Its unfortunate that the XO-2 was canceled, the OLPC initiative would have changed computing again with it. They actually *thought* differently for the first one. Too bad money, ego, and politics got in the way.

Tablets aren't new. Apple is refining the formula and doing what Nokia, Palm and a few others didn't/couldn't do - scale a mobile OS that's touch-usable to A4 size.

The point that the iPad is a different paradigm in computing is only new to those to whom a new paradigm of computing was also evident in the iPhone. Meaning that this isn't necessarly for folks here to understand, but it is for us here to learn better how to innovate in a way that leads to great success for more people (aka, "make the pie bigger" - which is the reason for the 5 step Maemo thingy that's often quoted).