iPads on the wall

Okay, so this post isn't about customer service. I just had a thought (which happens once in a while :-), and I wanted to share it.

I don't own an iPad, and I have no immediate plans to get one, even though it is cool. I do have an iPhone, which I love. I haven't thought about getting an iPad because I don't really need something between an iPhone and a "real" computer, which is how I've been thinking about the iPad. Until today.

It occurred to that the iPad could be used in a completely different way than I had been thinking about. Here's what led me down this path: I was upstairs at home, and thought of something to add to the shopping list, which (of course) was downstairs. I knew there was no chance I would remember to add the item to the list once I got downstairs (adult ADD), so I thought it would be a good idea to keep a second shopping list upstairs. Then I got an inspiration: What if the shopping list was on one of my computers, and I could just add to it from different places in the house. I could have the shopping list on an iPad in the kitchen, and add to it from an iPad I keep upstairs. Without considering cost, I could have iPads in every room that I spend time in -- even the bathroom (way better than the "library" I have now).

Of course, I wouldn't do this just to be able to update my shopping list from anywhere in the house. Depending on the room, I might want to check the weather, recipes, read my e-mail, or whatever. But the real value will come with apps to let me do things like manage my shared shopping list, or control lights and appliances throughout my home, or my alarm system, or anything else that makes sense. In certain rooms, I might use the iPads to display photos -- like a digital frame -- when I'm not using them for something else.

My iPhone should be able to play too, so I can interact with my home network of iPads when I'm not home (or even when I am home, but not near one of the iPads).

We've heard about appliances with built-in displays, or smart homes with built-in panels that let you control various things, but those devices are limited in what they can do and where you can put them. The iPads can go anywhere you want them -- all you need is a way to mount them. A mount that would allow you to rotate the iPad and hide an electrical supply would be ideal. You could even do without the electrical supply -- you could just take the iPad off the wall and charge it when you needed to.

Logistics and cost aside, the iPad seems like the perfect kind of device to use in this way, and the apps provide limitless versatility. Of course, TVs will be able to do a lot of this too, but you're not always sitting in front of the TV when you want to do something, and the iPad's virtual keyboard is a lot easier to use than your TV's remote. (It's only a matter of time before someone comes up with an app to turn an iPad into a universal remote.)

This might not be what Apple had in mind, but it seems a much better use of the technology than a laptop or e-reader alternative. I look forward to see how things develop.

-- Dave