own at least one device that would not exist without Apple.