Dubai (kinda) had the iPad before anyone else

Posted in: Beep Beep
Posted by: David George-Cosh on February 7, 2010 6:13 PM

Tags: apple, Dubai, ipad, property, technology, UAE

In our attempt to blanket our technology coverage with as much Apple, and thus anything related to the iPad, we may have stumbled on a doozy.

Back in 2007, during the tail-end of Dubai's construction boom, Omniyat Properties announced a new building in the Business Bay area - The Pad, or "iPad" for short.

Sound familiar?

Okay, it's not Apple's groundbreaking mobile device. But at least we've got a potential copyright infringement lawsuit on our hands.

The iPad project, in the words of its developer, after the jump.

The PAD or (iPad) is the first cybertecture apartment tower located in Dubai. The tower is intended as a haven for those looking for the modern, digital lifestyle. It is targeted at switched-on, creative and hip business executives to whom we refer to as "the digital generation" or Apple brand lovers who are constantly mobile and connected.

The National's Roland Hughes wrote a pretty interesting story on the building during 2007's CityScape expo:

Inspired by the shape of an iPod music player, it is one of only a handful of buildings worldwide to incorporate the concept of "cybertecture", where architecture and computer software are combined in a building.

One of the designers, James Law, from James Law Cybertecture International, said he hoped the building would be among "the trendiest and best-known residential buildings in Dubai as well as the world".

"It all began with us thinking that the building in which we live should be like how we treat a device," he said.

"We also took into account advances in medical technology, which are very much about diagnosing your status and keeping you aware of how healthy you are.

"We then realised we should integrate that into the fabric of our building so it does that for you so you don't need to go to the doctor for a health check. The building will monitor how well you are."

While many properties in the UAE are experiencing construction delays, I checked in with Angela Giuffrida, a property reporter here on the business desk, and she thinks the iPad project may be going forward.

As usual, watch this space for more captivating iPad - property or otherwise - news.