IBM plans Lotus for Apple iPad, e-reader eye strain explored
IBM just released its Lotus software for the iPhone and has now turned its attention to the iPad, while a new article explores the facts and myths of LCD eye strain from reading books on devices like the iPad.
IBM planning Lotus for iPad
IBM Lotus Notes Traveler Companion was released for the iPhone and iPod touch last month. And this week at the Macworld 2010 expo in San Francisco, the company also announced Lotus Connections for social networking inside companies and Lotus Quickr for sharing documents would be coming to the iPhone.
An IBM official told Forbes that the company not only wants to reach out to the small-but-growing number of iPhone users in the enterprise, but also use the new applications as a starting point from which to build App Store software for the forthcoming iPad.
"Our customers are looking at the iPad and they're excited about it," said Alstair Rennie, IBM's manager of Lotus software. "No one quite knows its use patterns yet, but it's our intention to deliver as much of our portfolio as possible on it as fast as possible."
The applications from the corporate collaboration software will be designed specifically for use on the iPad, and are planned to see release sometime near the debut of the hardware, scheduled to arrive in late March. Rennie said IBM expects the iPad to be popular among executives who plan to use the device for both personal and business purposes.
"Peoples' lives don't segment neatly between work and home," he reportedly said. "The iPad gives people what will probably be a home device, but they're still going to want to access a full suite of business software on it."
The news follows comment from Microsoft officials who said the software giant is considering the possibility of bringing its Office suite to the iPad. Apple has already revealed multi-touch version of Numbers, Pages and Keynote -- all part of its iWork suite -- are coming to the hardware.
Sources have also told AppleInsider that Apple intends to target business users by offering added features on the iPad, including direct network printing from within applications and support for accessing shared files from a local file server.
iPad eye strain explored
While conventional thinking suggests e-ink readers like the Amazon Kindle and its black-and-white display are easier on the eyes, a new article from The New York Times suggests LCD panels, like on Apple's iPad, may be no better or worse.
Dr. Travis Meredith, chair of the opthalmology department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, said such screens are not bad for peoples' eyes, but physical fatigue can come from not blinking often enough. And while paper can offer more "physical sophistication" than a computer screen, certain types of paper -- like cheap newsprint or paper in softcover books -- is actually said to be an inferior reading experience.
The article also notes that current LCD monitors offer much better viewing angles and superior clarity to those of years ago. They are also less tiring on peoples' eyes.
The biggest problem for the iPad, the article notes, might be its reflective glass screen, which could prove to be an issue in brightly lit situations. Apple has encountered the same issue with its MacBook Pro line, where it converted to glossy screens that can be difficult to view in direct sunlight. Last August, the Mac maker began offering matte screens for $50 extra on the 15-inch MacBook Pro line.
The iPad has a 9.7-inch LED-backlit screen that employs IPS technology for its LCD display. The technology, developed by Hitachi in 1996, offers improved viewing angles over traditional LCD.
The device will mark Apple's entrance into the e-book market, with the new iBooks application and its included iBookstore offering bestselling titles from some of the top publishers in the world.
IBM planning Lotus for iPad
IBM Lotus Notes Traveler Companion was released for the iPhone and iPod touch last month. And this week at the Macworld 2010 expo in San Francisco, the company also announced Lotus Connections for social networking inside companies and Lotus Quickr for sharing documents would be coming to the iPhone.
An IBM official told Forbes that the company not only wants to reach out to the small-but-growing number of iPhone users in the enterprise, but also use the new applications as a starting point from which to build App Store software for the forthcoming iPad.
"Our customers are looking at the iPad and they're excited about it," said Alstair Rennie, IBM's manager of Lotus software. "No one quite knows its use patterns yet, but it's our intention to deliver as much of our portfolio as possible on it as fast as possible."
The applications from the corporate collaboration software will be designed specifically for use on the iPad, and are planned to see release sometime near the debut of the hardware, scheduled to arrive in late March. Rennie said IBM expects the iPad to be popular among executives who plan to use the device for both personal and business purposes.
"Peoples' lives don't segment neatly between work and home," he reportedly said. "The iPad gives people what will probably be a home device, but they're still going to want to access a full suite of business software on it."
