Whitespace: Tablet computing for businesses - iPad or iFad?

Issue 59: March 2010

• Businesses say they're keen on the iPad
• More 'apps' are emerging for work uses
• Demand for video content set to soar

It's highly likely that when Apple's new iPad tablet computer is launched this time next month there will be a repeat of the iPhone hysteria that saw consumers lining up for hours to buy the latest 'must have' device. But will professional types be part of this queue?

While most of the hype surrounding the iPad – a mobile media player that sits somewhere between a smart phone and laptop – revolves around recreational uses, don't be surprised if the device makes its biggest impact at a workplace near you.

Latest research indicates many businesses, large and small, are extremely interested in the iPad. And if the love affair professionals currently have with smart phones is anything to go by, the iPad is destined to be a game-changer.

Getting to know the iPad

According to Inc magazine, the 25cm touch-screen iPad has been designed predominantly for reading electronic books and newspapers, browsing the net, accessing e-mails, looking at photos, watching video content and playing games – all without the use of a mouse or traditional keyboard.

Sure it sounds like a good idea, but how is the iPad different from a netbook computer?

Well ultimately the key differences revolve around the three P's – price, portability, power. With a cheaper price point (from US$499 in the States), lighter design (it weights just 730g) and a longer lasting battery (10 hours), the iPad promises a new standard of performance for both personal and work uses.

Taking care of business

While intrinsically mobile industries are naturally going to be drawn to the iPad (think sales, healthcare, education and transport), any professional who's ever drawn a diagram or scribbled a 'note to self' on the back of a serviette is a potential iPad devotee.

In fact, a recent US study suggests around one of out every two people would be likely to use the iPad for work purposes, with 20 per cent claiming they see the device as a useful tool for business presentations. But the iPad's show and tell capabilities are just one potential use.

To boost productivity, iPads will be home to a huge range of apps – task specific software programs – that are capable of streamlining internal communication and information delivery processes.

IT firm Oracle, for example, has developed workforce-only apps that keep its staff up-to-date with sales figures and other corporate data. Apps have been big on iPhones and other smart phones, but commentators suggest they will reach a critical mass thanks to the iPad.

Mobile video comes of age

To be truly successful every new piece of technology needs a so-called 'killer app', a software innovation that users soon find they can't live without. For tablet computers, it could well be mobile video.

A recent Cisco report suggests 66 per cent of mobile content will be video-related by the year 2014; possibly a claim that's not too far fetched when you consider that YouTube is now the second biggest search engine on the net.

As Neeraj Roy recently argued in this Smart Company article, businesses need to stop shying away from video content and start looking at ways to convert traditional text-based information into easier to consume video formats.

iPad friendly mobile video possibilities include position papers/media releases, virtual tours, product manuals and entertainment-focused branded content. This recent short film initiative by New Balance apparel offers a timely example of engaging content that's designed for mobile devices.

Making mobility work

With the ability to offer easier access to data, on-the-go presentations, mobile video content and new marketing channels, emerging tablet devices are destined to shape to how we work and live.

Whether Apple's iPad or another device comes to define the emerging era of ultra-portable computing, one thing is clear: mobile content is on the cusp of ubiquity. If your enterprise isn't already thinking about the possibilities of on the go content, it should be… or it could face the prospect of being left behind.

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