I was fortunate in that I travelled to some amazing places in 2013. Something that astounded me regardless of location, was the number of people using an iPad as a camera. Apple appear to be embracing this use case in their latest advert, What Will Your Verse Be?
As I travelled between tourist hotspots, there was some correlation between those I saw who were using iPads as cameras. Namely, they were all middle-aged or older. This, combined with my Mother’s use of her new iPad (her first ever computing device, her first regular dose of internet access) and some of the interaction with her, led me to a conclusion.
Whilst it’s easy to mock, or question those who use an iPad in this, we’re missing one serious consideration. The iPad makes an excellent camera for this demographic because it’s so big. Photos can be framed easily, the controls are big and obvious (the new iOS 7 shot type selector wheel/non-wheel aside), it’s easy to hold (the iPad Air more so, but the size of the device means it’s far more forgiving of shaky hands than a small phone) and it’s fun! It has all these attributes yet it’s not a condescending, insulting “designed for seniors” device so there’s no shame in carrying one. Â Quite the opposite. Whether Apple intended this or not, they’ve really hit on to a nascent market. The slightly older photographer.
To many of these people, the iPad is their only computing device. Do they care that it’s difficult to get images off it? No, of course not. They can email them if they want, but it’s far more likely they’ll just show the photos on their iPad. It’s an all-in-one in this regard.