The news follows comment from Microsoft officials who said the software giant is considering the possibility of bringing its Office suite to the iPad. Apple has already revealed multi-touch version of Numbers, Pages and Keynote -- all part of its iWork suite -- are coming to the hardware.
Sources have also told AppleInsider that Apple intends to target business users by offering added features on the iPad, including direct network printing from within applications and support for accessing shared files from a local file server.
iPad eye strain explored
While conventional thinking suggests e-ink readers like the Amazon Kindle and its black-and-white display are easier on the eyes, a new article from The New York Times suggests LCD panels, like on Apple's iPad, may be no better or worse.
Dr. Travis Meredith, chair of the opthalmology department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, said such screens are not bad for peoples' eyes, but physical fatigue can come from not blinking often enough. And while paper can offer more "physical sophistication" than a computer screen, certain types of paper -- like cheap newsprint or paper in softcover books -- is actually said to be an inferior reading experience.
The article also notes that current LCD monitors offer much better viewing angles and superior clarity to those of years ago. They are also less tiring on peoples' eyes.
The biggest problem for the iPad, the article notes, might be its reflective glass screen, which could prove to be an issue in brightly lit situations. Apple has encountered the same issue with its MacBook Pro line, where it converted to glossy screens that can be difficult to view in direct sunlight. Last August, the Mac maker began offering matte screens for $50 extra on the 15-inch MacBook Pro line.
The iPad has a 9.7-inch LED-backlit screen that employs IPS technology for its LCD display. The technology, developed by Hitachi in 1996, offers improved viewing angles over traditional LCD.
The device will mark Apple's entrance into the e-book market, with the new iBooks application and its included iBookstore offering bestselling titles from some of the top publishers in the world.
Comments
The news follows comment from Microsoft officials who said the software giant is considering the possibility of bringing its Office suite to the iPad. Apple has already revealed multi-touch version of Numbers, Pages and Keynote -- all part of its iWork suite -- are coming to the hardware.
[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]
This is telling. Gates' recent comments about how little he thinks of the iPad are undercut by his company's decision to offer Office for it. They are obviously fearful that wide iPad adoption with free iWorks will cut into their software hegemony. Actions speak louder than words. They fear the iPad will be very successful and are hedging their bet.
IBM planning Lotus for iPad
I think that business is really going to like the iPad.
... While conventional thinking suggests e-ink readers like the Amazon Kindle and its black-and-white display are easier on the eyes, a new article from The New York Times suggests LCD panels, like on Apple's iPad, may be no better or worse. ...
Just as I've always maintained (and been criticised for saying here a few times), there is really no evidence that "eye strain" is caused by reading from a screen as opposed to paper, or that ePaper is any easier on the eyes than an LCD. It's basically a popular misconception.
This is telling. Gates' recent comments about how little he thinks of the iPad are undercut by his company's decision to offer Office for it. They are obviously fearful that wide iPad adoption with free iWorks will cut into their software hegemony. Actions speak louder than words. They fear the iPad will be very successful and are hedging their bet.
Well, for starters, the iPad is not competing with any Microsoft product so far. And even if Bill does not like the iPad, it would still be stupid for his software company not to cater for the iPad.
This is telling. Gates' recent comments about how little he thinks of the iPad are undercut by his company's decision to offer Office for it. They are obviously fearful that wide iPad adoption with free iWorks will cut into their software hegemony. Actions speak louder than words. They fear the iPad will be very successful and are hedging their bet.
Even for hardcore Mac users iWorks can't even come close to cutting into Office for Mac.
...Dr. Travis Meredith, chair of the opthalmology department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, said such screens are not bad for peoples' eyes, but physical fatigue can come from not blinking often enough....
...
The biggest problem for the iPad, the article notes, might be its reflective glass screen,
Just as I've always maintained (and been criticised for saying here a few times), there is really no evidence that "eye strain" is caused by reading from a screen as opposed to paper, or that ePaper is any easier on the eyes than an LCD. It's basically a popular misconception.
Backlighting is my biggest peeve with LCD displays, I'm looking straight at a light source rather than reflected light (which is how we usually see).
Just as I've always maintained (and been criticised for saying here a few times), there is really no evidence that "eye strain" is caused by reading from a screen as opposed to paper, or that ePaper is any easier on the eyes than an LCD. It's basically a popular misconception.
