Since everybody and his brother’s grandfather’s pet groomer is building a tablet computer to compete with the iPad, companies are now going after niche audiences. Italian design-house Alessi is introducing the Tab, a tablet computer designed to serve an apparently untapped market—young housewives looking for a product that will allow them to surf the net and do the dishes at the same time.
Let’s just let that sink in for a moment …
… OK, we’re back.
In its press release (comically translated by Google), Alessi outlines its blatantly sexist marketing scheme:
In family will find applications of interest to them as young housewives of new technology enthusiasts, connoisseurs of cinema and music, as those who are having fun in the kitchen, the fanatics of the Internet as those not familiar with technology.
Pricing and availability haven’t been disclosed yet, but Wired notes that it’ll probably be too expensive for households that don’t have a second income: Alessi charges $150 for a teapot. In terms of specs, the Tab is pretty much on par with other Android-powered tablets.
I can’t tell if this kind of thing is wrong, or just stupid.