As a person who frequently hangs his iPad 2 by the Smart Cover from the fridge while I’m cooking, my vote was going to be “genius” until I thought of exactly how quickly it would take a subway thief to just snag the iPad 2 off the bar on their way out the door. What do you think?
[via MIC Gadget]
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
26 responses to “Idiocy Or Genius? Girl Hangs Her iPad 2 From Its Smart Cover During Subway Commute [Photo]”
This looks as being from China or Hong Kong. I believe there you are more safe than many other places. Heck I would do it here in Denmark if only I had one…
thats not a smart cover…a smart cover would have been a stupid idea because it hangs by magnets, but this is an actual case which looks more secure, so its not as stupid of an idea but its still pretty stupid
I would say a mixture of both mostly because I don’t trust random strangers standing around me.
Not a smart cover…
Well, if that is Korea or Japan – no thief would try and steal it. Stealing is a very big cultural taboo. In fact, in the airport there are public phone and tablet charging stations that are unattended, and people are encouraged to leave their devices there to charge. No one ever takes them. So there, this is Genius. I wouldn’t recommend it for the NYC subway though…
That looks nothing like a smart cover. Despite that, it’s not a smart thing to do for her iPad2. Primed for being mugged.
It’s just as easy, if not easier, to pull the iPad from someone’s hands, so I don’t see how this could be considered any more idiotic than simply holding an iPad in a subway. Also, the girl just wrapped a case around a metal bar so she could see it without holding it. Clever, maybe, but a far cry from genius.
It’s a great idea, as long as it doesn’t get in other people’s way.
People shouldn’t be so scared of theft. If someone’s going to steal it, then they’re going to steal it. You may as well enjoy yourself as much as you can in the interim.
It most definitely is not.
Maybe its a green smart cover with a green smart cover compatible shell
I disagree. It’s not about being “scared” of theft, it’s about not making it easy for a thief. What you said is the equivalent of saying “You might as well leave your house and car unlocked because somebody’s just going to break in eventually anyway.”
It may be rather imprudent to to wave raw meat in front of a hungry lion…
if she like it that way, why not!! Like “Sir” Jonathan Ive said “I don’t have to change myself to fit the product, it fits me”
Speaking as an Officer of the NYPD and as someone who was robbed during his adolescence I totally disagree with you. It’s not about being scared, it’s about being careful and aware of your surroundings. You’ll be surprised how many robberies could have been prevented if the person was CAREFUL. It’s up to you not to let it happen.
I have done this before…. I see nothing wrong with it.
True. Since when does the smart cover envelop the entire iPad? Just another example of shoddy journalism on this site.
Idiocy with a caveat: AUTHOR idiocy. That’s not a smart cover.
Obviously she is not in America where the threat of it being stolen before her eyes is quite high. She is on a subway in an Asian country where crime is very low. That’s why she can hang her iPad out in the open.
Pretty obviously not a smart cover.
Doesn’t look like the USA, so it’s safe to say it’s safe.
That’s not a smart cover, duh.
My sense is that this picture probably wasn’t taken on the 7 line in Queens. On the 7 line, that wouldn’t last the length of time required to take the picture…
Is John Brownlee Idiocy or Genius? I see nothing wrong with this girl hanging her iPad and watch video. If the girl from Japan and she has no need to worry about theft. Japan is a safe country not like USA full of theft everywhere.
Genius, of course.
I’ve been doing the same thing for the last year, but with a mic boom stand next to the bed. Completely adjustable up/down, left/right, forward/backward, and swivels out of the way when not in use. All for about $50 USD.
Wow, look what a bunch of pedants showed up to point out it’s not a smart cover. Hey, it’s a cover and it knows a trick. In fact, I’d say that cover is smarter that people who have nothing else in going on in their life than moaning about journalistic standards on a free website.