iPad Owners Are 'Selfish Elites'

An anonymous reader writes "It's not exactly official, but should also surprise no one: According to a new study the psychological profile of iPad owners can be summed up as 'selfish elites' while have-not critics are 'independent geeks.' Consumer research firm MyType conducted the study, in which opinions of 20,000 people were analyzed between March and May. The firm's conclusion was that iPad owners tend to be wealthy, sophisticated, highly educated and disproportionately interested in business and finance, while they scored terribly in the areas of altruism and kindness. In other words, 'selfish elites.'"

Comments

The iPad is not that bad

[SlothDead]

The way I see it the iPad/Phone/Apple in general is like a very large, beautiful prison cell. Sure, WE might walk far enough to reach the walls and be unhappy about it, but to the average consumer (who doesn't walk far and never reaches the walls), it feels like beautiful freedom. It's like the restrictions don't exists.

Re:The iPad is not that bad

[Abstrackt]

The way I see it the iPad/Phone/Apple in general is like a very large, beautiful prison cell. Sure, WE might walk far enough to reach the walls and be unhappy about it, but to the average consumer (who doesn't walk far and never reaches the walls), it feels like beautiful freedom. It's like the restrictions don't exists.

Sorry, but that's kind of a depressing analogy. It seems to me that most of the people with iPads are getting exactly the features they want or enough of the features they want that the ones they don't have don't matter. If I only wanted or needed a car on weekends and someone rented me a car Saturday and Sunday for a good rate I'd be happy with that, even if it wasn't ideal on long weekends.

I don't own any Apple products and I don't intend to any time soon (my wife breathes fire at the mere mention of an iPod) but they seem to make people happy.

Re:The iPad is not that bad

[geminidomino]

It seems to me that most of the people with iPads are getting exactly the features they want

Well yeah, considering that, for most of them (judging by the iPhone users and other macfans), that consists of "it's shiny and makes me look hip."

Sometimes I think these people would pay a grand for an Etch-A-Sketch if it was white and smoothly-rounded.

Re:The iPad is not that bad

[MBGMorden]

The way I see it the iPad/Phone/Apple in general is like a very large, beautiful prison cell. Sure, WE might walk far enough to reach the walls and be unhappy about it, but to the average consumer (who doesn't walk far and never reaches the walls), it feels like beautiful freedom. It's like the restrictions don't exists.

Sorry, but that's kind of a depressing analogy. It seems to me that most of the people with iPads are getting exactly the features they want or enough of the features they want that the ones they don't have don't matter

So, pretty much exactly what he said, just worded a bit more cheerily?

Re:The iPad is not that bad

[Anonymusing]

Well yeah, considering that, for most of them (judging by the iPhone users and other macfans), that consists of "it's shiny and makes me look hip."

No, it's shiny and makes me look hip and it actually helps me do useful stuff in ways I couldn't before.

Re:The iPad is not that bad

[Anonymous Coward]

Sometimes I think geeks will buy lousy products just because they are marketed with geeky buzzwords like "openness", "linux" or "free", even when those products are not really open *to them*[1], they do not implement a linux build that is truly optimized to the device[2], they come with badly implemented dev tools[3] and cost even more than apple products.

People buy android based devices because it is considered "hip" amongst geeks as much as "selfish elites" do it with apple products.

[1] The geek consumer thinks "open source" is heap and buys an android phone, only to discover he just bought a walled garden with software he can't get rid off.
[2] Some android based devices could have worked much smoothly with an optimized OS instead of just throwing android on them.
[3] It is amazing how sucky and sloooow the android simulator is, for example. It is almost unusable and you end up testing on the device all the time.

Re:The iPad is not that bad

[gstoddart]

Sure, WE might walk far enough to reach the walls and be unhappy about it, but to the average consumer (who doesn't walk far and never reaches the walls), it feels like beautiful freedom. It's like the restrictions don't exists.

