Business demand for the iPad may be greater than expected. Companies and workers are buying the tablet to use it for communications and mobile productivity
By Olga Kharif
Jim Turner has bought 15 iPads that he'll get in April, when Apple (AAPL) starts shipping the tablet-style computer designed for book reading, game playing, and video viewing. Yet Turner won't be using the iPad for entertainment.
"It's for business," says Turner, who runs Hilltop Consultants, a provider of information technology services to law firms and other companies in the Washington (D.C.) area. Turner says he'll use the computer for checking e-mail on the go and taking notes while setting up client computer systems.
The iPad, billed by Apple executives as a digital book reader, video player, and gaming platform, isn't just for fun and games. Many companies and employees are buying the iPad to use it as a tool for business-related communications and keeping employees productive while they're on the go, says Charlie Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Co. "Clearly, the iPad has a role to play in the business market," says Wolf, who has a buy rating on Apple stock. "The demand appears to be far more diverse than I originally expected."
More than half of mobile-phone users surveyed recently by Zogby International said they would use a tablet device such as the iPad for working outside the office, according to mobile software maker Sybase (SY), which commissioned the survey of 2,443 adult cell-phone users.
Of respondents, 52.3% said they would most likely use a tablet for work, compared with 48.2% who said they'd use an iPad-like device for watching movies and TV, and 35.4% who said they'd play games on their tablet. The findings reflect "unexpected emphasis on the iPad's suitability for work-related activities, and…the iPad's potential value to information workers," Dublin (Calif.)-based Sybase said in a Mar. 23 statement.
IWORK SOFTWARE FOR THE IPAD
Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs and other officials of the Cupertino (Calif.)-based company have not ruled out the prospect that customers would use the iPad to conduct business. Apple has created an iPad version of its iWork suite of productivity applications, which include a word processing program called Pages, a spreadsheet program called Numbers, and a presentation application similar to PowerPoint called Keynote, which Jobs has been using in his own presentations for years.
Still, Apple's public remarks have tended to emphasize the iPad's more consumer-friendly features. "It's a way to share photos like you've never had before," Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference on Feb. 22. "You can watch videos. You can listen to music. You can read books on it." Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris and spokesman Tom Neumayr didn't respond to requests for comment.
Don Donofrio, a New York-based IT executive in the publishing industry, ordered an iPad and plans to use the device to create graphics. "In my work, I draw a lot of work-flow charts," says Donofrio, who is based in New York. "I like the idea of being able to sit in a meeting and draw."
Of 12 chief information officers surveyed by tech news site TechRepublic in February, 10 said they see a business case for the iPad and other tablets. Of 3,171 consumers surveyed by research firm ChangeWave in February, 13% said their top uses for the device would include working away from the office, and 7% said they'd use it for working on spreadsheets and presentations. "You can see everyone carry it in their briefcase in two or three years," says Paul Carton, vice-president of research at ChangeWave, pointing to findings that 68% of people plan to use the iPad for Web browsing and 44% for checking e-mail.
HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION MARKETS
Professionals in health care and education, as well as students, will probably be among the biggest purchasers of the iPad, says Wolf at Needham & Co. More than 30% of 178 health-care workers surveyed in January by Software Advice, an online software vendor, said they were "very likely" to buy a tablet. George Fox University in Newberg, Ore., says on its Web site that it will give each incoming freshman the choice of an iPad or a MacBook, also made by Apple, starting with the 2010-2011 academic year.
Some companies took time to warm to Apple's iPhone in part because of long-standing loyalty to Research In Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry. Unlike the iPhone, the iPad may not be replacing an entrenched device or technology, Wolf says. The iPad "is not going to run into the kind of resistance in the business market because it's a new category," he says. With companies, "it could do better than the Mac or the iPhone. It could do surprisingly well."
With Arik Hesseldahl in New York.
Kharif is a reporter for Bloomberg BusinessWeek in Portland, Ore.
You missed a couple of other basic problems with the iPad. If you try to throw it like a Frisbee, it's not going to go very far since it's the wrong shape and it's still probably going to break when it hits the ground. For skipping across a lake, a rock is still a better choice, and a lot less expensive. It also doesn't come with a loop for hanging it on your belt, a feature a lot of people need and are going to miss.
