you know what, that is a very good point

is the rPi another Phantom console?

1. Buy hard drive from brand A
2. Buy hard drive from brand B
3. put in seperate esata enclosures
4. backup to both drives.

to have a platform where the user can modify/upgrade/repair the device without the golden permission slip some pretentious cunt?

write 250,000 lines of C on a keyboard or touchscreen?

If you are thinking of the S7-300 which a CPU can cost up to 5k USD, or the mighty S7-400 which CPU the size of a shoebox can list up to 20k USD. Well in that case you would be wrong, because at the very top of siemens control hardware family lives the 19" Industrial PC. Which if sir has to ask, sir cannot afford..... ...which only runs Windows XP or Windows 7.

its a toy

if the ipad had USB slots, esata, RS232, RS485, ProfibusDP master, UART, SD card, DVI, gigabit ethernet port, then I would get one to work with.

you can lose the shitty camera and sensors as they dont add any value to me.

you can plug your car in using the ODB scanners which use CANBUS. cheap USB scanners with windows software are on amazon now.

its not too far fetched to have a programmable golf bat.

can i run visual studio or Siemens Step 7 on an ipad?

no? then bugger off while I write software for a million dollar industrial machine.

anyone can make a gimicky hardware toy, e.g OpenPandora, raspberry pi, apple ipad, but for real work cad (email and word dont count), I need a x86 Windows PC.

no really, its a toy.

If I connect an ipad to my desktop, windows detects it as an "entertainment device"

I hate apple, but if anyone were to steal my electronics/car, etc, I would happlily see them stood up against a wall and shot.

I agree!

More blood for oil!

I think we need another campain of crusades.

good for them

pity I wont buy another sony product ever again.

what about prior art of the PADD in star trek TNG?

I agree, that is an issue that they will have to overcome.