You know, I'm going to define your "we" as people who feel the same way as you do thereby giving you a smug sense of self and superiority. Just as elitist as people are accusing the iPad owners of.

I don't mean that to be rude, but you seem to think that "we" is all geeks. It isn't. (Sorry, I don't meant to attack you, but you're a good example of "oh, it's OK for the average consumer, but not us" which I think is just as bad.)

Seriously, I've got an honors degree in comp-sci, I've been coding for around 20 years. I've got Linux and FreeBSD virtual machines (I've had physical boxes over the last 15 years too), and I know my way around technology. My favorite editor is still vi. I've read just as much sci-fi as the next geek.

Do you know why I bought an iPad? There's lots of reasons -- not the least of which is in my estimation, the iPad represents the first new change in computer interfaces in my lifetime. If there is something which is even similar, I'm unaware of it. Even as a geek, I don't want to tinker with everything all of the time. Thus far, I've not paid for a single app on the iPad -- there's literally hundreds of free applications for it, and loads of free content in the form of eBooks. It's an exceedingly comfortable form factor that unchains me from a desk. For reviewing large technical PDFs, I'd rather use iBooks on my iPad than my laptop -- not the least of which is I can have an unlimited number of bookmarks in a document. So, last week when I was reviewing a PDF document of approximately 1000 pages, it was far easier to flip through the sections I needed.

The next time I go on vacation, I've got music, movies, games, and books to keep me entertained for days. I can sit in my backyard in a lawn chair and read my email, surf the web, or just read a book. The fact that I can plug it into my existing iTunes which I already had for my iPad was a bonus. It's not like maintaining a whole computer -- it's a device, which I bought knowing full well wouldn't be used like a general-purpose computer.

Yes, you could buy a netbook for less. But, I don't want a netbook. I don't want to have a keyboard and a mouse. I want something I can use laying down for casual usage. You wouldn't use it for extensive work -- though, with something to prop it up and a bluetooth keyboard, you could use it much more extensively for document editing.

Even knowing there are "walls around the garden", I don't exactly feel restricted by this device. If anything, I feel somewhat liberated by it. I find the more rigidly defined behavior of it to be a great simplifier -- it really is an easy device to get used to, and I use it entirely differently that I would use a desktop or a laptop. They're complementary in my experience.

It is entirely possible for an actual geek to like the device. And, it certainly has nothing to do with someone else's perception about me or the device -- it rarely leaves the house. The walled garden is hardly like being shackled, it's more like a place where you can work in peace without getting pestered.

Re:The iPad is not that bad

[wfolta]

Well yeah, considering that, for most of them (judging by the iPhone users and other macfans), that consists of "it's shiny and makes me look hip."

Sometimes I think these people would pay a grand for an Etch-A-Sketch if it was white and smoothly-rounded.

Sometimes, the product I'm using is simply an outlet for my geeking, like when I fire up Linux in VirtualBox. Other times, I need a tool like R, which has few if any limitations (though it has a corresponding complexity). Most times, though, I simply need a tool that elegantly and straightforwardly does the job. In no case does "it's shiny" or "it makes me look hip" have any bearing on the matter. And I think I'm not alone in this.

Of course, a sense of style and elegance of operation is important... for you as well as me. Unless you simply wear trash bags instead of clothes, because trash bags are stainproof, waterproof, and cheap, I imagine you actually wear clothes that are comfortable and look good. And I doubt that you make all of your own clothes because you insist on pockets being a specific width and lined with a specific material.

Similarly, when I need a computer, I have choices of multiple languages, multiple OS's, and multiple IDE's on my MacBook. When I want to read a book, or get the news, or check the weather, or follow a flight's arrival status, or check my stocks, or monitor tasks, or organize my thoughts, or handle most email..., I use my iPad or iPhone or other convenient form factor. And I don't need to use a half-baked interface designed by a geek instead of a designer in order to do so.

Re:The iPad is not that bad

[kikito]

I'm curious. What are those things that you coudn't do before?

