iPad rental business is booming in Madrid, Spain
PadInTheCity is a company offering up an intriguing proposition: Rent a 3G iPad while you happen to be touring around the city of Madrid, Spain. I do happen to be traveling to Europe next year, and while I just bought an iPad for myself, I can see the benefit of not only being able to carry an iPad around, but also a 3G iPad already configured to work with the local wireless networks. PadInTheCity charges 25 Euros, or about $35, a day to rent the iPad, and they'll even deliver it to your hotel and pay for all the data you use in the same period.
The company is also targeting hotels and events, perhaps renting iPads to conference attendees, or setting them up for hotel guests when they buy certain packages. Each iPad is equipped with a certain number of apps set up for feeding users information about the area, but it's not clear if users can add their own on if needed.
It's quite an idea, and apparently business is going great in Madrid so far. Apple has even forwarded a few customers on to the company, and in one or two years, PadInTheCity plans to have outlets in places like London and New York, and hopes to "talk about profits." I don't know yet what my plans are in Europe next year, but if I make my way down to Madrid, maybe I'll check the service out.