I've skipped dead iPod Classics across the canal near me and they skip better than rocks believe it or not.
The iPad, tossed like a Frisbee, would hit the water once and curve up into the sky to tumble down or angle in a curve to the right or left, once it loses it inertia and gravity takes over.
Of course if the edge goes into the water it would just goes under right away.
Yes, I skip a lot of things...the city dredges the canal twice a year too.
3) I really think people are working on a VMWare or Parallels for the iPad. that would be THE KILLER app for the iPad. imagine being able to run MAC OS X or Windows XP/7 or Linux on your iPad? SWEET.
its going to be slow but whatever
I think the iPad would make a big hit at parties, that big smooth glass surface.
Perhaps Apple should sell a razor blade holder attachment.
I have had the desire and the financial means to purchase something in this niche for 15 years. And yet I have not, until the iPad. I bought my first Mac less than 6 months ago, having owned 12+ PCs in the past 15 years (notebooks and desktops). so I am not a hardcore Apple fanatic.
Yet, I pre-ordered an iPad, without holding one in my hand. With tablet PCs being available to me since 2000, what about the iPad made me take the plunge?
The Steve Jobs reality distortion field? Possibly.
But the truth is, it will do the things I want it to do (check email, light web surfing, looking up recipes, reading ebooks, playing an occasional game, reviewing/editing email attachemnts).
And it costs less than $500, weighs in at 1.5 pounds, and has 10 hours of battery life (advertised, I will be happy with 1/2 that).
None of the other devices I have evaluated touch the iPad. It will come to work with me. And I am sure I will find work uses for it. But it is for it's other features that I will buy one.
That simply being what sort of business would buy this thing without knowing more about the hardware. Especially the RAM which is critical in a system without virtual memory. A little information on A4 would go a long way too.
How else is a business going to evaluate suitability for important applications. That is why invest in development efforts when when you have little in the way of details on the device. You see if your 512MB value is right that would be considered awfully skimpy by many. Especially for something like Keynote or the many hoped for graphics apps.
I'm just sitting back waiting for Apple to come clean with respect to these important factors.
Dave
Quote:
Originally Posted by cvaldes1831
Don't hold your breath.
Microsoft would have to rewrite the entire application from scratch for a brand-new processor architecture (ARM) and using Apple's iPad SDK. My guess is that the iPad has 512MB of RAM (twice the memory of the current iPhone and iPod touch), so Microsoft would have to work very hard to get the application to run well with limited resources.
I really think people are working on a VMWare or Parallels for the iPad. that would be THE KILLER app for the iPad. imagine being able to run MAC OS X or Windows XP/7 or Linux on your iPad? SWEET.
After the novelty wears off in about fifteen minutes you'll realize how much it sucks to use a touchscreen with a desktop interface.
So much for the "but it's not a 'serious' machine" bleating.
There is no need for Apple cheerleading just yet. The survey shows what people WANT to do with the iPad. Not what it actually delivers. Follow up with another survey in a few months after people have used their iPads for a while and see if it meets their expectations.
Apple will not make a video iPod. Nobody wants to watch video on an iPod.
Apple should not allow third parties to create native iPhone applications. Nobody cares about third party iPhone applications. Web apps are really SWEET.
Say WHAT? I've worked for Banks and Hospitals [two very security conscious industries] and this is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.
Yep, both banks and hospitals run Windows, even ATM machines. How stupid is that?
Yet the NY Stock Exchange runs Redhat Linux, now that's smart!
Quote:
Apples failure to break into the 'enterprise' is mostly self inflicted. It has nothing to do with the quality of hardware or software. It has to do with choices Apple has made not to compete in that commodity (SIC) market.
Holy sh*t! A correct answer!
But do you know why there is this slight head fake in the enterprise direction every time Apple comes up with a new product?
The consumer market is over 50% of the market, is more flexible than the enterprise market and costs less overall, not so bitchy about prices either. Look at Dell having to have configure nearly every computer they sell and provide long warranties.
So for Apple any business that comes from enterprise is extra icing on the cake, but Apple doesn't pursue that market. Since Apple doesn't pursue the enterprise market, it generally ignores Apple unless there is the unusual case (like being the only carrier of the G5 processor) it will come knocking. If some company wants 1,000 iPads for something, Apple will sell them of course, but not provide any support outside the consumer level warranty.