Re:The iPad is not that bad

[jitterman]

Man, you need to lower your caffeine intake! People have opinions, but honestly there's only one person who can control ow happy or angry you are, and that's you. If you have this strong of a reaction, don't read here (not because you're not wanted, but because you don't seem to enjoy what you find on the site).

I was cursed out yesterday on /. because of my religious beliefs, but you know what? It's not my problem that some people are immature or speak out without considering more than one viewpoint (in fact, I'm 100% certain that without realizing it, I probably am guilty of the same at times), so it's no big deal. Relax, breathe deeply, and remember - these are opinions, not facts, and we won't all always agree with one another.

Not trying to beat you up over this - I think you've got enough internal anger so that you don't need anyone else to fan the flames. If you find some of the things here offensive, roll your eyes and laugh about it. That feels much better than remaining bitter and enraged does.

Re:The iPad is not that bad

[jo_ham]

You know those tasks that you can use a netbook or a laptop for, but that can sometimes be a little annoying, that's where the iPad excels. It is clearly a niche product - it does not replace a standard computer, but it fills the gap for people who want portable computing on a screen bigger than an iPhone but who don't a netbook.

I don't have one (student, lacking disposable income) but I did borrow one for a couple of weeks and I can see exactly how it would fit into my daily life if I owned one.

I liken it to owning two cars - a big family car with a huge luggage space and 7 seats, and a smaller Smart Car with only 2 seats, very limited storage space but the benefit of getting 70mpg and the ability to park perpendicular to the kerb; the ideal errand vehicle for short trips and little jobs, but no the car you would take on a 300 mile journey.

It's not that you can't do things the iPad does if you don;t own one, it just offers a different way to do them that some may find convenient. I personally don't need a miniaturised computer with a full keyboard, array of ports, CD drive etc for the times I want to quickly check my email or watch a TV show on iPlayer in my living room. A netbook can do both of those things perfectly well, but in both cases it's a little bit overkill - if I want to type a serious email or a long document I go to my main computer. If I'm watching TV, all I need is a screen.

I have an XBMC box connected to the TV which I control with my iPhone, and I know the equivalent iPad app would look lovely with all those graphics and banners on the large screen, with more room for the touch controls and information - it would be practically like being in Star Trek with a Padd or Tricorder. Essential? Not at all. Controllable with my standard Apple IR remote that came with the iMac? Of course. Better than using that remote? Definitely.

When you boil down any modern convenience you are left with "what can you do that you couldn't do before" and the only real answer is "a new choice in how to do something". You could cook food before the microwave, you could check your email before the netbook, you could make a cup of tea before the electric kettle, you could make a phone call before the cellphone.

So, yes it doesn't do as much as a netbook, but what if it doesn't need to? More choice is good and it adds a new option for those looking for extensions to their main computer.

Re:The iPad is not that bad

[esme]

OK, I'll bite:

I recently bought an iPad to replace an old laptop and a portable DVD player.

It's better than the portable DVD player because instead of carrying around DVDs, I can just load up movies from iTunes. I can rip the DVDs using HandBrake, and put them in iTunes, or I can buy stuff from the iTunes store. As a nice bonus, it's also a much better map in the car than an iPhone, because the screen is so much bigger.

It's better than the laptop because it's a couple hundred bucks cheaper than buying the new laptop we were considering. It can handle all of the same tasks we used the old laptop for (it was our living room computer which we mostly used for checking email, web browsing, etc. while hanging out with our kids, watching tv, etc.). It's also easier to use standing up, which is great when you mostly use the computer for only a minute or two at a time to lookup a recipe, read a few emails, check movie times, etc.

I was initially skeptical of the iPad because its limits are pretty obvious (like most tablet computers). But it fills a niche for me much better than a laptop would, and at a lower price.

-Esme

Sampling Bias?

[BlkRb0t]

Sampling Bias?

Re:Sampling Bias?