I think that it depends on the person how much an LCD fatigues the eyes. I for one have real issues reading a long time on my screen, and I tend to use inverted colours and bigger fonts, as it helps my eyes.
Even for hardcore Mac users iWorks can't even come close to cutting into Office for Mac.
I hate office and use iWorks wherever I can, especially Keynote. And so far I have never been at the point where Pages or Numbers where missing any features that would make me use the Office equivalent.
Well, after using both extensively, I can say (for myself, different ages or eye conditions may make a difference here) that the marketing bubble of the eInk supporters is bunk. eInk is much more painful than a decent quality TFT with an adequate backlight setting (or using an inverted display in complete darkness). The low contrast of eInk requires a lot more focussing and idiotic amounts of ambient light. The only real benefit of eInk is power consumption, but with the iPad approaching ten hours (let's assume 7-8 hours plus with real world use), this became a non-issue. Not even on vacation do I read ten hours per day. So, what benefit is left? Weight. Yep, depending on how you read, this might be a valid point, but not important enough to buy a one-trick-pony when I can have a device doing so much more for the same price.
Considering I have no problems with eye strain from my various LCDs ? at all ? I find it kind of comical that in the past few years, now LCDs are SOOOO BAAAAD for your eyes compared to ePaper. And God forbid if the LCD is glossy, too.
Lotus? As in 1-2-3? They still exist? I haven't heard of them since the 80's. Who even uses them? Excel is the industry standard anyway.
IBM bought up Lotus and their major offering is "Notes".
Lotus? As in 1-2-3? They still exist? I haven't heard of them since the 80's. Who even uses them? Excel is the industry standard anyway.
Lotus Notes and Lotus 1-2-3 are completely different animals.
Well, for starters, the iPad is not competing with any Microsoft product so far. And even if Bill does not like the iPad, it would still be stupid for his software company not to cater for the iPad.
Not the iPad hardware, but the productivity software it runs. It would be stupid to spend the resources rejiggering Office for the iPad if he sincerely believed it was going to be a failure. That was my point.
Lotus? As in 1-2-3? They still exist? I haven't heard of them since the 80's. Who even uses them? Excel is the industry standard anyway.
I was surprised to learn a couple of years ago that there is a thriving community of hardcore 1-2-3 users out there. They even have an annual convention. Don't know what percentage of the market they are, but apparently they aren't going away. At least not yet. Sometimes these legacy solutions can be very persistent.
IBM bought up Lotus and their major offering is "Notes".
What is Lotus Notes? Is that like Evernote?
Lotus? As in 1-2-3? They still exist? I haven't heard of them since the 80's. Who even uses them? Excel is the industry standard anyway.
As in Lotus Notes, like the article says. My company used Lotus Notes for years and I hated it. That is, until last year when we migrated to Microsoft Outlook. I now long for the days when we used Notes.
Not the iPad hardware, but the productivity software it runs. It would be stupid to spend the resources rejiggering Office for the iPad if he sincerely believed it was going to be a failure. That was my point.
Agreed. If the iPad such an unremarkable device then why spend significant resources to develop a whole new UI for Office. If the iPad takes off even half as well as the iPhone you'll have millions of folks using iWorks and some of them may even like it better than what they use back in the office. People may start to learn that there are better alternatives to Microsoft products.
I remember when CRTs were dominant and one of the selling points about LCDs was less eyestrain.
Considering I have no problems with eye strain from my various LCDs ? at all ? I find it kind of comical that in the past few years, now LCDs are SOOOO BAAAAD for your eyes compared to ePaper. And God forbid if the LCD is glossy, too.
I think it was just a made up talking point. I use an LCD for reading at least 12 hours a day and have no strain. I'm not a fan of e-ink or newspaper print because it's black on grey, not on white. I'd say that reading any type of book outdoors with the sunlight reflecting off everything is worse than reading an LCD indoors under controlled light.
What is Lotus Notes? Is that like Evernote?
Not at all. It is a groupware/collaboration server, a bit like MS Exchange, but much more powerful.
Even for hardcore Mac users iWorks can't even come close to cutting into Office for Mac.
Keynote is the most mature application in the iWork suite and is at least as good an in cases better than powerpoint.
Pages and in particular Numbers are the least mature. Having used Office 2010 there is very little exciting in any of the apps, it's just a nice refinement.
There is nothing stopping Apple catching up and fast.