Another iPad Post: What does it mean to society?

K, first off, the name.

They seriously need to change the name. iPad? It just sounds like a sanitary product, doesn't it? The Globe and Mail agrees with me. See?

All that aside, what does the introduction of the iPad mean to society? And what does a device like the Apple tablet say about where we are, and where we're headed, in sustainable design and conscience consumerism? As unfortunate as it feels to say this, Apple's device announcement is actually a big enough deal in America and internationally to warrant an inquiry into where we are in electronics and cradle-to-cradle living as a species.I found an article that discusses this. It's a bit lengthy, and I've tried to get excerpts of the important bits. Read it for yourself if you like.

SUSTAINABLE BENEFITS

"Apple's iPad Might Mean Fewer Goods Produced Overall - One of the primary things we see this device doing is being the first honest-to-goodness solution for replacing books, magazines and newspapers. It is a full color, interactive, touch screen media platform that can make reading materials a better digital experience than what we can get on computers or current e-readers"

"The display could still pose an issue for long periods of reading, however, since it won't be e-paper technology that makes reading digitally easier on the eyes."

"may encourage young people growing up in the age of 140 character tweets and 160 character texts read more information in long form, as well as encourages the availability of e-books to all people anywhere there is internet access and a device that can link to it, both leading to positive effects for society worldwide."

"All of this adds up to not only less manufacturing of printed materials, but also less square footage needed in homes, schools, warehouses, libraries, retail stores and so many pieces of infrastructure."

"it keeps the computer turned off more often. Rather than having a family laptop or computer turned on all the time, during the evenings when a family member wants to update their Facebook status, or another wants to Twitter something, they simply use the device, which consumes far less power than a computer. An overall reduction in energy use results."

UNSUSTAINABLE PITFALLS

"it doesn't replace big ticket items that are energy intensive to produce, use and recycle. In other words, it'll be an addition to a household, not a replacement, and it will only add to the amount of energy used - and emissions generated, and e-waste produced - by the electronics industry."

"Apple has a record of making devices that aren't intended for easy fixability or upgradability. Sure the company has gone a long way to eliminate toxic materials from their products, and they make incredibly high quality devices that can last far longer than similar, cheaper devices. But, once the products reach the end of life, that's pretty much it - a replacement is needed, and that's not green."

"In a sustainable society, we need to advance enough to create heirloom devices. It is questionable if this is even possible with electronics because of the rate at which new technologies are developed that simply can't be integrated into older devices."

The Gray Areas: Will Apple's iPad be a Boon or Bust?

"it could replace netbooks and many e-readers. These two devices have gone berserk in the last two years, with company after company racing to get some sort of tiny computer or cheap e-reader onto the market. The tablet could beat all them out in quality, but not necessarily in affordability."

"if it displaces devices people have already purchased, or if it does nothing to change the production and sales of the electronics - it will still add to the level of e-waste currently being generated by this new area of technology."

The Big Picture: Where is Apple's iPad Taking Gadget Design?

"What does the excitement over Apple's tablet say about our culture, especially coming right on the heels of the embarrassing failure of COP15 talks? It seems to put a spotlight on the question of whether or not environmentalism and capitalism can co-exist."

"Ultimately, the buzz over this tablet device says we're a long, long way off from minimizing our consumption of goods - especially electronics - and that our technology is growing and changing faster than we can consume, appreciate, and more importantly reuse or recycle all of the things we create with our advancements."