I had set the iPad 2 on top of the Galaxy Tab, which in turn was resting on a couple external hard drives in the power-strip section of my office where most of my electronica goes when it needs a current fix.
(Don’t ask me about my office, and really don’t ask my wife.) .
One of the hard disks was propped up a bit for better airflow, so the Galaxy Tab was sloped just a smidgen.
Apparently it’s slippery enough that the iPad 2 gradually slithered its way off until it fell down to the hardwood floor.

It had been charging, and through some butter-side-down phenomenon, the charging cable was the first thing that hit.

The first result: the iPad glass bowed out. The 30-pin charging connector was smashed up into the iPad, and the nearby home button stopped working.

The second result: a trip to the Apple store, where a genius told me the only thing Apple would do is sell me a new iPad 2 for 400 euros (about $525). I couldn’t put the money toward an iPad 3, and though I could have sold it, the hassle didn’t seem worthwhile.