One world, 5 billion iPads

Wireless connectivity -- and slick tablet computers -- targets global super-saturation

Published September 17, 2010 3:55PM (EDT)

Customer Han Ziwen holds up his iPads while being carried out by store employees at the Apple flagship store in Beijing
Customer Han Ziwen holds up his iPads while being carried out by store employees at the Apple flagship store in Beijing

Connect the dots:

After reviewing the data, one can only conclude that by the end of the decade, every human being on the planet will own a tablet computer. OK, maybe not everyone. But even making a joke about tablets conquering all would have seemed far fetched at the beginning of 2010. I'm not sure what the most important implications of having seven billion or so people all connected wirelessly together via their mega-powerful handheld devices will be, but that future is just about here.


By Andrew Leonard

Andrew Leonard is a staff writer at Salon. On Twitter, @koxinga21.

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Apple How The World Works Ipad Tablet Computers