Supply Chain

Obama Doesn't Think Much of the iPad

May 11, 2010

President Obama's cachet among the gadget-loving crowd took a hit over the weekend when he told an audience that not only doesn't he know how the iPod and the iPad work, but that he thinks they're little more than a distraction. We in the media have been hearing (and in some cases, writing) that the iPad will be a transformative device that will change the way we work, live and even think, but President Obama will have none of it.

"With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation."

As one commentator put it, the President is starting to sound more like a grumpy old fogey rather than the cagey campaigner who famously used social media and all related PDA gadgetry to his advantage back in 2008. So when did he all of a sudden forget how to use his iPod?

About the Author

Dave Blanchard Blog | Senior Editor

Focus: Supply Chain

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Contributing Editor Dave Blanchard provides the IndustryWeek audience his expertise in lean supply chain, reporting on topics from logistics, procurement and inventory management to warehousing and distribution. He also specializes in business finance news and analysis, writing on such topics as corporate finance and tax, cost management, governance, risk and compliance, and budgeting and reporting.

Dave is also the chief editor of Penton Media’s Business Finance and editorial director of Material Handling & Logistics.

With over 25 years of experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2010), and is a frequent speaker at industry events. Dave is an award-winning journalist and has been twice named one of the nation’s top columnists by the American Society of Business Publications Editors.

Dave received his B.A. in English from Northern Illinois University, and was a high school teacher prior to his joining the publishing industry. He is married and has two daughters.