This weekend, an estimated 700,000 people bought the glowingly reviewed Apple iPad. Though some consumers voiced reasonable gripes, others chose to destroy, drown, or shred their new devices, documenting their mysterious rage on video. Are they reacting to the agonizing hype that preceded the iPad's release? Have a look for yourself:
Take a swing
Unlike many actual journalists, Comedy Central's Daniel Tosh (host of the viral-video roundup show Tosh 2.0) managed to secure a test version of the iPad months before the official release. But rather than showcase the iPad's features, Tosh decided to "test" the device with a golf club, making him the first to publicly assault the gadget.
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Through the ringer
Clearly provoked by the iPad's purported miraculousness, PC World senior editor Tim Moynihan puts his through an (almost excessively thorough) "Apple iPad stress test." He drops it, scratches it, douses it with coffee, all to demonstrate how much abuse the device can take before it's rendered useless.
Batter up!
After earning the requisite $500 by shoveling snow, Justin Kocott, 19, of Penn Hills, Pa., smashed an iPad to smithereens with a baseball bat. He told local news reporters that he wanted to be "the first one to break an iPad because I see videos of people breaking things on YouTube like PS3 and Wiis ... and I figured this one would be next." Though he's been called an "Apple hater," he says he owns another iPad and "loves it." The video quickly went viral, and has garnered 400,000 YouTube hits in two days.
Silicon smoothie
In the latest episode of "Will It Blend?" Blendtec's Tom Dickinson tests his blenders by cramming an iPad into the jar and hitting "iBlend." While the gadget initially stands up to the spinning blades better than the iPhone 3G, the end result is the same: A pile of chunky dust.
