With the advancement in technology, there has been an ever rising need for say premises that govern the human interaction with this technology. Such covers all aspects of the human life but most significantly all about the culture of the people. This, however, differs across the different cultures given the beliefs and facts associated with their very creation, adoption and use. For instance considering social factors, technology has strong and firm social implications that to a greater extent are static to their purpose and may not be influenced by human factors. Research reveals that there is so much need for a scheme that can effectively be used to offer an analysis of how far or wide technologies do appreciate and accept human involvement and contribution (Ballew, 38).
The main focus of this paper will be on the iPad as a technological artifact, and more so as concerns its cultural stands and implications. Before all, a description of what an iPad really is will be of great importance in facilitating the analysis of this artifact. Well, simply stated an iPad is a small and portable computer that stands unique for its use of a touch screen keyboard and stylus pen to facilitate its functionality. That sounds more simple to any other person in need to know what an iPad is, but compromises so much on the technology involved with the making and use of this technological device. Such features as its tablet are of most importance in telling about the device’s cultural standing and should be given much attention in this analysis.
What then is an iPad? The internet offers a standard definition of an iPad as one of the series of tablet computers that have been released by Apple in the recent past. It’s believed that this device belongs to the family of iPhones and iPods, and that there is no major difference across them, just their sizes and features differ in small ways. It can be described as an alternative to the current Smartphone and laptops, since to some extent this device is believed to stand between the two. This has everything to do with its size and functionality, taking so much consideration on the applications that run on it and the purposes for which it can be acquired (Ballew, 36).
The release of the iPad had a special focus on the audio-visual materials, to whose use it’s modeled to focus on. Such include access to e-materials with so much ease and from anywhere. Much focus is further given to books, periodicals, applications, games and movies that are compatible to the platform it provides for running such. Of most importance, attributing this to the move towards making the world a global village, the iPad allows access to web content both through Wi-Fi and the 3G and 4G connections. Despite the need for approval before running other applications on the iPad, all applications that run on the device’s browser do not need to be approved, giving the users an advantage of access to a fast and reliable internet connection and use.
Critiques of the iPad bank on the fact that it has a marvelous bookstore that can carry a number of eBooks. This serves as a great advantage to this device that is facing so much competition from other tablets that include the Microsoft Zune and the Android tablets. Its strength is also attributed to its in-built iTunes application that offers the users so much ease when making downloads from the web. Though it’s appreciated that the iPad has less features that the laptop, which is anyway expected since it’s not a laptop, credit is due to its file sharing and printing abilities. These are very important features in the current technology, considering how often people need to produce hard copies of what they have in soft copy before the world turns into an information society that is paperless. It’s also of utmost importance to the users that they can share files using the iPad, a highly recognized feature more especially in the cultural context.
Adoption and use of the iPad is also diverse. The consumers of this technology range from individuals to business users who acknowledge the advantages that they can draw from it are use. Companies for instance adopt iPad which they give to their employees to use, with a major aim to realize their set goals and objectives. This is so since iPad play a significant role in achieving customer satisfaction and employee productivity. They also increase the profits realized in companies with less capital intensity. Adoption of this device in companies also focuses o turning the world less paperless, this being attributed to its ability to store electronic materials and provide a platform on which they are accessed and used (Ballew, 45).
As regards the social lives of its users, the iPad has had great impact on their socialization process. This has much to do with the confidence it gives its users to for example contribute to the social television programs, exposing them to what is happening in the real world. Its features and access to many social sites also offer a sense of reality and allows for easy and convenient interaction. This has almost everything to do with culture where history is appreciated and maintained, and the once disputed cultures of the people are appreciated in a modernized setting. This includes the Gutenberg technologies of dissemination of information via duplication of materials, appreciated so much by the iPad technology that makes printing and file sharing possible.
Then there is the software world of the iPad. More focus on the iOS operating system for the tablets, dram from the OS X of the Apple computers. This provides an almost perfect platform for operation of the iPad and supports most of its applications. As regards culture, there is a vice in the world of technology that is slowly being regarded as culture. This has to do with hacking of systems and use of illegal and counterfeit applications, attributed to the costly nature of the original and genuine versions. Though the iPad need approval for software to run on its platform as genuine, there is what is normally referred to as jail breaking aimed at making applications not recommended or rather allowed by Apple run on the iPad platform (Ballew, 34).
I will focus on the e-books feature of the iPad in analyzing its cultural implications and stands. It’s acceptable in the educational world that what the iPad is offering is good. This relates to the ease at which one can search materials as opposed to the use of the catalogue cards or manual search using the call numbers, credit is due to Apple. However, I tend to disagree with such a move if the reading culture and the information culture that has been in existence are to be retained. Such a feature compromises so much on quality reading advocating for skimming and selective reading. It also compromises on copyright rights especially of the authors and violates the rules of fair use. The reading culture, especially as concerns use of libraries is also compromised by the iPad’s e-book feature.
Works Cited
Ballew, Joli. iPad. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.