[Anonymusing]

My thought exactly. Maybe only elitist snobs took the survey? In fact, according to the study author, the surveys were taken via Facebook, which I would expect already has a bias to it. (He also mispells the name of a another stat firm, Forrester.)

Secondly, they assume "selfish elites" based on people self-identifying themselves as "interested in business and finance". This is a purely psychographic correlation. They have made ZERO correlation to income levels or other economic demographics. This study is absolutely useless as a result: a homeless man interested in business and finance would still qualify as a "selfish elite" under these methods.

Seriously, I want to know

[Tim C]

Is this site about news for nerds, or gratuitously bashing companies and/or their customers for no discernible logical reason?

Re:Seriously, I want to know

[eldavojohn]

Is this site about news for nerds, or gratuitously bashing companies and/or their customers for no discernible logical reason?

This site is about generating readership and discourse because that leads to more ad views which is their primary source of income. You may accuse them of baiting the users to incite a veritable shitstorm of comments with a particular summary instead of having actual valuable content or you can claim that this is what interests nerds and therefore should be reported on. Both are true. Plus it's CmdrTaco editing which can be more volatile than the other editors.

I would posit that particularly resentful stories that are sure to create serious nerd carnage are accepted when they come from high profile sources. What I mean is that this is coming from Wired which has one of the higher approval ratings of nerd news out there and not some unknown site. You're free to go to the original source for more data (which, ironically, is an unknown site but does a good job of visualizing the survey data).

Re:Seriously, I want to know

[gclef]

"C": Nerds sometimes enjoy gratuitously bashing companies and/or their customers for no discernible, logical reason.

Re:Seriously, I want to know

[rotide]

Ya, I hate Apple and its products as much as the next anti-fanboi, but this submission just comes across as.. juvenile?

One step away from an ad hominem attack.

Re:Seriously, I want to know

[elrous0]

Hello, you must be new here. Perhaps you missed the image of Bill Gates as a borg?

Troll article.

[skgrey]

How did this bullshit troll article make the front page? C'mon editors, this is ridiculous.

Re:Troll article.

[drinkypoo]

How did this bullshit troll article make the front page? C'mon editors, this is ridiculous.

I assume, then, that you have examined the study's methodology and discovered that is invalid, and are not simply being a knee-jerking iFanboy who has suddenly discovered sand in one's own vagina?

People with disposable income buy widgets

[BrianRoach]

News at 11.

Seriously ... it's a fairly pricey, non-essential gadget. The demographic they are describing is exactly the one that can afford such a thing and not think twice about it. They also buy many other non-essential shiny things.

You could say the same thing about Mercedes automobiles.

Re:Ahh, the old days...

[Blakey Rat]

That's exactly what they want you to think, via marketing. You're falling right into their diabolical trap!

No, their market is actually douchebags with more money than sense. Which this article is just confirming.

Re:Oh, like my mother

[drc003]

There are always exceptions to the rule. Notice in the summary it says "iPad owners tend to be...", not "All iPad owners...". Either way it is simply a study. Why are so many getting their panties in a bunch? Are people feeling guilty that they might actually fit this general profile of an iPad owner?

Do glasses get me shot?

[jewishbaconzombies]

Who wrote this? Pol Pot?

I'm not going to apologize for having an education and (finally) having a bit of money - although I still rent and have worked food kitchens. But hey - I'm an intellectual - shoot me and evacuate the cities for farming already. My skull will look good on a shelf.

(seriously this is thing is covered in Teabagger language - are they serious?)

I don't own an iPad

[Dunbal]

Or any other Apple product. But any study that comes off this way must be seriously flawed and is in no way scientific. First we have the problem of defining what a "selfish elite" is. Call me when the whole world agrees.

This is nothing but a smear campaign. Oh wait, the article says that this "data" was obtained by a "Consumer Research" firm, not the American Psychological Association, or some scientist. If we follow the money, I wonder who hired this company...

Re:Surprise, surprise

[LinuxAndLube]

Good for you then that you're part of the elite and not an ordinary American.

They are "obviousness investigators"

[OeLeWaPpErKe]

In other news :

Expensive luxury products are bought by people with lots of money who want luxury for themselves. This probably goes for quite nearly all apple products.

- Captain Obvious

Re:They are "obviousness investigators"

[dcw3]

Maybe I'm a selfish elitist, but if I bought an expensive new toy, I wouldn't let you touch it either :-P

Re:They are "obviousness investigators"

[arkane1234]

and I volunteer every week and give away a portion of each (meager) paycheck.

You're not poor. The "poor" category could not volunteer any time (unless unemployed) and DEFINITELY could not let go of a penny of their paycheck. The fact that you have an iPad and bought it, along with contemplating an android-based phone, means you have disposable income. Perhaps not a lot, but it's there.

You are what most people refer to as 'low income'. Other's would simply refer to you as a student.

overgeneralization

[jDeepbeep]

Well yeah, considering that, for most of them (judging by the iPhone users and other macfans), that consists of "it's shiny and makes me look hip."

My mother has an iPad and she fits your gross generalization in no way whatsoever. In fact, she fits into a completely different category I would just call 'convenience based end user.' She cares almost nothing for what others think of her aside from how good her casserole was at the pot luck or if she was a good hostess for Thanksgiving. I'm really tired of the /. mentality on what an Apple product user is.

Re:overgeneralization

[igaborf]

I'm really tired of the /. mentality on what an Apple product user is.

I know what you mean. It's almost as tiresome as the way people generalize about the /. mentality.

Re:overgeneralization

[Skreems]

I was a rabid defender of the Mac back when it was OS 8.5 against Windows 95. Sure, the hardware was a little pricey, but the quality was high, and you could hack around in it like crazy. Now their prices are still high, but the quality has slipped. And none of their systems seem to be geared toward modification or creation, just passive consumption.

They also used to be all about interoperability, and complained like crazy whenever Microsoft made it harder to migrate off their system. Now they exploit vendor lock-in across their family of products way more than Microsoft ever has or will, and expect you to smile about it.

Call me a social reject if you want, but I'm going to continue to not do business with companies that over-hype, under-perform, and lie to you with a condescending smirk on their face while they do it.

Re:overgeneralization

[Skye16]

Newsflash: Most of us have reasons for why Apple sucks. Just because we don't feel the need to wax poetic or pontificate at length about it doesn't mean it isn't there, it just means we don't feel like it.

Or, rather, they don't feel like it. I, on the other hand, love waxing poetic on how I can't stand Apple. Yes, they make legitimate decisions about what they think the best computing experience is. My problem is that there is no room for me what-so-ever in their calculations; I am not allowed to make my own decisions about what hardware I should use, or what I'm allowed to install.

First, they remove my ability to build my own machine, which is akin to giving me a most excellent christmas present that requires assembly, but not letting me put it together. Sorry, but you just took 98% of the fun out of getting a new machine. A pre-built computer feels like I'm always using someone else's computer - not mine.

Second, I have to jump through hoops just to get any app I want, even if I am willing to take the chance that I might be screwing myself over. To Apple, an informed consumer who is willing to take the risks regarding hardware (traditional computing devices) or software (ipod touch, iphone, ipad; the walled garden approach) is not welcome in their universe. Or so unwelcome that they make them jump through a ridiculous amount of hoops just to do something that should be patently trivial.

Apple isn't trying to market to me, they're trying to market to people who expect someone else to make everything work for them. I'm quite content (maybe even happy) doing that work myself, I feel like using OSX is akin to being told to tie my shoes with my teeth. I'm sure there are people out there who can rip through that in seconds, but it feels alien and cumbersome to me. Maybe it's seen as "better" by some, but better is a truly subjective term; I decide what is better for me, not an Apple UI engineer (who I am sure spend a lot of time thinking about it, but that still doesn't mean I like it better!)

