Developer Access To iPads Restricted

If you’re a developer who’s somehow managed to get his (or her) hands on an iPad, congratulations.  If you’re a developer who hasn’t, well, welcome to the club.  Apple is reportedly implementing some security measures that speak to a certain degree of paranoia.

Douglas MacMillan spoke to “four people familiar with the more than 10-page pact that bars partners from disclosing information about the iPad,” and reported afterward that developers “must promise to keep it isolated in a room with blacked-out windows.”

Test units must be connected to immovable objects, too, never mind that the idea of using the iPad everywhere is a pretty important selling point.

So again, don’t feel left out if Apple hasn’t let you put your hands on an early unit.  While getting a head start on developing apps is no doubt important, it sounds like a whole lot of trouble.