The iPad as a Gateway Drug; Exercise Makes You Smart


Discovered: Apple has a new way of getting customers addicted, exercise makes you smarter, fames engage in homophobic bullying too and more extreme weather is on the way.
  • iPads are Apple's new gateway drug . For years, the product that served as a gateway drug into Apple fanboydom was the iPod. But according to a new study by the NPD Group, there's a new narcotic in town. Nowadays, one in four iPad owners say the tablet is their first Apple device. 



  • "Historically, the iPod has been the introductory Apple device for consumers, with 82 percent of owners saying it was their first Apple product," NPD said in its release. "This, however, is changing as first-time Apple buyers gravitate toward other product lines." It's obviously an important development as a substitute gateway drug was needed for the iPod, which has seen sales steadily decline as the iPhone has cannibalized it. All of this plays into what tech observers call the "halo effect," the rise in sales of all Apple products as consumers pickup one device to start with. "While over 70 percent of long-standing Apple owners began their relationship with the brand by way of the iPod, this number declines to just 57 percent among those entering the Apple franchise in the past two years," NPD said. "Newcomers to the brand increasingly turn to the iPhone or iPad as their first Apple device, which combined account for one-third of first-time Apple purchases since 2010."
  • Exercise makes you smart. Apparently you don't have to choose between brains and braun. If you exercise, you can hone both! That's according to a new Canadian study that finds that basic exercise, weight training, riding a bike, keeps your mind sharp and staves off illnesses like dementia, Alzheimer's and other neurological conditions. According to Forbes, the study shows that a "six-month stint of strength training slowed dementia in 70- something women." Also, "Young men in Ireland scored better on brain teaser memory exercises following a burst of aerobic exercise." Not a bad side-effect to getting ripped, Wire readers. Think about it. 
  • Females are getting in on homophobic bullying too. When you think of homophobic bullying, the stereotypical scene is male-on-male or male-on-female. Turns out there's plenty of female-on-female gay bashing happening as well. "While male victims are more likely to be bullied by male homophobic bullies, female victims are bullied by both males and females equally." according to a new study from Educational and Psychological Measurement. "Additionally, those surveyed for the research reported hearing a low number of verbal homophobic remarks towards gay men compared to other forms of non-verbal homophobic bullying." According to author Gabriele Prati, "One explanation may be that verbal forms of homophobic aggression toward (supposed) gay men … have been the most frequent and, therefore, may be perceived as 'normal.'"

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Euro gains on ECB; stocks up with economic data

The iPhone Almost Had a Physical Keyboard [REPORT]

Barack Obama pledges to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan