Sexism is a serious issue; a seriously laugh-out-loud issue when things like the ePad Femme, hit the market. Introduced as the world’s first exclusively female tablet, the 8-inch lovely pink slab of plastic and glass comes preloaded with various apps, as we all know how difficult it is for the average woman to search and download all those complicated app “thingies” from the Google Play Store.
Sexism at its geekiest LOL moment
Now, before you go Supernova on me, those sexist thoughts are not mine, but rather the opinion of the Associate Vice President for Marketing at Eurostar (makers of the tablet), Mani Nair. Here’s his full quote, “ The Tablet comes preloaded with applications so you can just turn it on and log in to cooking recipes or yoga, it makes a perfect gadget for a woman who might find difficulties in terms of downloading these applications and it is a quick reference. Whether you talk about Google or the Internet, an ocean of information is available.” he continues, “Eurostar is now focusing on pre-loaded applications, which makes it easy for the user to buy the gadget and have it ready for use.”
Eurostar is a Middle Eastern company that is traditionally known for developing cheap digital satellite TV dishes. The ePad Femme is retailing for $190 (same price as the amazing and gender neutral Nexus 7 tablet), and comes with a completely pinkified skin of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream), sports 16 GB of memory and has somehow managed to sell over 7,000 units.
If the pure, unfiltered sexism of this tablet is still not apparent, here are some of the “pre-loaded” applications it comes with:
1. Clothing Size Conversion
2. Daily Yoga
3. Yoga For Women
4. Women’s Fitness
5. Women’s Assistant (a weight loss advisory app)
6. Finest Perfumes For Women
7. Women’s Log
8. Shopping List
9. Our Groceries
10. Indian Curry Recipes
11. Middle Eastern Recipes
12. Arabic Recipes
So, if you are a woman who has interests outside of cleaning, doing Yoga, getting pregnant, shopping and cooking; you’re a shame to your race! Erm… I mean this might not be the tablet for you.
But on a serious note, who did they make this for? Middle Eastern women? Did they not know that these same women have a higher graduation and online literacy rate than Middle Eastern men? These ladies will not have a problem handling an iPad, Galaxy or Nexus tablet, much less downloading apps for them.
This isn’t the first time a major corporation has embarrassed itself trying to impress women. Bic made a pen dubbed “Cristal,” and series of other pens dubbed “Bic for Her”. Which they said had a “Tinted barrel thinner for a better handling for women,” since their delicate fingers simply cannot handle the big brutish barrels of normal, manly pens. Of course, the line female only of pens backfired hilariously, and there is an entire Amazon page designated to sarcastic reviews. Here’s a taste:
Finally! For years I’ve had to rely on pencils, or at worst, a twig and some drops of my feminine blood to write down recipes (the only thing a lady should be writing ever). I had despaired of ever being able to write down said recipes in a permanent matter, though my men-folk assured me that I ‘shouldn’t worry yer pretty little head.” But, AT LAST! Bic, the great liberator, has released a womanly pen that my gentle baby hands can use without fear of unlady-like callouses and bruises. Thank you, Bic!
Just like the Bic pen, there’s absolutely no feasible market for this product, it’s just there to prey on the gullible. The only people buying this are boyfriends and hubbies trying to impress their loved ones with a Valentine’s Day gift. Because what says “I love you” better than a tablet that keeps women in their place? Am I right?
What do you think of the ePad Femme? Sound off (but not at me! Remember I’m just the messenger) in the comments sections below.
Mohseen Lala
Mohseen is the native Yeti of Geek Insider, specializing in consoles, Apple tutorials, reviews and anything that's fun, geeky and worth writing about.
