Apple’s iPad is proving to be popular among a different, and hairier, type of consumer. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo recently kicked off Apps for Apes, a program that lets orangutans use the iPad as a way to stimulate their lives. Offered through Orangutan Outreach, Apps for Apes has already proven successful at 12 other zoos around the world. As described by the group, the program has three goals: 1) to provide stimulating enrichment and immediate gratification for the orangutans using iPads, 2) to raise awareness among zoo visitors of the critical need to protect orangutans in the wild, and 3) to promote the conservation efforts of Orangutan Outreach. The group’s Web site notes that “orangutans are highly intelligent creatures that require mental stimulation to keep from growing bored and depressed.”
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.