The iPad isn't going to destroy tinkering. The whole "oh no one will tinker and no one will want to be a software engineer" complaint is getting old. If closed platforms abound, tinkerers will create an open and adaptable one. There is a wealth of tools and systems available to tinkerers today. Widespread adoption of the iPad is not going to change that. iPads aren't going to destroy the hobbyist electronics market. And as for the software development - what's stopping someone from providing a good programming experience that is web based? (surely someone has to be building a web based IDE, say, that compiles from whatever language to javascript?)