Cambridge Council clarify iPad position

by Kevin on February 11, 2010 · View Comments

There’s been a fair bit of coverage in the press about Cambridge City Council’s apparent proposal to buy 46 iPad’s for its Councillors. The story has lost some of its traction since Cambridge reveiled that the proposal revolved around using notebook and tablet devices and didn’t refer specifically to media’s current ‘hot’ gadget, the Apple iPad.

The Council’s stated aim was to take a greener approach and use the technology to reduce paper, printing and waste disposal costs associated with committee reports. The Head of Policy and Planning at Cambridge believed that the financial and carbon benefits of deploying the technology could outweigh the relatively small financial outlay.

One of the most interesting things to emerge from this story though has been the way some people still view new technology as scary and threatening while others view it as an extravogant and glamorous perk.

A small, affordable laptop would do the same job, though it certainly wouldn’t be as exciting a perk for the councillors.

Matthew Sinclair from the Taxpayers Alliance

I do not think we need fancy technology to do our job.

Councillor Lewis Herbert

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  • I think the question must be raised about why an ebook reader or a netbook could not have done the job more cost-effectively, but certainly applaud the sentiment (i.e. cutting down on the use of paper). mmm I wonder if they've done the calculations on how much the iPad uses in electricity during that time? Having just bought a couple of very energy-efficient ebook readers for our company to use (at just under £200 a pop) my money is literally on the alternative :-).
  • Kevin
    It was probably media spin that identified the iPad as the proposed device- I was really struck by how strong the reaction was to the supposed proposal. It occurred to me that the "shinyness" of the technology was part of what was being resisted- either because it was too flash, or too frightening.
  • The Bristol Blogger
    An iPad is an extravagant and glamorous perk. It's a completely untried and untested piece of technology. There can be no justifiable reason for procuring them on a large scale at present. In fact it would be stupid to do so. Maybe in 2-3 years when we know what they do and don't do.

    Also the reason these things are seen as perks rather than tools of the trade is because the most expensive bits of kit always seem to end up on the desks and in the pockets of the bosses regardless of their, often, minor IT requirements and complete ignorance of IT in general.

    Meanwhile people with actual work to do are working away on pieces of out-of-date crap.
  • montagecomms
    Think that it is outrageous that they have put in for £30k for iPads. They are still not on release in the UK, and the council wouldn't have even tried one!
  • stephenhilton
    Is a one-off IT capital budget of £30K for 46 councillors so outrageous if it saves 3-5 years worth of travel, printing and photocopy costs?? I wonder how much you Head Honchos at Montage spend on IT kit each year, and I bet it's offset against tax? I mean, even the Bristol Blogger has an i-phone now, allegedly. Seriously though, I do feel that many councils fail to support the ICT needs of their elected members - if they were treated as company directors noone would bat an eyelid.

    Stephen
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