My parents are generous and cool people. Yesterday, they made my Christmas by surprising me with an iPad. At the same time, they also bought my sister one. You can tell a lot about the difference between my sister and I based upon our initial reaction. When I first opened the gift, I apparently exclaimed “Get the fuck out of here.” I was told that I said this, but I have no recollection of this event. Perhaps I was in shock. A few moments later, my sister opened her gift and said “This is Apple’s version of the Kindle, right?” I have to admit that I winced a little bit.
I spent the next half hour dropping Jobs-ian science on her. Swiping, tapping, and rotation were abundant to say the least. Not long after that, she really began to grasp what she was given. “It’s like I get to take the best part of my computer with me,” she said. After shaking my head “No” for so long, I was very pleased that I could nod in agreement with that statement.
I’ve long, long been on record that you can’t fully explain the iPad. It has to be experienced to fully be understood. Today proved that to me beyond any reasonable doubt. My sister is now an iPad fan.
Photo Credit: Glenn Fleishman
