Editor 's note : Business Insider is contributing a series of columns to CNN.com that challenge commonly held beliefs about the tech world . ( Business Insider ) -- Apple 's iPad tablet is n't just for geeks , yuppies , and rich people . It 's also for grandparents . That may not be the target audience you 're thinking of for a $ 500 piece of high-tech metal and glass . But it actually makes sense . Why is that ? First and foremost , the iPad is incredibly simple to use , and easy to learn . ( After more than 100 days of owning one , I love it . ) For older people , or especially for inexperienced computer users , that 's very helpful . Because the iPad is just a 10-inch touch panel , all you need to think about and interact with is what 's on the screen . There are no hidden menus to have to learn about , or buttons to think about . There 's no need to master double-clicking or right-clicking . You just touch what you want . So while there is some learning curve for the iPad , it should be much easier than trying to figure out the intricacies of Windows or even a Mac . And the touch-based user interface should seem very intuitive . There is n't anything much simpler than just touching what you want from the screen . Second , the iPad is easy for the sort of stuff we imagine our grandparents would want to do with it : Reading the web , e-books with large-as-you-want-it text , magazine articles , and email ; looking at photographs and videos ; filling out crossword puzzles ; and writing short messages . Some of these apps are built in ; others can be downloaded quickly and easily from the iPad app store . The iPad is admittedly not very good for writing longer e-mails , but that 's where an optional wireless keyboard or keyboard dock could be helpful . And it 's not designed ( yet ) for printing stuff , but there are some work-arounds available , depending on what sort of printer you have , what you want to print , or if you want to go through a computer to print . Lastly , the iPad is a great tool for grandparents for the same reason candy is -- their grandkids love it ! Consider what my colleague Henry Blodget has written at Business Insider , under the title `` HELP ! My Kids Are Addicted To My iPad . '' He says , `` We got an iPad because we thought it might provide more peace and quiet during a long trip . And it did . Sometimes . When they were n't fighting over it . '' He adds , `` A month after we bought it , the iPad has become so central to our household that we have to hide it . And in relatively short order , to preserve my family harmony , I 'm probably going to have to buy two more of the damn things . '' So if there 's one way to be the most popular grandparents in the family , it 's by keeping an iPad in the living room , stocked with kids ' games , e-books , and the Netflix app for movies and TV shows . ( Or , when it 's cheaper in a few years , an iPad in every room . ) If I were a kid now , I 'd love going over to grandma and grandpa 's house to play with their iPad -- just as I loved going to my grandparents ' house in the '90s because they had cable and MTV , and we did n't at home . Apple 's device is set to be one of the most desired gifts this holiday season . Its mainstream appeal -- to all age groups and levels of tech-savviness , even grandparents -- is a big reason why . Copyright © 2011 Business Insider .
Apple 's iPad tablet is n't just for geeks , yuppies , and rich people . The iPad is incredibly easy to use and easy to learn with no hidden menus or buttons . It has a great screen size ( the retina display ) that makes it easier on your eyes than any other device out there.