Quote:
As to the topic at hand - the iPad - you fail to see that it is not a notebook/netbook replacement (SIC) or competitor. You equate previous failed tablet products by PC vendors as a predictor that the iPad will fail.
Tablets haven't taken off not because of the UI, but because real users like a keyboard and a something to hold their screen in place to angle to their field of vision.
It's ironic that in order to do that the iPad has to be turned into a desktop with the keyboard stand, requiring a desk and a chair. A netbook or a laptop has it's own desk and monitor stand built in.
Quote:
What you fail to understand is - the iPad is not computer based on your definition of computer.
Is this something my finance person is going to hammer out spreadsheets on? No.
Is this something my IT worker is going to manage database servers with on a daily basis? No.
Is this something my managers are going to use to check calendars between meetings? Send quick emails? Review email attachments (SIC)? Possibly use web portal based intranet apps? YES.
Our managers already do this. On $2000+ Panasonic (SIC) Toughbooks (SIC). with 2-3 hr battery life. That (SIC) weigh in at a nice 4 pounds.
They were given ToughBooks for a reason, to make the investment last as they are likely rough on the hardware.
The iPad is a thin fragile device requiring a computer to place things on it. So what's it's use if it's so dependent upon another machine? Drop that iPad once and shatters/cracks the screen it will. Do that several times a week with Toughbook and it likely can take the punishment.
Do you know how fast that iPad screen is going to become a scratched mess? Real fast!
Quote:
The iPad is not a laptop, netbook, or desktop replacement. And if you think that those are the only computer 'niches' in the 'enterprise', you are mistaken.
I'm sure the iPad might find some niche uses in enterprise, I don't doubt that one bit. But widespread acceptance as a netbook replacement?, never.
The iPad's chief market is educational, where those in charge need more control over the device, anything else is gravy.
No seasoned computer user is going to buy a device he/she can't place what software they want on it and be dictated by Apple's flippant and moody App Store decision making process.
My main point is that some developers can handle the limitations and some can't. Trust me, I know, I own an iPod touch. I've deleted my share of poorly performing apps.
Many have already made allusions to iWork being good examples of suitable hardware to run apps. The current demonsrtations don't truly indicate anything because we simply don't know what size files will cause the apps to run out of memory. Nor do we know how badly pulling in pages of a document will impact performance. In other words a given app could be perfectly usable for one user but not another due to data demands. Worst is the idea that you may start out with perfectly good app behaviour and suddenly see the apps go to hell after your data grows a bit.
Without robust virtual memory support a user is precisely limited to the RAM space left over after his app code loads and the resources taken else where. The exception here being apps that can easily handle partioning of app data into segments to be loaded from memory as needed.
While I agree that some developers are better than others, you can't dismiss that some apps can and will be used in ways that are very demanding. A developer however isn't responsible for poorly configured hardware though. Some times a developer has to be an educator and tell the user things like don't run that latest and greatest image editor on a machine with 512MB of RAM. In the end a developer often does more harm to his app (foot) trying to fit it into a shoe that is to small.
I think the iPad would make a big hit at parties, that big smooth glass surface.
Perhaps Apple should sell a razor blade holder attachment.
Is there an app which lines up the lines and creates exact lengths and widths of said lines? You pick your drug and the app gives you appropriate line sizes depending on weight, height, level of addiction, general inebriation, state of nose, size of nostrils, etc?
No seasoned computer user is going to buy a device he/she can't place what software they want on it and be dictated by Apple's flippant and moody App Store decision making process.
Exactly. You nailed it down. The problem is that export/import does not work many times as expected. Thus a true native Microsoft Office for the iPad is needed. Because the world uses Office, not iWork. Those are the facts. Sad but true.
No MS Office for iPad may reduce sales but many people will be satisfied with iWork. The ripple effect may be that people who are used to Office and are forced to use iWork will realize that their needs are satisfied and that in fact iWork is a good alternative, and much better priced. They may grow to prefer it and drop MS Office and even MS altogether. In my experience most Office users do not use any advanced features whatsoever. The long term effect may help as much as it hurts Apple. Maybe the users are MS's and not Apple's to loose .
