I'm not watching CNBC, just following CNNTech Twitter.
A friend's facebook status also mentioned the resemblance to maxipads.
Looks like Apple is creating a lot of negative buzz with this. They shouldn't have built up anticipation with this. If it was a surprise announcement without all the platform, I think the company's integrity might still be intact. It's not a universal product for their built-in base, especially in this economy.
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle