You know the iPad is popular when people start trading it for marijuana

Steve Jobs and the people at Apple can surely pat themselves on the back upon the runaway success of the first ever iPad, a revolutionary tablet computing device.

Not least because people are now using it as a currency to buy and sell pot.

Two young go-getters who longed for such a sleek device decided to do what any other economically minded young entrepreneurs would do - they decided to get an iPad on Craigslist by offering to pay with an iPod touch and - somewhat less normally - a quarter-ounce of marijuana.

Jacob Walker and his partner in crime, Joseph Velarte, both the tender age of 20, posted a listing on the free classified ads site that read:

i am willing to trade my 32 gb ipod touch 3rd generation and a quarter of DANK. blue dream straight outta cali. the ipod is in PERFECT condition. not one scratch it has been in the case the whole time and has never had screen cover removed!!!! let me know!!!

To sweeten the deal, the two posted a picture of the winning bidder's prize [seen below].

How could such a wonderful deal, and such a terrific bargain ever go wrong? Well, the police met up with the pair by contacting them through the ad. I'm sure they'll be alright, though - I hear that there's quite a market for that kind of stuff where they're going. 

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Minute cartoon penis has iPad app rejected

Apple, the notoriously judgmental and perfectionistic technology company, has declined a cartoonist the ability to promote, sell and market his iPad app version of Ulysses because one of the cartoons includes a minute drawing of one of the character's penises.

According to Slate magazine:

Apple declined to carry a comic-book adaptation of James Joyce's Ulysses for the iPad because one panel showed a man's penis: "While the first chapter of the book, the one now at iTunes, doesn't contain 'offensive language' our comic does have frank nudity. Something we figured we might have to pixelate or cover with 'fig leaves'. But Apple's policy prohibits even that. So we were forced to either scrap the idea of moving to the tablet with Apple or re-design our pages."

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AT&T emails iPad 3G owners to apologise for security leak

Owners of Apple's new iPad in the 3G model have been contacted via email by AT&T, which accidentally leaked secret documents containing the contact information of owners of the device.

The telecommunications company, which also is the primary partner of Apple in carrying the iPhone, said that the leak was the work of malicious hackers.

Last week, Valleywag, the infamous Silicon Valley gossip website, published some of the more famous names on the list, which even included high profile CEOs and the Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg.

The company then went on to explain the mistake in further detail. The full email is pasted below.

Click 'Read More' to see the email in its entirety.

June 13, 2010

Dear Valued AT&T Customer,

Recently there was an issue that affected some of our customers with AT&T 3G service for iPad resulting in the release of their customer email addresses. I am writing to let you know that no other information was exposed and the matter has been resolved. We apologize for the incident and any inconvenience it may have caused. Rest assured, you can continue to use your AT&T 3G service on your iPad with confidence.

Here's some additional detail:

On June 7 we learned that unauthorized computer "hackers" maliciously exploited a function designed to make your iPad log-in process faster by pre-populating an AT&T authentication page with the email address you used to register your iPad for 3G service. The self-described hackers wrote software code to randomly generate numbers that mimicked serial numbers of the AT&T SIM card for iPad – called the integrated circuit card identification (ICC-ID) – and repeatedly queried an AT&T web address. When a number generated by the hackers matched an actual ICC-ID, the authentication page log-in screen was returned to the hackers with the email address associated with the ICC-ID already populated on the log-in screen.

The hackers deliberately went to great efforts with a random program to extract possible ICC-IDs and capture customer email addresses. They then put together a list of these emails and distributed it for their own publicity.

As soon as we became aware of this situation, we took swift action to prevent any further unauthorized exposure of customer email addresses. Within hours, AT&T disabled the mechanism that automatically populated the email address. Now, the authentication page log-in screen requires the user to enter both their email address and their password.

I want to assure you that the email address and ICC-ID were the only information that was accessible. Your password, account information, the contents of your email, and any other personal information were never at risk. The hackers never had access to AT&T communications or data networks, or your iPad. AT&T 3G service for other mobile devices was not affected.

While the attack was limited to email address and ICC-ID data, we encourage you to be alert to scams that could attempt to use this information to obtain other data or send you unwanted email. You can learn more about phishing by visiting the AT&T website.

AT&T takes your privacy seriously and does not tolerate unauthorized access to its customers' information or company websites. We will cooperate with law enforcement in any investigation of unauthorized system access and to prosecute violators to the fullest extent of the law.

AT&T acted quickly to protect your information – and we promise to keep working around the clock to keep your information safe. Thank you very much for your understanding, and for being an AT&T customer.

Sincerely,

Dorothy Attwood
Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Chief Privacy Officer for AT&T

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Don't blame Apple for document leak, it's AT&T's fault

Tuau, the 'unofficial Apple weblog' has come to the rescue of Apple in the wake of yet another embarrassing leak from the technology company, this time about the iPad.

When it was told that a huge list of iPad 3G customers had been leaked into the public domain, the blog came to the rescue of the company it's partly named after, saying that it was in fact not Apple's fault, but the fault of AT&T.

So why is this Apple's fault? Because Apple has teamed up with AT&T, and therefore -- through the transitive power of magical thinking coupled with a deep desire for web traffic and Digg hits -- Apple is responsilbe for ensuring that AT&T doesn't make any mistakes. Apple is supposed to "patrol" AT&T's network.

I think they've got a point. Read the full article here.

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Investigation launched into Apple's 'fear of Asian customers'

The attorney general of New York is reportedly investigating claims that Apple, the technology company that today released the next generation iPhone, is in fear of Asian customers and asking to see their passports.

Among other things, Apple employees are reported as saying that certain customers' English 'sucks' and denying some their right to purchase the company's brand new iPad tablet computing device.

The political blog, Politico, reported that Apple had been suspicious due to the large volume of illegal exports of the iPad to China - and that they were investigating potential international leaks of the product to untapped overseas markets.

Politico reported:

A person who had been informed of Apple's policy said the company — concerned that customers were purchasing multiple iPads for sale abroad — had briefly instituted a questionnaire for use in the course of iPad sales, aimed at blocking those illegal exports. The source said the policy is no longer in place, and [the attorney general's office] signaled that the investigation appears likely to be resolved routinely.


 [Image: A customer in one of Apple's Australian retail stores. Via Getty Images]

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Dell announces competition to the iPad

After watching in awe as Apple released its new wonder-tablet, the iPad, Dell has launched its own rival into the tablet computing marketplace - and calls it the Streak.

The Streak is a 5-inch tablet that runs on Google's Android software, intended for use on mobile devices.

It also includes a number of other features, such as a 5 MP camera, front camera and WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities.

PC World detailed some of the Dell Streak's specs:
At launch, the Streak will be running Android 1.6 (Donut), but the device will receive an over-the-air upgrade to the new Flash-capable Android 2.2 (Froyo) later this year, a Dell spokesperson confirmed. The mini tablet will also come pre-loaded with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube apps, and Google Maps featuring free turn-by-turn navigation.

Of course, it will take much competition to beat Apple's iPad. This is particularly evident in the way that Android, Google's mobile operating system, has yet to gain measurable market share despite dozens of devices promoted by numerous mobile phone manufacturers.

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Apple's iPad on track to outsell Mac

There is already a lot of speculation within and surrounding the Apple community of loyal fans that the company's new iPad tablet computing product may soon outsell its flagship desktop hub, the Mac - one of the lasting Apple products that isn't entirely mobile. 

Wired Magazine reported:

Apple is selling more than 200,000 iPads per week, says Mike Abramsky, an RBC Capital Markets analyst. That’s almost twice the rate of Mac computers, which average about 110,000 units sold each week.

The iPad isn’t outselling the iPhone, though it’s coming close. Apple was selling about 246,000 units of the iPhone 3GS per week during its first quarter of launch.

Read More http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/05/ipad-sales-2/#ixzz0oYufQlG6

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Apple explains why poor disable woman can't buy her iPad

A disabled woman had been saving for quite some time, Valleywag has reported, to buy her iPad, however Apple refused her business after she failed to produce a credit card to pay for her purchase.

According to the gossip website, Apple wants to prevent U.S. buyers from re-selling their iPads overseas. Credit cards are the easiest way for the Cupertino based company to keep track of who has bought more than one of the company's new tablet computing device.


The local ABC television station appealed this decision, advocating the woman, however the tech company would not budge, and is enforcing a 2-iPad per customer limit.

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Obama 'disses the iPad' in college commencement speech

The President's address focused on the disparity in academic achievement between white students and black students

President Barack Obama gave the commencement speech at Hampton University on Sunday. In doing so, he talked extensively on how the African American students can contribute to efforts to close the historical racial gap within academic results.
In the main, this talk was fairly mundane and did not initially receive much attention.

One remark, however, was not so ordinary or unnoticed: the President 'dissed' the iPad.

In the words of Gawker:

But who cares about all that, besides people invested in making the world a more just and equal place (losers)? Barack Obama mentioned the iPad. The only way Google's top search terms could get closer together would be if Justin Beiber went on American Idol with Naked Pictures of Lady Gaga.

But more importantly, in the words of the President, himself:

"Meanwhile, you're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't rank all that high on the truth meter. With iPods and iPads; Xboxes and PlayStations; information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment. All of this is not only putting new pressures on you; it is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy."

Although you may look at this and question the validity of the claim that Obama was 'dissing the iPad' as Gawker did in this report, you cannot deny that he may very well have a point.

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