There is no need for Apple cheerleading just yet. The survey shows what people WANT to do with the iPad. Not what it actually delivers. Follow up with another survey in a few months after people have used their iPads for a while and see if it meets their expectations.
This is very much the case. I don't think we will get a good handle on how people use their iPads and how much they like them until late summer. Probably later than that if the new iPhone 4.0 OS version comes out during the summer.
Quote:
Apple will not make a video iPod. Nobody wants to watch video on an iPod.
I must be a nobody then. My greatest disappointment with iPod is the aspect ratio of the screen. It is not that I would expect video to be the only use for the device but rather that solid playback ought to be part of the experience. Giving up a good portion of your screen to black bars isn't a good experience in my estimation.
In any event I'm surprised that you don't see video as important. It doesn't matter if it is a long running movie or a short news clip video is very important. Frankly it is one of iPhones short comings.
Quote:
Apple should not allow third parties to create native iPhone applications. Nobody cares about third party iPhone applications. Web apps are really SWEET.
Now you must be jerking chains. Third party apps made the iPhone what it is today.
Quote:
Apple will never switch to Intel processors.
OK now i see where we are going. I agree that people that live in a world of absolutes often get burned.
While enterprise penetration isn't what it could be, the iPhone is certainly not scoffed at by businesses.
As for the iPad, I suspect I will use it to replace my personal laptop I have to bring on business trips because my company won't let me do anything personal on my work laptop. I just wish it has a user-facing camera for chatting with the kids-- other than that it's perfect for that use.
The iSight omission is the only thing that baffles me, but I ordered one anyway.
Is there an app which lines up the lines and creates exact lengths and widths of said lines? You pick your drug and the app gives you appropriate line sizes depending on weight, height, level of addiction, general inebriation, state of nose, size of nostrils, etc?
Yes there is. What you need is i-i-i-oh-idunno man.app, not available from the App Store NOW!
Comments
Businesses Want Apple's iPad, Too
Business demand for the iPad may be greater than expected. Companies and workers are buying the tablet to use it for communications and mobile productivity
By Olga Kharif
Jim Turner has bought 15 iPads that he'll get in April, when Apple (AAPL) starts shipping the tablet-style computer designed for book reading, game playing, and video viewing. Yet Turner won't be using the iPad for entertainment.
"It's for business," says Turner, who runs Hilltop Consultants, a provider of information technology services to law firms and other companies in the Washington (D.C.) area. Turner says he'll use the computer for checking e-mail on the go and taking notes while setting up client computer systems.
The iPad, billed by Apple executives as a digital book reader, video player, and gaming platform, isn't just for fun and games. Many companies and employees are buying the iPad to use it as a tool for business-related communications and keeping employees productive while they're on the go, says Charlie Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Co. "Clearly, the iPad has a role to play in the business market," says Wolf, who has a buy rating on Apple stock. "The demand appears to be far more diverse than I originally expected."
More than half of mobile-phone users surveyed recently by Zogby International said they would use a tablet device such as the iPad for working outside the office, according to mobile software maker Sybase (SY), which commissioned the survey of 2,443 adult cell-phone users.
Of respondents, 52.3% said they would most likely use a tablet for work, compared with 48.2% who said they'd use an iPad-like device for watching movies and TV, and 35.4% who said they'd play games on their tablet. The findings reflect "unexpected emphasis on the iPad's suitability for work-related activities, and…the iPad's potential value to information workers," Dublin (Calif.)-based Sybase said in a Mar. 23 statement.
IWORK SOFTWARE FOR THE IPAD
Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs and other officials of the Cupertino (Calif.)-based company have not ruled out the prospect that customers would use the iPad to conduct business. Apple has created an iPad version of its iWork suite of productivity applications, which include a word processing program called Pages, a spreadsheet program called Numbers, and a presentation application similar to PowerPoint called Keynote, which Jobs has been using in his own presentations for years.
Still, Apple's public remarks have tended to emphasize the iPad's more consumer-friendly features. "It's a way to share photos like you've never had before," Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference on Feb. 22. "You can watch videos. You can listen to music. You can read books on it." Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris and spokesman Tom Neumayr didn't respond to requests for comment.
