You know everyone without an iPod will rent it out just to see what all the hype is about, so it doesn't matter if they're impressed with it or not, the airline made it's money.
As for the fingerprints, it's safe to assume Howie Mandell won't be renting one...
Would you rent an Apple iPad on a flight? An Australian airline thinks so. JetStar, a low-cost airline, will launch a trial to rent an iPad on flights for $10 a pop.
ZDNet Australia reports that JetStar will launch a pilot in June for its rent-an-iPad efforts. The iPads will come with movies, TV shows, e-books, games and other goodies.
JetStar plans to roll out its iPad rentals on all domestic and international flights later in 2010.
With airlines trying to snare every last dime out of fliers with additional fees, iPad rentals could be a stroke of genius. First you rent the iPad for $10. Then you charge for the Wi-Fi access at another $10.
The rented iPad efforts could also be a boon for Apple. Plenty of folks will try an iPad so they get a nice test drive. Meanwhile, Apple could sell iPads to fleets much like automakers do with rental cars.
There’s really only one-hangup: All those fingerprints from strangers could be a germaphobe’s nightmare.
