Most of the doubters second-guessing Nokia are wrong. People involved with the tablet program are very aware of the concerns expressed (I do my best to help there) here and elsewhere. But there are complexities to any new program that just flat cannot be discussed publicly by most of us, although you guys are free to and you'd do well to listen to those outside Nokia who have been involved in consumer products. To a large extent, what happens inside one producer happens inside another.

Nokia is supporting these tablets in so many ways and on so many levels, but that involves walking a tightrope.

If we controlled every aspect, then those wanting an open platform would be sorely disappointed.

If we had opened it wide at the beginning, we would have been depending on an ecosystem that did not yet exist.

Nokia wanted to create something as analogous to the PC market as possible and practical in a mobile device context. Yes, there is risk in that but for the brave consumer there is significant reward.

The problem is that too many of you are impatient, or want the tablet to address a narrow niche. The latter is just flat not gonna happen. That's not the market being currently pursued.

Some want to compare the tablets to Apple products, but consider: Apple has at best 15% of the PC market. The remainder is an incredibly open ecosystem supporting myriad operating systems and configurations. I realize there are diehard Mac fans here, and they have their justifications for Apple's narrow approach, but I'm a committed PC guy. I build my own. I install what I want. I create my own software. I don't want Apple's contraints.

I want an open platform.

That's where we (to a significant extent) are with the tablets now. And yes, that means Nokia will provide the basics but our hope has always been to cultivate a powerful community of amazing developers. That exists now. So fault Nokia for coming up short in the hand-holding department if you will, but if I had to pick a poison, I'll take open and unexplored every day over confined and overly obvious.

It remains to be seen how many average consumers feel likewise. We won't make everyone happy. But then, I go back to that personal computer percentage: 15% nanny company handholding, 85% wonderfully mixed and open (and yes, often scary) bag. So... what has the market chosen?

Speaking as a Mac user, your Apple analogy fails miserably. Aren't you a Windows user, anyway?

Anyway, I agree with the spirit of what you said.

I knew you'd come back with that... but I say the analogy has merit... Mackie.