Personally, I blame Microsoft.
They left us all with no choice but to put up with such poor and vulnerable OSs for so long that they've forced a segment of the population into rabid Apple fandom.
Apple certainly does have a lot of panache...or gall, depending on your point of view.
The iPad is a cute and clever device. It has a screen that will pivot the image around to keep up up and down down no matter which way you hold it. It also does not support flash or Java, cannot connect to any form of USB storage or external devices, cannot take pictures, cannot tether to a phone and has no user replaceable parts (ie, batteries). Still, Apple expects this to be the "Next Big Thing".
The amazing part is that they just may be right. Thanks to Microsoft, there are a lot of people out there now who will buy dirt if the Apple logo is properly applied.
Eventually Apple will release a version with support for USB, java, flash and all the other gaps in the current iPad's repertoire. Then all the early adopters will, out of a devotion to Apple born of hatred towards Microsoft, simply buy a new one and never once complain about the waste of not doing all that the first time.
What's so hard about building a thin, light device with a 6-10" touchscreen display that has all the features Apple has omitted? What's so hard about adding a USB keyboard, or a 5 megapixel camera? Heck, my phone - a Nexus One - can do most of the same things the iPad can, and a few (like taking pictures) that it can't. If such a device shows up, I will probably buy one.
Even if it's an iPad...
