Commandeering iPad browser space at the Apple Store

I want to start by saying that I am not the most technologically-inclined person around. To me, getting a BlackBerry six months ago was a monumental milestone. I was joining the illustrious ranks of business professionals with high-tech communication tools, and it felt good.

Now, half a year later, I’m behind the times again. I feel like I am the kid sitting in the back of the room straining to hear what the teacher is saying. Everyone has an iPod Touch, an iPhone, and iPad, or all of the above. I thought my BlackBerry was cool. I must be missing something.

In an effort to get “with the times,” both my friend Ashton and I decided to purchase an iPod Touch. We went to Future Shop, bought all the fancy accessories, and left the store feeling both elated and highly intelligent. Before calling it a night, we opted to check out the Apple Store in Polo Park Shopping Centre.

The store was absolutely packed – which makes sense, I guess – and we shimmied our way through the mass of humanity with a sense of awe. iWhatever’s are definitely the most popular products on the market today, which only added to my sense of accomplishment regarding my brand new iPod Touch.

I found myself at one of the large table displays devoted to iPad’s, and picked one up with hesitation. I went to Chicago this past May, but avoided the Apple Store like the plague. The iPad had just come out at that time, and people couldn’t wait to get their hands on one. It honestly seemed like useless technology to me (not to mention the fact that I was annoyed by the name), and I wanted to have no part in its success.

But, for some reason, I found myself drawn to the iPad. Maybe it was because I had just purchased an Apple product, or maybe it was because they are so pretty. Either way, I was navigating through the applications and typing in URL’s before I realized what I was doing.

Ashton disappeared to survey the rest of the store, but I remained with my new best friend. I typed in the URL for my blog, and suddenly the banner for The Hope Files was displayed across the streamline screen. I really, really hate to admit it, but my blog looked fantastic on an iPad. Better than on a laptop, and certainly better than on the screen of a BlackBerry. In fact, my blog looked so good on an iPad that I opened the Internet and typed in the URL on every single iPad in the store. There’s nothing wrong with a little shameless self-promotion, right?

The moral of the story is that I want an iPad. I never thought I would jump on that particular bandwagon, but it actually has many practical uses. I still love my BlackBerry – and that won’t change – but I’ll concede that Apple products are more useful than I’ve credited them with being in the past.

Check out the Apple Store if you find yourself at Polo Park. If you go, be sure to check out how my blog looks on the screen of every single iPad on display.

Not just on one... every single one.