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Entries in Apple iPad (2)

Sunday

Jun202010

iPad in my Mobile World - What the Heck is that thing and Why do I Use it

Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 8:27AM

Other than being a great conversation item, I have found that I use the iPad a lot. This is not to say that I have done away with my workstation, or laptop or even iPhone. It does mean that I do not use a NetBook however.

The iPad because of it's long battery life which is about 3-4 days at my usage level, simple and quick boot-up that is similar to an iPhone, portability and ease-of-use, and ability to address many of the main needs that I have has become a rather important companion in my daily digital life.

Typically I use it to browse the web, search up interesting topics via Wikipedia, catch up to email, look at my upcoming calendar, read books, watch NetFlix movies, engage my social network via Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn/etc., listen to music while reading, play games, take notes, write papers, and do some calculations all in a simple-to-carry, very quick device.

The iPad form factor is just about right for me to carry around. Some have argued that it is heavy which is arguably true. I also do not like the way how the screen gets very smudged over time with constant fingertip use but that is bearable.

I particularly love the way the iPad allows to me to do so many things that I would have done on my laptop and combined that with both some nice functionality from the iPhone and book reading from the Kindle. This makes it ideal for a number of purposes without having to worry about carrying my laptop around. I no longer need a plug. I no longer need to worry about when my laptop battery is about to die. And I no longer need to worry about the long minutes it takes to power it off, put all the accessories away in a bag. I can drop down, start the iPad, get things done, and move on. This is so much better than the laptop experience.

Again for really heavy tasks such as programming, etc. I do use my laptop and workstation. However I now have a new option and that one is far better in many situations.

I know many individuals still have not found a place for the iPad to meet their needs if at all. Yet I have been very pleased with how it works, what it delivers, and how effective it is.

Altan Khendup |

Apple's New Product - Why it may be a great idea

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 9:31AM

One of the most talked about side discussions I have had with many executives, colleagues and friends has been the Apple iPad. Most people I have spoken with agree that overall their expectations were sorely let down. They had very high hopes of Apple coming out with a real game changer.

In my opinion Apple has introduced more an evolutionary device based on a more revolutionary and very quiet success - the Apple iPod Touch. As a recent item illustrates the iPod Touch has been doing fairly well. Almost as well as the Apple iPhone. Some have commented that it is a market of one product with no real competitors nor going after any existing device currently in the market. Interestingly, in spite of many questions about it the iPod Touch has quite the following.

It is not too much of a stretch of the imagination to see how the iPad concept could be a success based on the iPod touch. There are some questionable items missing such as a camera among many other items which could be more of a negative than a positive. However it is entirely possible that the same consumers that liked the iPod Touch may in fact really like the iPad as well. Heck even some iPhone users may move over.

It is also possible that maybe the iPad is just a big Kindle competitor and Apple wants a slice of that pie as well.

Yet one could see a lot of really good potential in a device that has a good display, long battery life, somewhat portable, in settings such as hospitals, schools, manufacturing, chemicals, etc. If it had a camera, throw in augmented reality applications to overlay real time information for such things as a patient condition or damaged shipping box and the iPad could in a generation or two be far more useful than anything Apple has made to date.

In the end I see a lot of potential in the iPad even if I personally think there are a lot of shortcomings in the current generation that leave me wanting. It is the promise of the future that makes this device more appealing. After all, the iPhone had taken 2 generations to get what was called "an absolute necessity" of cut-and-paste. That was 2 years of consumers supposedly "not accepting" the iPhone because of that and many other flaws. However iPhone did quite well. I expect the iPad will too.

Altan Khendup |