iPad Lab

Our Library has just  launched a new iPad Lab. Somehow I found the name to be a bit ironic especially since an iPad, being a tablet PC, is really designed and marketed for its mobility. In addition, a statement in a brochure disseminated at the launch stated that "With technology, the library becomes virtual and not confined by space and time". The very notion of a lab where items are bolted securely seems to imply that access will be confined by space and time as that would be the only way to gain access to the tablet.

But was is the real intention behind the lab? Is it to fix iPads, train iPad users on its use and usefulness, or perhaps on the apps that can be used? Perhaps. Why do we need training in the use of iPads in the first place? I gave my 7year old daughter and iPad and she's had very little prior computer experience, gave her no training whatsoever and within in days she was able to show me features that I never knew about. Perhaps more telling is that the iPad does not ship with a manual as Apple prides itself on how intuitive its product is. Perhaps the title should be changed to the "App training Lab" as it is more descriptive of what I think would be taking place in such a lab since it is doubtful that this is where repairs will take place.

The lab is said to be available to both staff and students for at least an hour at a time. My concern with such a lab is that I find tablet PC's to be very personal devices and sharing them with multitudes my lend itself to the rise of privacy issues as users forget to log out of apps such as Facebook, Google or Twitter. The use of tablet computers are very different from laptops or desktops as it does not allow for the opening of multiple windows and therefore has an impact on workflow and is still largely designed for users as consumers rather than producers. I can for example imagine the limited use of features such as the camera as the use of the tablet is limited to the lab which is set up along the traditional lab setting design. I can go on about the possible challenges such as battery life, and charge time but I would like to end off on a positive note.

The intention was obviously to expose students who would otherwise never get to use iPads to this technology in the hope that they would gain some valuable learning experiences in the process. For Apple SA itself it is a wonderful marketing exercise and nothing more. The onus would therefore be on the Library staff and the academics who intend using it to think creatively how to get the most out of this "first" for our institution. Hopefully provision will be made for tablet users of other brands in the near future.