[aeturnum]

I think this view is misguided. Apple would be foolish to make you prove that you could buy an iPad before letting you play with one, and the same holds true for Tesla. They need to overcome widespread skepticism about purely electric cars, and a large part of that is exposing everyone they can to their cars.

Sure, give preferencial treatment to people who have the money to buy one, but let everyone try them out.

[sbierwagen]

An iPad costs a couple hundred bucks, and is tiny. A Tesla Roadster costs tens of thousands, requires a full-time employee to babysit it during a test-drive, has to be insured, and fills a room.

You're not comparing apples to oranges. You're comparing a paper airplane to a 747.

[marcamillion]

Not to mention that most Apple devices can't harm anyone else - i.e. there is no third-party liability that Apple may have to assume (or buy insurance to cover) if you (a free 'test driver') harms someone else with their test product.

This $300 is definitely not unreasonable.

[tptacek]

It is so much less expensive for Apple to let a prospect try out an iPad than it is for Tesla to arrange a test drive that these two things are effectively apples and oranges.

[Firehed]

Well, comparing Apples and Teslas ;)