Not only did it leave out slaves, it also left out anyone who didn't own property.

There is a major problem with the way other handset makers are doing it. For example look at the EVO. They included a front facing camera but didn't provide a useful way to use it. They just tack stuff on and leave it to the app developers to use it. This is why Apple "just works", they make their features effortlessly useable.

Most places that rate these things don't go by simply using user surveys. They look at number of calls to call centers, how easy the call center is to navigate, how well the call centers diagnose problems, and several other factors. One thing that really helps Apple is the retail locations. I've been able to get same day service at an Apple store after running into an issue.

I don't know about the rest, but Red Dead Redemption runs at a lower resolution on PS3 than it does on XBOX. Rockstar has done this on all their games so far.

I'm not so sure. Apple just recently posted a ton of HTML 5 demos on there website. One of the key features is "all of the text is HTML, so it is searchable and accessible". There is at least once a week that I am pissed that a flash page has broken scrolling, unselectable text, or unsearchable text. I'm sure those depending on Google adwords (and soon iAds) will like that feature.

High resale is a huge point. I've known dozens of people that bought an Apple after seeing a friend sell an Apple that was a year or two old. If it is in good condition you can almost always get over 50% of what you paid for it. On the other hand I have had Toshiba, HP, and Dell laptops I couldn't get practically anything for (one I even gave away to get rid of it). I've NEVER been able to sell a used desktop. I've seen friends sell iMacs, iBooks, MacBooks, and PowerMacs for a good chuck of money - some even completely paid for a refurbished machine that replaced it.

What if you want Apple to fail? If you are hoping to punish them it is better to leave them trying to guess what feature caused an exodus of users. That way as they take stabs at changes and features they will (hopefully) continue to lose users until they finally get it right.

Depends. Does it have the potential of around 20 million in profit for the fiscal year it is released? (not revenue, not sales, but profit). If so, then yes.

They don't sell to teenagers. They sell to teenager's parents and let them set up monthly limits on purchases from the iTunes store. I still think until someone makes something similar to iTunes it will be a while before the iPhone is way behind (not in the least because users don't update on their own - unless you push updates like Palm or nag users when they sync like Apple your average Joe will not flash his/her device to the latest Android version).

I think you are a little bit off target. They don't want to be a luxury brand, but they want to sell to people with disposable income. They want someone who is willing to buy midgrade fuel and a fuel additive every know and then. I think the problem is there is an overlap of the affluent and trendsetters/fashion, and the iPhone's success is at appearing premium is due to these people - not due to Apple (if you are looking to stand out or have a phone out of reach to the average plebe the N900 would be a better choice).

Just because something is capable of something doesn't mean it is good at it. My Netbook is capable of running Photoshop, but I would rather be stabbed with a dull knife. For downloading I have no idea where I can download and install Office, Quicken, or TurboTax legally. And sleep is not instant on. Hibernate is closer, but still not there. I have had countless times I've gone to boot a Netbook or Laptop that I left in sleep for a week only to find the battery had completely drained. I have yet to find a Netbook with a 10 hour battery life (and idling on the lowest brightness while muted with WiFi turned off doesn't count). My friend's iPad gets close to 10 hours watching movies streamed over WiFi. I would much rather surf the web on an iPad. There are several things I would say an iPad does better. The current generation isn't for me, but it is a pretty neat device.

I'm not saying an iPad would always be better. I use a Netbook, and as I said I don't think I'll be buying the current iPad. I still stand by my assessment that Netbooks suck. Just because you have the right tool for the job doesn't mean it is a good tool.

Are you really that arrogant that you really think you know what is better for most people? The iPad has a lot of advantages, it is an instant on device that runs tons of apps. I have been using Netbooks since the HP Jornada and I'll let you in on a secret: they suck. Back when they ran Windows CE is was an absolute pain getting applications on and off the devices, and it was slow getting files off as they connected via serial port. The modern versions that run Windows are a pain to get applications on (most lack optical drives) and most run Windows poorly (in addition to not being instant on). I have yet to use a Linux Netbook that is instant on, but at least the application installing is better as almost all distributions use online repositories now days. Steve Jobs was dead on when describing Netbooks: there is not a single thing they do better than a laptop or desktop, they do the same things but do them worse. The only possible upticks of are a couple of pounds lighter, a few cubic inches less volume, and possibly better battery life. I don't own an iPad, and am probably not going to buy the current version, but it is a pretty neat device and I really enjoy surfing the web on them.

Are you kidding? Youtube is already available in h.264, if you use flashblock you can have it load the h.264 on youtube instead of the flash player.

Really? Do you remember what happened before the "Nintendo Seal of Approval"? You know, that whole video game industry crash that almost eliminated the entire market? I think this adds to Apple's stance, as the App Store review is similar to Nintendo's seal approval (complete with crazy, random censoring and random denials).