I may not have an iPad yet but I have tried this button out on a demo iPad in Apple approved shop in my local city and I think it is better that it it on the outside, so when you are busy doing some work with apps, you just feel for the switch and lock it than to what? Press Home screen, slide a switch, press the app you were working on. (Or whatever it is you have to do now with iOS 4?)
You're kinda making it harder than it actually is. You double-press home button and the switcher pops up on bottom of screen. You slide it quickly to the right to show the orientation lock symbol and tap it. Press home button once more to close switcher. So you never have to exit an app just to lock/unlock orientation. Perhaps you meant that but just wanted to make that clear.
Michael
Whoa! Whoa! Wait a minute...
You have to double-press the home button so that the switcher pops up on the bottom of the screen then you slide it quicky to the right to show an orientation lock symbol then tap it then press home button to.......
Hold on, that's a lot of action to do!!! That's about three or four actions to do. Step 1, double-tap the home button (I know it sounds like two actions, but it is just one important step to do) then step 2, slide the switcher on the screen to a lock symbol, then step 3, tap it, then step 4, press the home.... Well you get the idea, it sounds like a lot of steps to do.
With the original switch, you just reach for it and slide it to lock, then it's that's it. Just like that, reach for the switch and do
that. Where with the iOS 4 system, you make it sounds like it's a do this, this, this, and don't forget that too.
If I buy myself an iPad soon and it comes loaded with iOS 3, I think I'll stick with iOS 3, considering I hear all over the forum that some members seems to be unhappy with iOS 4 and wished they didn't upgrade in the first place.