A few developers receiving iPads early, must keep it in room with blacked-out windows and tuck it in every night

Really, would you expect anything less from Apple? All sorts of wild tales have emerged about Apple's tight restrictions on developers lucky enough to receive early iPad test units, and no matter how true they might be, we're eating it up with a spoon. According to "people familiar" with the matter sourced by BusinessWeek, there's a 10 page pact for developers to sign, with requirements that include keeping the iPad isolated in a room with blacked-out windows, continuously tethered to a fixed object, photographic evidence of compliance, and of course no bragging to the Twittersphere about your score. Frankly, if the iPad isn't hand delivered to developer offices by a couple guys in well-tailored suits with an iPad briefcase handcuffed between them, we'd be sorely disappointed.

[codebreaker Posted Mar 19th 2010 1:27PM]

Well engadget, where's yours?
And was it delivered by steve?
And are you going to tell us yet?
And where did you get a room with blacked out windows?
Are you sure you guys didn't just "tether" it to a bathroom cabinet?
You know that's not a good idea, sending pictures to apple of your bathroom. You might be able to sue them though, tehehe.

[Bort Simpson Posted Mar 19th 2010 1:39PM]

Leon, you see an iPad on its back.
The sun is baking hot.
Why are you not helping it Leon?

[joelaf Posted Mar 19th 2010 1:53PM]

@Bort Simpson

Nice ref. +1 internet for you.

[awalk Posted Mar 19th 2010 1:45PM]

I am like the writers of the blog....I am eating it up! I LOVE the black ops of Apple!

[joelaf Posted Mar 19th 2010 1:54PM]

OT, I'd love to see a good director do PK Dick's Valis Trilogy

[Jaylittles531 Posted Mar 19th 2010 1:57PM]

Are they allowed to have the lights on when using it or does Apple like it to be dark so they cant see each other?

[to86 Posted Mar 19th 2010 2:10PM]

Wow engadget are really feeding out the anti apple crap. This article is just pure crap. What happened to the engadget of before? Enough with the biased articles, everything android and ms is loved up, but with apple it's just a constant stream of crap - "wild tales" sums it up. Some unbiased articles would be nice, it's becoming pathetic now.

[joelaf Posted Mar 19th 2010 5:12PM]

@to86

I think engadget is an equal opportunity basher. They tend do poopoo the cheaper devices. But I'm a crapgadget fanboy.

[sharms Posted Mar 19th 2010 2:12PM]

@Paul Miller

You mean Halliburton cases?

Apple's being ridiculous!

[Intellectualdiot Posted Mar 19th 2010 3:06PM]

Ha, I'm not entirely sure about this. One of the guys from the ShopSavvy devs has had an iPad since the week following the announcement, and he's never mentioned these draconian NDAs. Standard hush-hush stuff follows, of course, but nothing quite this ridiculous. It's a consumer product, not proof of extra-terrestrial existence.

[givemelove Posted Mar 19th 2010 3:24PM]

I'm not even sure that that room is compliant. Per the document, I'm not sure that daylight coming through a window is acceptable ;)

[NorCal1953 Posted Mar 19th 2010 3:58PM]

Cool picture from Blade Runner....

[Darkseider Posted Mar 19th 2010 4:25PM]

The reason it is tethered and kept in a windowless locked room is so the developers that have it don't get laughed at.

[ipadforums Posted Mar 19th 2010 4:47PM]

Apple can be ridiculous with some of their requirements!

[AndreyATGB Posted Mar 19th 2010 5:13PM]

I find it a little exagerated but whatever.. I bet one of those developers are gameloft :D

[Andurilan Posted Mar 19th 2010 8:17PM]

@HighestRanked2
And yet you wonder why noone likes you and why you were banned the first time. Twit. Go back to waving your pompoms

[Wesscoast Posted Mar 19th 2010 9:57PM]

Wow. An NDA? What an amazing concept!

[Atkins Posted Mar 20th 2010 9:31AM]

@MarkAnderson You buy something because its cool? Sad days indeed.

[Atkins Posted Mar 20th 2010 9:39AM]

@kitsune Well, Mr Fox, that wasn't very smart. Rather than telling us how you feel, tell us what you mean.

[Atkins Posted Mar 20th 2010 9:43AM]

@RidleyGriff
"Any passionate group will always feel that the press, by not having views absolutely aligned with their own, must clearly be aligned with their opposition."
Very nice. Where is this from?

[Atkins Posted Mar 20th 2010 9:44AM]

@Abe That was mean... and fun :)

[Atkins Posted Mar 20th 2010 9:51AM]

@Michael Scrip To make it clear: they are debating about the article.Which really isn't worth posting when you think about it - just read their comments and maybe you will understand.

"read the headline, find the facts and move on"
Well, that is the point - there aren't any facts.

[Atkins Posted Mar 20th 2010 9:53AM]

@HighestRanked2 Nice :)

[Atkins Posted Mar 20th 2010 9:55AM]

@Wesscoast LOL.

[Atkins Posted Mar 21st 2010 11:42AM]

@MarkAnderson Haha, very smart answer /s. You should stop looking at Apple like it is a person. Uncool? That's a company.

[varera Posted Mar 22nd 2010 7:36AM]

Hey, around 20 years in Japan one "P" company showed me the first DVD with Home Theater sound in the atomic shelter with blast doors closed, 50 meters bellow surface to block any kind of RF signal.

And did I mention NDA signed before?

Are they uncool too? Or this is just you picking on Apple?

Guys, don't be that naive, please. This is the way IT business works.