Hal,
Your link to what is on the box is totally inaccurate. on a 1-3/4 x 4-1/8 label on the back of the box printed in 6 pt gray type, it does say 10.5.8 on the second line after the windows OS requirements. and on the 3rd line it does say iTunes 9.1.
My iPhone was functional when I left the ATT store. And Yes, my computer is old...G4 that was originally 466 Mhz upgraded to 1 Ghz, 199? vintage. Suits my needs just fine. Several times a year I need to run some old programs under classic, so I haven't upgraded my system beyond 10.4.11. I no longer feel the need to stay on the bleeding edge of technology like I did in the 80's.
My rant was not that of the old technology not supporting the iPad so much as the iPad not being wifi capable and operational right out of the box. Apple's assumption that I need to sync up with iTunes is incorrect in my case. All I want at this juncture is for my friend to be able to surf the web and check his email. Had the salesman known his product, that could have been handled without a second trip to the Apple store.
I don't know what the iPad does when you first hook it up to iTunes, but it shouldn't be required for web surfing.
End of rant
