There speaks a person who HAS NOT USED ONE. You, JosephMama, do not know what you are talking about... you have not compared the experience of the tablets you are recommending with the tablet you claim is "purely a status symbol."
I have not only used one, but have purchased both an Ipad and Samsung Galaxy. I have sold many different tablet pcs and am quite familiar with the ones that I haven’t.
The Galaxy is a superior device on a superior OS. If you like being restricted by Apple on apps that you can download then go with the Ipad. Opensource will trump the Apple OS within the next few years.
But I’ll admit those Ipads sure are pretty.