More iPad love: Now hotels offer iPad to customers

Here's another possible reason the iPad will be hard to buy: hotels. Back in January after the announcement of the iPad, one hotel industry blog predicted that the iPad would be the next hot ticket for upscale hotels. And late last week, the first hotel said it will offer the device to select clientele for in-room computing. At the HotelChatter blog, managing editor Juliana Shallcross, said hotels should be competing with each other to offer the technology to customers.

Yet the iPad is actually the perfect amenity for hotels. It's not as bulky as an in-room desktop computer or even laptops. You could just leave this thing on the desks for guests to use. (With extensive, "If you break it or steal this from the room, we will charge it to your hotel room bill" policies.)

And especially since newspapers and magazines will be creating special applications for the iPad, hotels won't have to go around placing newspapers in front of guest doors anymore. Also with iBooks, guests can download books recommended by the hotel or hotel staffers. And no more bibles in the nightstand necessary!

According to the Edible Apple blog, the Berkeley Hotel in London will offer guests "your very own iPad." The hotel said it will offer guests a range of "themed apps" on the new "gadget:"

Apple’s much sought-after new gadget is offered to guests staying in the hotel’s chic Berkeley, Conservatory and Chelsea suites, and with the official UK launch of the iPad still awaited, our guests will be amongst the first to experience the delights of this latest innovation. From Le Monde to the Wall Street Journal, your local newspaper will be available at breakfast and quickly checking the opening times of Christian Louboutin on Motcomb Street has never been more convenient. A wide range of games, videos and comic books is available for children and our experienced Concierge team has created their personal Top 5 of must-visit places – shops, exhibitions, local attractions and some hidden gems – which are clearly mapped so that you can plan your itinerary. Whilst internet browsing has never been easier, the selection of applications specially chosen for your iPad is interesting, informative, useful and most of all FUN!

Don't discount fun in the iPad experience. This is not a word that we use with computing, other than games. Apple strives for a rich, quality experience. With the iPad, it has achieved fun. This quality struck me right after I opened the box and is still with me a month later. Even an enterprise computing professional can feel the difference. For example, there's the blog posting late last week by Chuck Hollis, EMC vice president and marketing CTO, about his family's reaction to the iPad. He said the "members of his family immediately gravitated to the new shiny thing" with no encouragement from him.

All the PCs and laptops are basically not being used.  All the Macs are not being used.  All have been powered off. Everyone in the family is waiting for their turn at the iPad. My wife asserted her rightful place in the hierarchy later that evening, and took it upstairs to the bedroom to relax while watching TV.  Tap, tap, tap.  Occasionally, she showed me something interesting she found online.  And smiling.

Here's the problem for the competition: a netbook isn't fun. An e-book reader isn't fun. It appears that HP's Slate wasn't fun enough, nor Microsoft's Courier tablet. We will see if anyone can generate enough emotion from customers, or any emotion for that matter.