I don't expect this to change your mind - obviously you're content with Apple, and I honestly think that's great. But don't sound surprised when those of us who feel constantly patronized and pressured by the Apple Marketing department and their volunteer wing, Apple Evangelists come calling. I don't mean to offend you, but an Apple Fanatic is precisely as bad as a Jehovah's witness interrupting early morning sex on a lovely Saturday morning. To expect those of us who don't respect what Apple produces to love you for pushing it is just irrational.

(Not that I hate loud apple fanatics, any more than I hate the Jehovah's witness who came-a-calling, but I certainly reserve the right to hate what they do).

Re:Surprise, surprise

[antifoidulus]

Well the "unwashed masses" are generally products of the system set up by the elites, so if the elites don't like the results, why did they set up a system to produce people like this?

As per the religious right, while I am certainly not defending the religious right, I do sort of understand where a lot of them are coming from. The radical shift towards radical religion didn't really start until the 80s the elites started moving factories overseas en mass. When these factories closed a lot of people lost any real shot at finding meaningful work that paid a living wage. People want to find SOMETHING meaningful in their lives and since working retail isn't exactly the most fulfilling of occupations people start to look elsewhere for a reason to get up in the morning. The religious right was able to seize upon this unease and started pushing people into finding meaning in their life by becoming religious zealots.

Elites complaining about the society in which they shaped does strike me as a bit hypocritical.

Re:Oh, like my mother

[gstoddart]

There are always exceptions to the rule. ... Why are so many getting their panties in a bunch?

Because it's not a rule. It's a really broad generalization, based on some subset of iPad owners.

At best the sample is sketchy ...

From March through May of 2010 MyType surveyed over 20,000 of its users on Facebook

So, it's a heavily self-selected set of Facebook users (who might themselves be selfish elitists moreso than everyone else), which may or may actually be representative of anything. To top it off, the typical iPad critic:

If at this point you’re imagining the classic young male geek, your stereotyped imagination is right. iPad Critics do tend to be young men. To add even more color: they tend to have no children and little interest in family.

So, people who like the product are elitist bastards, and the people who don't like it are knee-jerk elitist geeks who live in their mothers basement and are responding viscerally as opposed to rationally. (And, yes, I'm intentionally injecting some slant to that.) But, I do mean the elitist geek -- the kind of person who believes that since they know something about technology, everybody else is misinformed and stupid. That's about as elitist as you get, and just as anti-social as the conclusions arrived at by the 'study'.

I think people are responding to this so strongly because it takes a sample of 20,000 people, drawn from the Facebook pool who already voluntarily self-selected themselves to participate. In my estimation, that makes the statistics pretty worthless since it's not drawing on a representative sample. Heck, as I said, do Facebook users themselves have a tendency to be elitist, narcissistic selfish bastards? It almost seems like drawing entirely from Facebook gives you a sample bias towards people who like Facebook.

I just don't see any validity to the sample, methods, or conclusion of this article. Any time anybody tries to make such a broad set of statements, people are going to get their hackles up, because it sounds like the worst sort of stereotyping.

Re:Surprise, surprise

[Altus]

Become? My friend you describe the human condition and it goes a lot higher up the social ladder than you would care to believe. When has man not cared for mindless entertainment over the persuit of knowledge. What generation has not described the youth as rebellious, crass and rude? When have people chosen to think for themselves instead of eating up propaganda.

Don't fool yourself, this is what people are. Sure there are those who break this mold in one way or another (often in a rather negative way) but what you describe is the human condition. It is not limited to one country or one time period.

Re:Surprise, surprise

[e2d2]

What is the difference between this nonsense and the nonsense that tyrants spout? We should despise people because they aren't as strong as us or different from us? Because that's what you're saying.

You come off like you're better than "them" but you're not.

Seriously, explain logically how you are better than them and why we should despise them. It's illogical and reeks of idiocy itself.

