Making electronic media easier to access.
In the interest making our lives easier, more convenient, and fun I wanted to throw out some pragmatic thoughts regarding the new iPad.
I am excited for this new product from Apple.
If you are an Apple enthusiast/apologizer, none of this will matter and you will greatly agree with it all. If you have used/own an iPhone or iTouch you know EXACTLY how great this iPad is going to be.
Think back to when MP3 players and online music was taking off. Not everyone jumped on the wagon and bought a SanDisk mp3 player or an iPod, but soon enough people did and now the iPod is the common name for any portable music device (like “walkman” was in the 80′s).
The next big move is the iPad. This device is basically a larger form factor of the iPhone/iTouch with a few more bells and whistles. I won’t go into the details, you can read at Apple. I would rather offer my thoughts on how you can use this device.
Your first question to an Apple Store sales guy/gal would be “what would I do with this”? The sales”person” would show you many features. Basically it boils down to using the wifi or 3G communication to get on the web and do what you do on the web (facebook, cnn.com, youtube, hulu, etc.). There is also all of the features of photos, movies, and apps.
It is a great appliance to keep around the house to lay in bed or on the couch and consume your favorite media. It’s light and easy to use with the touch screen.
Here where I think this device is going to be huge. You will see this device in hospitals and clinics. The iPad is going to offer the conduit for healthcare workers to gain access or input information within Electronic Health Records (EHR). Quicker access to your medical and demographic information will mean quicker visits and less time filling out paperwork on the clipboard. This process will make healthcare more efficient.
The iPad could also boost the news market by offering the ability to consume a newspaper in its traditional look and feel. The iPad is another eReader. But an eReader without a linear function. You don’t want a Kindle and an iPad do you? See New York Times Adobe Air offering.
Sidebar: News is free on the internet for the most part. Subscribing to news has not been very successful for the news organizations and their readership has gone down over the recent years. There is still a market of people who like and want the newspaper as we know it today. They want the newspaper layout in sections and pages with images. eReaders, like an iPad, can offer an electronic version of your favorite paper maintaining that look and feel. You can stop subscribing to the physical paper and for a cheaper subscription get the electronic version. Cheaper for your, better for recycling. The only loser is your hamster and pinata’s.
Newspapers are only part of the picture. eBooks and magazines are the other selling point. You can use the iPad’s larger screen to read your favorite stuff just about anywhere. Imagine going on a 2 week vacation where you want to “catch up on reading”. It would require a bunch of heavy books (as airlines charge for bags, you want to avoid this). Download all your electronic media on iPad and away you go. See More about eReaders.
There is an obvious downside. Locations where you might not want to use the iPad (poolside, beach, bright light, etc). Understandable. There is also the battery life. 2-3 hours seems short, but with time I suspect this will increase.
The pricing structure is very reasonable too.
PS. I don’t work for Apple and I don’t own a Mac.
Related Articles:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/187871/its_official_jobs_announces_apples_ipad.html
Tags: Apple iPad, eReader