Don Donofrio, a New York-based IT executive in the publishing industry, ordered an iPad and plans to use the device to create graphics. "In my work, I draw a lot of work-flow charts," says Donofrio, who is based in New York. "I like the idea of being able to sit in a meeting and draw."
Of 12 chief information officers surveyed by tech news site TechRepublic in February, 10 said they see a business case for the iPad and other tablets. Of 3,171 consumers surveyed by research firm ChangeWave in February, 13% said their top uses for the device would include working away from the office, and 7% said they'd use it for working on spreadsheets and presentations. "You can see everyone carry it in their briefcase in two or three years," says Paul Carton, vice-president of research at ChangeWave, pointing to findings that 68% of people plan to use the iPad for Web browsing and 44% for checking e-mail.
HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION MARKETS
Professionals in health care and education, as well as students, will probably be among the biggest purchasers of the iPad, says Wolf at Needham & Co. More than 30% of 178 health-care workers surveyed in January by Software Advice, an online software vendor, said they were "very likely" to buy a tablet. George Fox University in Newberg, Ore., says on its Web site that it will give each incoming freshman the choice of an iPad or a MacBook, also made by Apple, starting with the 2010-2011 academic year.
Some companies took time to warm to Apple's iPhone in part because of long-standing loyalty to Research In Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry. Unlike the iPhone, the iPad may not be replacing an entrenched device or technology, Wolf says. The iPad "is not going to run into the kind of resistance in the business market because it's a new category," he says. With companies, "it could do better than the Mac or the iPhone. It could do surprisingly well."
With Arik Hesseldahl in New York.
Kharif is a reporter for Bloomberg BusinessWeek in Portland, Ore.
You missed a couple of other basic problems with the iPad. If you try to throw it like a Frisbee, it's not going to go very far since it's the wrong shape and it's still probably going to break when it hits the ground. For skipping across a lake, a rock is still a better choice, and a lot less expensive. It also doesn't come with a loop for hanging it on your belt, a feature a lot of people need and are going to miss.
I've skipped dead iPod Classics across the canal near me and they skip better than rocks believe it or not.
The iPad, tossed like a Frisbee, would hit the water once and curve up into the sky to tumble down or angle in a curve to the right or left, once it loses it inertia and gravity takes over.
Of course if the edge goes into the water it would just goes under right away.
Yes, I skip a lot of things...the city dredges the canal twice a year too.
1) Citrix
2) VNC clients
3) I really think people are working on a VMWare or Parallels for the iPad. that would be THE KILLER app for the iPad. imagine being able to run MAC OS X or Windows XP/7 or Linux on your iPad? SWEET.
its going to be slow but whatever
I think the iPad would make a big hit at parties, that big smooth glass surface.
Perhaps Apple should sell a razor blade holder attachment.
I have had the desire and the financial means to purchase something in this niche for 15 years. And yet I have not, until the iPad. I bought my first Mac less than 6 months ago, having owned 12+ PCs in the past 15 years (notebooks and desktops). so I am not a hardcore Apple fanatic.
Yet, I pre-ordered an iPad, without holding one in my hand. With tablet PCs being available to me since 2000, what about the iPad made me take the plunge?
The Steve Jobs reality distortion field? Possibly.
But the truth is, it will do the things I want it to do (check email, light web surfing, looking up recipes, reading ebooks, playing an occasional game, reviewing/editing email attachemnts).
And it costs less than $500, weighs in at 1.5 pounds, and has 10 hours of battery life (advertised, I will be happy with 1/2 that).
None of the other devices I have evaluated touch the iPad. It will come to work with me. And I am sure I will find work uses for it. But it is for it's other features that I will buy one.
It's its Tech, ITS and not IT'S. Got that?
My guess anyways as my iPhone screws this up every single time. Sort of like when it always turns hell into he'll.
Maybe we should write a letter to Steve about this.
Dave
How else is a business going to evaluate suitability for important applications. That is why invest in development efforts when when you have little in the way of details on the device. You see if your 512MB value is right that would be considered awfully skimpy by many. Especially for something like Keynote or the many hoped for graphics apps.
I'm just sitting back waiting for Apple to come clean with respect to these important factors.
Dave
Don't hold your breath.
