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The response to our iPad protest and petition has been tremendous: 5,000 people signed in the first 24 hours, with coverage in the technical press, Digg, Slashdot, Reddit, The Guardian, NPR, and more. The petition is still running, so please sign and share it with friends--help us hit 10,000 signatures by the end of the day!

Today Defective by Design will deliver the first 5,000 signatures on a giant iPad tablet, direct to Steve Jobs. We'll send another tablet for each new block of 5,000 signatures.

In a cover letter accompanying the tablet we are telling Steve Jobs that he still has an opportunity to do the right thing, "5,000 people in 24 hours took time out of their day to call you out on this, and demand change. There is still time for you to do the right thing in the next 60 days, before the iPad actually goes on sale. You can drop the DRM from the device and the App Store, and actually embrace the ideals you claim to stand for -- creativity, freedom, and individuality."

The tablet includes an evil Steve Jobs head from the Apple 1984 parody advertisement (thanks Doubletwist), and the postage was a bit expensive so we borrowed a stamp from Apple :)

Click on the image below and see if you can spot your signature!

Today, Apple launched a computer that will never belong to its owner. Apple will use Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) to gain total veto power over the applications you use and the media you can view.

We've launched a petition calling out Apple's new product for what it is: a frightening step backward for computing and for media distribution. Can you read it, sign it, and share with friends?

Sign the petition

Apple will be getting a ton of press for the launch today, press coverage that will likely ignore the fundamental social problems introduced by its DRM scheme. Help us spread this petition wherever folks are talking about the iPad.

Defective by Design's John Sullivan is on the ground at the Apple event with a group of protesters, letting the public and journalists know about the "Restriction Zone" Apple is constructing around their products. We posted images from the event and will be adding more news throughout the day, check the DbD Live Blog at live.defectivebydesign.org and help us circulate these images.