It seems obvious that the upcoming Apple iPad is a computer, but many people -- both Apple supporters and haters -- seem to feel passionately that it's not a computer. So what is it?
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a "computer" as "a programmable, usually electronic device, that can store, retrieve, and process data." That certainly matches the description of the iPad, the iPhone, and other smartphones, as well as video game consoles, and programmable Hewlett-Packard pocket calculators that came out in the 1970s.
But some seem to get worked up denying that it's a computer. That's true of both the device's defenders and detractors.
Read the rest on the Computerworld Tool Talk blog: Apple's iPad: Is it a computer?
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