Microsoft would have to rewrite the entire application from scratch for a brand-new processor architecture (ARM) and using Apple's iPad SDK. My guess is that the iPad has 512MB of RAM (twice the memory of the current iPhone and iPod touch), so Microsoft would have to work very hard to get the application to run well with limited resources.
I really think people are working on a VMWare or Parallels for the iPad. that would be THE KILLER app for the iPad. imagine being able to run MAC OS X or Windows XP/7 or Linux on your iPad? SWEET.
After the novelty wears off in about fifteen minutes you'll realize how much it sucks to use a touchscreen with a desktop interface.
So much for the "but it's not a 'serious' machine" bleating.
There is no need for Apple cheerleading just yet. The survey shows what people WANT to do with the iPad. Not what it actually delivers. Follow up with another survey in a few months after people have used their iPads for a while and see if it meets their expectations.
Apple will not make a video iPod. Nobody wants to watch video on an iPod.
Apple should not allow third parties to create native iPhone applications. Nobody cares about third party iPhone applications. Web apps are really SWEET.
Apple will never switch to Intel processors.
Say WHAT? I've worked for Banks and Hospitals [two very security conscious industries] and this is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.
Yep, both banks and hospitals run Windows, even ATM machines. How stupid is that?
Yet the NY Stock Exchange runs Redhat Linux, now that's smart!
Apples failure to break into the 'enterprise' is mostly self inflicted. It has nothing to do with the quality of hardware or software. It has to do with choices Apple has made not to compete in that commodity (SIC) market.
Holy sh*t! A correct answer!
But do you know why there is this slight head fake in the enterprise direction every time Apple comes up with a new product?
The consumer market is over 50% of the market, is more flexible than the enterprise market and costs less overall, not so bitchy about prices either. Look at Dell having to have configure nearly every computer they sell and provide long warranties.
So for Apple any business that comes from enterprise is extra icing on the cake, but Apple doesn't pursue that market. Since Apple doesn't pursue the enterprise market, it generally ignores Apple unless there is the unusual case (like being the only carrier of the G5 processor) it will come knocking. If some company wants 1,000 iPads for something, Apple will sell them of course, but not provide any support outside the consumer level warranty.
As to the topic at hand - the iPad - you fail to see that it is not a notebook/netbook replacement (SIC) or competitor. You equate previous failed tablet products by PC vendors as a predictor that the iPad will fail.
Tablets haven't taken off not because of the UI, but because real users like a keyboard and a something to hold their screen in place to angle to their field of vision.
It's ironic that in order to do that the iPad has to be turned into a desktop with the keyboard stand, requiring a desk and a chair. A netbook or a laptop has it's own desk and monitor stand built in.
What you fail to understand is - the iPad is not computer based on your definition of computer.
Is this something my finance person is going to hammer out spreadsheets on? No.
Is this something my IT worker is going to manage database servers with on a daily basis? No.
Is this something my managers are going to use to check calendars between meetings? Send quick emails? Review email attachments (SIC)? Possibly use web portal based intranet apps? YES.
Our managers already do this. On $2000+ Panasonic (SIC) Toughbooks (SIC). with 2-3 hr battery life. That (SIC) weigh in at a nice 4 pounds.
They were given ToughBooks for a reason, to make the investment last as they are likely rough on the hardware.
The iPad is a thin fragile device requiring a computer to place things on it. So what's it's use if it's so dependent upon another machine? Drop that iPad once and shatters/cracks the screen it will. Do that several times a week with Toughbook and it likely can take the punishment.
Do you know how fast that iPad screen is going to become a scratched mess? Real fast!
The iPad is not a laptop, netbook, or desktop replacement. And if you think that those are the only computer 'niches' in the 'enterprise', you are mistaken.
I'm sure the iPad might find some niche uses in enterprise, I don't doubt that one bit. But widespread acceptance as a netbook replacement?, never.
The iPad's chief market is educational, where those in charge need more control over the device, anything else is gravy.
No seasoned computer user is going to buy a device he/she can't place what software they want on it and be dictated by Apple's flippant and moody App Store decision making process.
Well, the resources are limited.
My main point is that some developers can handle the limitations and some can't. Trust me, I know, I own an iPod touch. I've deleted my share of poorly performing apps.
