The automobile has followed a similar trajectory. Early cars were 'open' in a sense. Ford's Model T came with a small toolkit that contained all the tools needed to repair it. Modern cars barely come with enough tools to change a flat tire, but that hasn't stopped people from modding. Now, in addition to boring out heads or swapping engines, modern street rodders can tweak the fuel-to-air ratio with their laptops and install large-bore fuel injectors.<p>Hacking is something that will always be around. The iPad may - if successful - usher in a new, possibly more mature era of computing, but people are still going to be hacking the new devices. Just because it ain't your daddy's '69 Camaro doesn't mean it can't be modded for the drag strip.