Each car company creates and locks down their own computer control system and auto parts. There was a time when the 'user' could tinker and mod theirr cars easily, but most consumers just want a car that works. They want a car that turns on in the cold and drives the way it should whether they are going fast or slow, and the car makers have provided that, at the cost of limiting access to internal control systems. Same with the iPad - most consumers just want a phone that works, that is intuitive and easily expanded. While symbian phones could be expanded, it required so many steps that the average grandma/mom/dad/user never got around to expanding anything. iPods just work. The iPhone just works. And now the iPad will just work. And that is why they have been and will be very popular.
Most Slashdot readers will continue to tinker with the inner workings of the latest *nix release and spend their evenings curled up on the couch figuring out how to run a Sega Genesis emulator on their toaster. Meanwhile, the average user will happily shell out $500 for a really cool gizmo that will sit next to their couch like a photo fram displaying beautiful photos of the grandkids, until they pick it up and shoot off a few quick emails to friends and family and check the latest headlines at the New York Times.
You all are not the target market, so get over it.
