Silentblast Blogging – Apple iPad
Monday, March 22nd, 2010
Steve Jobs with Apple iPad
Silentblast Blogging – Apple iPad
It is just a matter of days before the iPad officially goes on sale in the US and shortly thereafter in Canada. There was a lot of hoopla in the news and the blogosphere as to what an iPad can do but the fixation by most who commented on it was what the iPad couldn’t do.
I tend to think the iPad sits in the area between a netbook and a data phone type device and this is what truly it has been advertised as to a degree. It is clearly targeted for the general user who may have thought about getting an iTouch but wanted something just a little more. Let’s be honest, despite being able to get reading based apps and books for the iTouch and iPhone, trying to read a novel off an iPhone would be my last resort. But an iPad; which is bigger in terms of overall viewing area than the average page of a paperback, now that makes more sense.
Another complaint is the fact is doesn’t have a camera. Well, personally I can see a webcam; which with the right software could take individual pictures but a camera inherently built in much like the iPhone does not make sense. Seriously, look at the size of the thing. It is not very practical to have a camera on the iPad in my view. But I do believe that Version 2.0 of the iPad may possibly have a webcam in the future and a software app could be developed that is able to take individual pictures.
Another argument is the fact it doesn’t multi-task. Well to be honest neither does the iPhone or iTouch really multi-task either and they have sold very well. Again I think if you’re concerned about multi-tasking you should get a desk-top or a lap-top as even a netbook often doesn’t have the engine to really run multiple applications at once.
I like the fact that there is an iPad version of iWorks that can be purchased through the Apple App Store. To use the device in a quick meeting to deliver a presentation is quite practical in many ways; when it is a meeting between 2-3 people. If you start to get into a board room setting; then it is not so practical.
I think if you try to use the iPad solely as a business device you will be disappointed. While it comes with WI-FI and WI-FI 3G as a paid plan option with select communications providers; I would personally not rely on the iPad as the epicenter of your communications. Free and available WI-FI is becoming such the norm in shopping centers, coffee shops, even transportation hubs that a paid option seems almost pointless. If you don’t have a data phone then maybe it might be worth paying for the WI-FI 3G version of the iPad and a data plan.
Apps… the Apple app store is popular without a doubt. When you have captured over 90% of the mobile app market share in 2009; you are definitely doing something right. With over 3 billion apps sold by January 2010; the iPad is going to bring the development of iPad specific apps and sales within the app store to a whole new level. There is just no other comparison on the market out there. None!
As for us at Silentblast; we have discussed the positives and negatives to the iPad in a realistic manner; knowing what it can do and what it can’t do. We’re not confused as to where it fits in and the potential for business. It has the potential to blow the doors wide open on the apps market and that should be explored by business developers.
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Web 2.0 and collaboration web tools have exploded onto the web and users are thirsty for this type of “cloud computing”. Yup, you heard it cloud computing is at least what Google is referring to these days to their very powerful Google Apps system. The suite that contains Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Google Talk and sites. Google Apps allows you and your company to have a custom email address, tools for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, a shared calendering system and access to a flexible intranet system, as well as standalone security and compliance services are also available.
Let you know how that goes. Well, that’s it for now on this subject. I’ll touch on this in another post.
