[quote name='lawdood']Yeah, $500 MUST mean you're MADE of money.

Jealous much?
BTW- How much did you spend on your gaming consoles?[/QUOTE]
With this economy, $499 on a luxury item, yes it means you have money (or have no bills to pay or are up you ass on debt).
$499 can pay rent for some people, a car payment , a new TV, laptop, etc.
Jealous? Please, with Apple the lesson learned is that you NEVER buy a 1st generation product. How did that work out for those suckers who got an Iphone on day 1?
I spent $250 on a 360 and $400 on a PS3. These consoles actually play videogames, surf the web, play Blu-Ray (PS3) so I see the long term value on these items. The Ipad, well, I rather have my laptop which costs the same as an Ipad and can do much, much more.