You may have something there.

The article struck me as as wildly extreme, albeit on the other end of the spectrum, as Apple is with describing the iPad as a "magical device".

It's not the end of the world as we know it, neither armageddon nor the second coming.

I bought the device to see what it really was (I can send it back to Apple for 90% of its value - or sell it on eBay for 125% maybe).

It does some things (e-reading) reasonably well, though the glossy screen is a pain. My Kindle DX is better because the display is "flat". What is shows of the web is shown well. Email is fast and clean.

It is less encumbered than tabletPCs I've used in the past - and less functional.

There's no perfect device - and very few "evil" ones.