photo by elsonpro

The iPad is the result of intuitive design.  The very brilliant people who created this latest shiny toy designed beyond function, beyond form and into family.

In my den, my son Sky plays games on it.  Every so often Seth will use the Kindle app to pick up where he left off reading if he can’t find the actual Kindle.  When I need a recipe, Sky will find one and place the iPad on the kitchen table for me.  It is easy to share and pass from one person to another.  What I like best about it is that affords the intimacy of two people reading a book together or playing a game, just like in the good old days of actual books and games that came in a box.

This is technology that invites, not isolates.

The tablet form lends itself to being communal.  Our mobile devices are intensely personal items.  Computers are fixed in a space  requiring you to go to them.  Laptops are designed for single users.  The niche that the iPad occupies in my family, and I suspect in many families, is its appealing and simple app studded interface that makes it accessible for everyone.

As you know, my mother has decided that she needs one too.  If anyone can recommend an app for Chinese soap operas, please let me know.

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