*($#PassageQuestions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage. In years to come our current era may be remembered as The Epoch of Apple. The sleek (光滑的), minimal design on their gadgets (小机械产品) has proved a huge hit with young professionals everywhere in Britain. In May Apple released the iPad in the UK. This is a tablet computer that attempts to combine the computing power of a laptop with the portability and usability of a smartphone. Some critics have called it a compromise, but that didn’t stop Apple selling 300,000 units on the first day of trading in the US. Now Apple has launched a new version of their successful iPhone. The new handset contains a front-facing camera for video conferencing and a gyroscope (陀螺仪) to allow users to play games by waving the device about. The first quarter of 2010 proved to be the most successful yet for the iPhone, showing that Apple will not become a victim to a tougher economic climate. Indeed, two weeks ago Apple’s market value overtook that of its arch-rival, Microsoft, for the first time since 1989. In 2000, Microsoft was worth ￡382 billion while Apple was worth just ￡11 billion. Now both companies are worth around ￡150 billion. Many link Apple’s rise to the guile (诡计) and foresight of its CEO, Steve Jobs. Jobs was forced out of the company in the 1980s but he was brought back a decade later to reverse its fortunes. It is a sign of the importance of Jobs to the company that when his health took a turn for the worse last year, Apple’s share prices fluctuated. Now Steve Jobs is fighting fit again but even he is not immune to frustrating computer problems. At the launch of the iPhone 4, he appeared in his trademark blue jeans and black turtleneck. When he tried to get the new gizmo (小玩意儿) to access the internet a notice appeared on the screen: “Cannot open page. Safari cannot open the page because it is not connected to the Internet”.26. Why have critics called the newly released iPad a compromise? ( )