If I had to pick a single dichotomy between, say, a MacBook and an iPad, it would be that the latter is optimized for consuming content in a way that the former is not. The iPad is primarily an output device.<p>The fact that the keyboard is a bit of an afterthought is telling. Yes, you can create presentations, spreadsheets, emails and documents, but there's no denying that it's awkward in a way that reading a book or surfing the web on the thing is not.<p>It's a bit like when the Walkman was introduced without a record function. It didn't spell the end of tape recorders, but it recognized that people spend vastly more time consuming music than producing it.<p>I think the fact that it's locked down the way that it is is orthogonal to the consumption versus production question. It's as though this Walkman will only play studio-mastered tapes. Which is why I'm rooting for some credible competition to come along and force the issue.