The article likens maemo & open source to a pre 1990 Romanian D.I.Y car and iPhone/ Ipad to a 2010 Mercedes Benz = FAIL.

If I may extend his analogy: Just use a car to get you to work & see your folks.
Well what if the car (ipad) can only perform the very basic function of getting you to a place provided it is a well paved well lit urban area (basic text messaging).
What if one day I want to go see my country cousins who live off a dirt road (facebook IM intergration)?
On the closed car (ipad) I cannot tinker to equip it with off road tires (pidgin protocols for conversations)? Then I cannot visit my cousins I have to wait for the next car (iphone 4) to get to go see my country cousins.

Why limit myself?