There is a complaint running around that the iPad is a closed system, that people aren’t free to customize it, that it’s not opened up so that we can all poke around inside it. Complaints are the the iPad is killing off an idea of computing that’s open and free for all.
To which I say: Good! Does anybody remember what using a computer is like? I spent a week after reinstalling my operating system picking out the right tweaks and gizmos and gadgets to make things more manageable. Weblogs exist that do nothing but teach you how you can make your experience on a computer less shitty. On a closed system, you can’t do that. You work with what you’ve got. Even if what you have is suboptimal — and guys? We live in the future; suboptimal for us is leagues beyond what the poor savages of 2008 had — when you’re using a device, you have to use it do do something, not just to fuck around.
— great article by Rory Marinich
Besides, like I said in my article on the iPad, those who really need some more advanced access will have the jailbreak, like the iPhone. Truth be told, most apps and uses of the jailbreak on the iPhone (besides Terminal/SSH access and a few developer tools and a few cool apps — e.g. LockInfo) are horrible themes that do nothing but make the UI really fugly… And hardcore programmers can always use their laptops!!
