By Richard Scarlett
And so the iPad invasion continues. The steady stream of announcements detailing proposed mass deployments of the big iPhone – from schools to hospitals to binmen – has now turned into a competition to announce the most outlandish use of the tablet. An example is United and Continental Airlines announcing that they are replacing cumbersome paper flight manuals with 10,000 iPads across the fleet to reduce weight and make them greener.
While I can make my peace with tablets in the cockpit, another story that caught my eye was that of Sainsbury’s and Sky teaming up to trial iPad docks and speakers on shopping trolleys (yes, shopping trolleys) so that customers will be able to watch TV’s latest and greatest as they browse. What’s more, to avoid those inevitable ‘trolley-into-back-of-ankle’ altercations, the new carts have been cleverly designed with front sensors to alert you of an impending collision. A genius idea – innovation at its best some may say! However, I am sadly not one of those people.
At the risk of sounding like an ageing cynic, this is yet another example of how individualised technology is creeping deeper into our lives and disrupting otherwise social activities. These days, most people already live in a technology bubble – whether they are relentlessly tapping on a smartphone, permanently plugged into an iPod or negotiating a tense standoff between some irate birds and chuckling green pigs during the morning commute. Now, it seems, we won’t even be able to take a trip to the local supermarket without having to dodge other consumers watching the latest goals or catching up on the X Factor auditions while perusing the baked goods.
On the flip (more likely) side, this could all be a carefully constructed stunt concocted by Sky’s PR juggernaut to raise even more awareness of the Sky Go service. Arguably, it would be a good stunt for Sky as it epitomises the fundamental advantage of the service – complete portability. However, for me it just leaves Sainsbury’s looking a little bit desperate. Upon reading the story, my first instinct was not to feel negatively towards Sky, but to pity Sainsbury’s for stooping to such levels to generate a headline. The stories, and subsequent reader comments, all seem to follow suit – ignoring the Sky Go aspect and instead asking why Sainsbury’s would spend the money, and time, on such a ridiculously unnecessary move.
So whether this is the brainchild of a PR person over at Sky HQ or the supermarket’s genuine (albeit misguided) attempt to stay ahead of the curve and keep shoppers in-store for longer, I am pretty sure that I’m not the only one left wondering whether April Fools has indeed come early.
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