[miri]

Oh, the iPad might be all fancy-glitzy-waste-of-money-blah-blah, but as a product, it's good at it. It provides an experience, as well as providing usefulness. I have used a laptop for recipe purposes in a kitchen, too, but using an iPad to do it just makes it feel a lot more cool, which makes people bother to use it more. My mother never saw the use for mp3 player speakers until she realised that it was a very easy and convenient way to listen to Alice Cooper in the kitchen while cooking. She could've gotten a portable player/radio - the technology's been around for a while, I'd say - but she didn't.

It's a brilliant marketing idea. I'll probably stick to my laptop and paper notes, but I guess I, like everyone, have some sort of dream of a future where we have fancy computer screens everywhere. Kitchen computers, robo-butlers (or a disembodied mildly sarcastic voice with a British accent answering your questions), projectors projecting the next recipe on your kitchen cupboard, fridges keeping tally of your shopping list, you name it.

[cpr]

Wait, your mother? Alice Cooper? ;-)

[miri]

Why, yes! I've grown up with hard rock/heavy metal, opera, and good food. Food usually gets good when mum's rocking out in the kitchen :P