> The iPhone was a paradigm shift because it was SO MUCH BETTER

Yes. Now techies know that in hindsight. However before it was released many of us complained that the specs were crap and that it didn't have a physical keyboard which is why I used it as an example. The same thing happened with the iPad when it was derided as just a "bigger iPhone" and that "there have been plenty of good enough Windows based tablets in existence".

> In what way is this a better experience?

I'm not going to repeat my other points a 3rd time. I've already made my points in my previous replies.

> It solved the problem of reading on a small phone screen (especially before large screen phones were common) and the problem of lugging/holding a laptop for reading

What if you don't want a separate tablet or can't afford a decent one? What if you don't want to lug around anything the size of a tablet? There are also issues with sync. These are all common issues for non-techies living in urban areas with little living space.

> These hypothetical people can afford a high-powered phone and $100 for a glorified dock but can't afford $150 for a dedicated chromebook.

The first chromebooks launched at $350 with decent ones at $450 (using your example "Why would anyone want to buy a chrome book when a real laptop is $50 more? What features does it have that MS laptops dont? Why would anyone buy a device that only works if you hvae an internet connection?"). Given time, better logistics, and scale; $100 probably isn't going to be the long term price for this type of dock so there will eventually be a greater price difference than just $50 (within 1-2 years it'll be priced at $50 and maybe even less). History has proven time and again that electronics get cheaper, faster, and better over time. Aside from price, there's also the issue of syncing between two devices.

> In reality, this customer base is largely using the free 15 gigs from Google.

There are millions of people who can't afford a phone with Android proper (bundled with Google services and apps) and therefore don't have the free 15 gigs. There are also a lot of people who get charged exhorbitant fees for data (wifi and mobile). This only seems far fetched if you no experience with developing nations or even provinces.

> Do you imagine that there is an army of poor people holding exactly $100 and desperate to spend it on luxury technology and not, say, basic necessities?

I don't have to imagine anything. Even in China's poorest remote countrysides, many farmers own LCD TVs. Some even have a satellite dish to pair with it.

> Maybe type "asus padphone" (or "asus padfone" since I guess I spelled it wrong) into a search engine to see what I'm talking about before responding dismissively?

The problem with this example is the same as citing the Motorola Atria (or Motorola's docking phone). Only a specific phone model from a specific manufacturer can use the dock. This is really different from being able to use ANY Android phone. Also most people don't have access to telecom phone subsidies which shave off a few hundred $ off the true price. The PadPhone was released at $550 without a keyboard which is a big difference when you compare it to $100.