Many have already made allusions to iWork being good examples of suitable hardware to run apps. The current demonsrtations don't truly indicate anything because we simply don't know what size files will cause the apps to run out of memory. Nor do we know how badly pulling in pages of a document will impact performance. In other words a given app could be perfectly usable for one user but not another due to data demands. Worst is the idea that you may start out with perfectly good app behaviour and suddenly see the apps go to hell after your data grows a bit.
Without robust virtual memory support a user is precisely limited to the RAM space left over after his app code loads and the resources taken else where. The exception here being apps that can easily handle partioning of app data into segments to be loaded from memory as needed.
While I agree that some developers are better than others, you can't dismiss that some apps can and will be used in ways that are very demanding. A developer however isn't responsible for poorly configured hardware though. Some times a developer has to be an educator and tell the user things like don't run that latest and greatest image editor on a machine with 512MB of RAM. In the end a developer often does more harm to his app (foot) trying to fit it into a shoe that is to small.
Dave
I think the iPad would make a big hit at parties, that big smooth glass surface.
Perhaps Apple should sell a razor blade holder attachment.
Is there an app which lines up the lines and creates exact lengths and widths of said lines? You pick your drug and the app gives you appropriate line sizes depending on weight, height, level of addiction, general inebriation, state of nose, size of nostrils, etc?
...
No seasoned computer user is going to buy a device he/she can't place what software they want on it and be dictated by Apple's flippant and moody App Store decision making process.
Please make that no seasoned computer user -1.
Exactly. You nailed it down. The problem is that export/import does not work many times as expected. Thus a true native Microsoft Office for the iPad is needed. Because the world uses Office, not iWork. Those are the facts. Sad but true.
No MS Office for iPad may reduce sales but many people will be satisfied with iWork. The ripple effect may be that people who are used to Office and are forced to use iWork will realize that their needs are satisfied and that in fact iWork is a good alternative, and much better priced. They may grow to prefer it and drop MS Office and even MS altogether. In my experience most Office users do not use any advanced features whatsoever. The long term effect may help as much as it hurts Apple. Maybe the users are MS's and not Apple's to loose .
Please make that no seasoned computer user -1.
Minus dozens of millions so far. Does he think the iPhone is only being bought by people who have never used a computer before?
There is no need for Apple cheerleading just yet. The survey shows what people WANT to do with the iPad. Not what it actually delivers. Follow up with another survey in a few months after people have used their iPads for a while and see if it meets their expectations.
This is very much the case. I don't think we will get a good handle on how people use their iPads and how much they like them until late summer. Probably later than that if the new iPhone 4.0 OS version comes out during the summer.
Apple will not make a video iPod. Nobody wants to watch video on an iPod.
I must be a nobody then. My greatest disappointment with iPod is the aspect ratio of the screen. It is not that I would expect video to be the only use for the device but rather that solid playback ought to be part of the experience. Giving up a good portion of your screen to black bars isn't a good experience in my estimation.
In any event I'm surprised that you don't see video as important. It doesn't matter if it is a long running movie or a short news clip video is very important. Frankly it is one of iPhones short comings.
Apple should not allow third parties to create native iPhone applications. Nobody cares about third party iPhone applications. Web apps are really SWEET.
Now you must be jerking chains. Third party apps made the iPhone what it is today.
Apple will never switch to Intel processors.
OK now i see where we are going. I agree that people that live in a world of absolutes often get burned.
Dave
... In my experience most Office users do not use any advanced features whatsoever. ..
I generally agree with your points. That said, I do hope that indexing is implemented in Pages soon.
... Does he think ...
Much too speculative for me.
Much too speculative for me.
While enterprise penetration isn't what it could be, the iPhone is certainly not scoffed at by businesses.
As for the iPad, I suspect I will use it to replace my personal laptop I have to bring on business trips because my company won't let me do anything personal on my work laptop. I just wish it has a user-facing camera for chatting with the kids-- other than that it's perfect for that use.
The iSight omission is the only thing that baffles me, but I ordered one anyway.
Is there an app which lines up the lines and creates exact lengths and widths of said lines? You pick your drug and the app gives you appropriate line sizes depending on weight, height, level of addiction, general inebriation, state of nose, size of nostrils, etc?
Yes there is. What you need is i-i-i-oh-idunno man.app, not available from the App Store NOW!