Re:Surprise, surprise

[nomadic]

The thing that really strikes me these days is the hatred for ordinary Americans by the elites.

I've heard this sort of claim before and I never really got the classification system here. Who are the "elites" exactly? Is it based on money? Because a lot of the people railing against the "elites" have more money than the "elites" they rail against. Is it based on self-perception? The big city professional may look down on the Bible belt housewife as unsophisticated, tacky, and ignorant, but the Bible belt housewife may look down on the big city professional as immoral, degenerate, effeminate, and communist. Does that make the housewife an "elite"?

Re:Duh

[Rakshasa Taisab]

I can't believe there are still so many people who haven't figured out what Apple's geriatric target group really was...

Re:Ahh, the old days...

[Arkham]

I'm not sure when liking a product that meets your needs turned you into some sort of fanboy deserving of an epithet, but it's sort of sad. I use a Mac ( a 5 year old one at that, but it suits my needs as a developer to have a UNIX machine with a good user interface and still be able to play an MMO game once in a blue moon). I also have an iPad, and I really like it for surfing on the couch. It's not that I have more money than sense, it's just that I like it, and I have enough money to buy it, so why shouldn't I? I use a Nokia N900 too, does that make me a socialist? I like Diet Coke, does that make me a shill for a sugar water company hellbent on making Americans fat and complacent? Maybe so, but somehow that's not how I identify myself.

People can be independent thinkers. Buying a product doesn't force you to assume a company's brand identity as your own.

Re:Generalization time

[sootman]

> Nearly every Apple *fan* that I've met
> has been a pretentious prick.

Congratulations, you've derived the definition of the word "fan", short for "fanatic." Owner != fan. Most sports fans are pricks, too, at least when it comes to "their" team.* Same with Ford/Chevy fans and all the rest. At least Apple fans have some class--I've yet to see an iPad with a decal of Calvin peeing on a tablet PC.

Back on topic, this article is absolute trollish bullshit--nothing more than a generalization. I can guarantee you that my 62 year old mom, 54 year old aunt, and 76 year old neighbor (all Apple users, one iPad (so far) among those three) are neither selfish nor elitist. What's next, a front-page Slashdot story proclaiming that Windows users are all mouth-breathing lusers and Linux users are either arrogant greybeards or basement-dwelling loners?

* hey, at least Apple fans do something with what they're fanatical about. Ooh, you paid money to go sit in a stadium and yell at a bunch of millionaires who wouldn't give a shit if you died in the stands? Good for you.

Re:Disposing income as one sees fit

[jedidiah]

A family that needs 6 separate "consumption" devices is a sad thing.

Just imagine the lot of them each hiding from the rest in their own corner of the McMansion.

Although that does address the lack of multi-user awareness on an iThing.

Re:Disposing income as one sees fit

[drsmack1]

6 iPads is about $3000. A nice HDTV-centered home theater can easily cost as much.

I think you missed my point entirely. The average family does *not* spend $3000 on *either* a "nice HDTV-centered home theater" OR 6 iPads. The average family buys a 42" HDTV from Walmart for $500 and has either a dish or cable hooked up to it.

You replied to a post that implied that mostly the rich are buying iPads.

In your post you seemed to be offering a counter point to that - but in doing so you seemed to reinforce his point (and the summary)*and* you seemed to say that *your* household usage was in fact normal and not unusual. This is where you swerved into "self parody" and "lack of insight".

Both are for "consumption"; one is portable.

The average person would never use the term "consumption" when describing the use of an entertainment device. Again you showed here that you are far from average personally, apart from iPad ownership issues.

Some of us, having such disposable income,

There is a recession going on - what percentage of American families do you think are blowing money on multiple iPads? I'm guessing it is in the .005% range.

You spend your money your way, I'll spend mine my way. Neither is evil based only on size/quantity of screens.

Again you misunderstand my point. I am *not* a liberal. I have no interest whatsoever in how you choose to spend *your* money. You earned it - you spend it.