Much has been made of President Barack Obama's BlackBerry addiction, so much that his staff had to yield and let him keep his beloved smartphone once he made it to the White House, so it really shouldn't be that much of a shocker that he has caught up with his tech-obsessed constituency and owns an iPad.
It's not clear if it's the original model or whether he was able to get one of his many minions to wait in line for hours at an Apple Store for the new iPad 2 — or if Steve Jobs was able to sneak one in for him, engraved, "A magical gift for my magical friend, Barack Obama," or some such message.
But in an interview Monday with Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, who was conducting a town hall with Obama in Washington, the president confirmed he owns an iPad. And he still has his BlackBerry, which he put out of sight for the show, not willing to be embarrassed if it went off. (Considering he's the leader of the free world, it would probably have been beeping constantly with emails and text message alerts. Probably. Just saying.)
Ramos also asked him if he owned his own computer. Considering his predecessor didn't use email while he was in the Oval Office, it's a legit question. Obama had a ready answer.
"I mean, Jorge, I’m the president of the United States," he said. "You think I’ve got to go borrow somebody’s computer?" (Apparently, this was good for laughs with the audience, too.) " 'Hey, man, can I borrow your computer? How about you? You’ve got one?' "
Well, now he's confirmed he's got an iPad, even though he wasn't such a fan about a year ago, when, as the commencement speaker at Hampton University in Virginia, he lumped iPods, iPads, Xboxes and PlayStations together as examples of when "information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation."
Sometime between then and now, someone or something changed his mind. Maybe Michelle or the girls bought him one as a Christmas present? And now that we know, what are his favorite apps?
(via CNET)
More stories on the iPad:
- Now on iPad 2: 'Will you marry me?'
- iPad 2 complaints include spotty Wi-Fi, display snafus
- Reasons we so crave the iPad 2
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