First, the iPad drew ire over its name: consumers speculated that it sounded like a feminine hygiene pad (digs at Apple's magical "iMaxiPad" and "iTampon" were plentiful), argued that the odd name pointed to the , and speculated that it showed Apple's disregard for female buyers.
Now some are taking issue with how men and women are presented in Apple's iPad ads, which have blanketed major cities from New York to San Francisco.
Slate's Double X blog muses whether the advertisements are sexist, pointing out that, "the ads featuring a male using the iPad, he is always shown reading the New York Times or Wall Street Journal, while the ads with female users always show her organizing picture albums or reading Nicholas Sparks' The Last Song."
Double X writes,
Now, it's possible that these ads are driven by product tie-ins, with newspapers trying to reach male readers and Sparks' publisher targeting his largely female audience. But Apple's marketing prowess is legendary, and Steve Jobs is famous for having his finger perfectly placed on the pulse of the American consumer, and so it's still worth asking why the ads were crafted this way.
Do you think the ads are sexist? See several iPad ads--as well as Apple's iPad commercial--in the slideshow below, then tell us what you think in the comments.
