Most small & medium business plan to buy Apple iPads in next 12 months

2

Comments

  • Reply 21 of 45
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,780member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac Voyer View Post


    Additionally, it seems no one is confusing iPads with other tablets at the cash register.



    So true
  • Reply 22 of 45
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    The halo effect of this will be massive I am sure, leading to way more MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs and iPhones in these companies too. 2012 will be a blow out year for Apple of gargantuan proportions.



    My only criticism of my iPad is the lack of its own junk filtering in Apple's mail system. If my Mac is asleep and hasn't yet filtered the iPad gets the lot. Wake my Mac up and in seconds the iPad's mail junk automatically cleared. It shouldn't require the Mac to do this. This needs to be server side if not built into the iPad. Some one tell me I can do this but have it set up wrong and I will try not to shoot myself.



    No no no... just wait, next summer androids Chocolate Bar Candy ( or is it Beef double Whopper? ) is available, the iPad will be blown away!



  • Reply 23 of 45
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rabbit_Coach View Post


    No no no... just wait, next summer androids Chocolate Bar Candy ( or is it Beef double Whopper? ) is available, the iPad will be blown away!



    Next summer is Jellybean. The rest of your post stands, however.
  • Reply 24 of 45
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    Well, you should talk with Psych_guy above about whether business people are stupid and buy stuff by mistake. And no, I wasn't talking about cheap Android copies, but about high range tablets that are sometimes more expensive than the iPad but offer things like USB ports, optional keyboards, additional connectivity, external storage, higher resolution, more memory and CPU power, etc...



    Well, in terms of that particular list-- the iPad has USB connectivity via an adapter, there are plenty of Bluetooth keyboards on the market, I don't know what "additional connectivity" means, I don't know what "external storage" means (do I keep my tablet tethered to a hard drive?), higher resolution is possible but likely to be eclipsed by the next iteration of the iPad (and probably isn't high on enterprise wish-lists, being more of a consumer bullet-point bragging right thing), and more memory and CPU are only relevant insofar as they provide superior performance, which for the iPad vs. the competition they apparently do not (and businesses are unlikely to be swayed by spec whoring, see above).



    So once we get out of the theoretical and sort of vague "specific needs" and into cases, it gets pretty obvious that the reason the iPad is the likely choice is that it does what it needs to do at a very competitive price. You can of course wonder if at some point Samsung, say, might release a tablet that outperforms the iPad at half the price and adds some kind of must have feature, but again that doesn't really mean anything.
  • Reply 25 of 45
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post




    My only criticism of my iPad is the lack of its own junk filtering in Apple's mail system.



    I hate that every mail message has to open before it can be deleted.



    Other minor complaints:



    Keyboard has limited character selection. A lot of characters cannot be typed on iPad such as degree symbol, any greek letter such as theta or micrometer symbol which I realize most people don't need but in medical science I need them. You can't type the cents symbol and many others.



    The keyboard is sometimes a bit laggy and I absolutely hate the spelling correction.



    In Safari you can't tap the header bar to return to the top of the page like on iPhone, which makes for a lot of scrolling on long forum pages such as this one.



    There is no way to block obnoxious ads like on a Mac with Ghostery.



    You cannot modify the apps that appear on the home screen.



    Hate the smart cover.



    The screen is dreadful outdoors even when not in direct sunlight, especially if you are trying to show someone sitting beside you something on the screen.



    The stock ear buds are useless on a plane. The volume is not loud enough to be heard over the jet engines even in executive class.



    You can't charge it from your computer.



    That is just off the top of my head. I'm sure I can think of other issues I have with the iPad but I don't have it in front of me at the moment.



    All that said I still use it almost everyday.
  • Reply 26 of 45
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    I hate that every mail message has to open before it can be deleted.



    That's not true. You can delete e-mails in Mail without ever having read them.



    Quote:

    In Safari you can't tap the header bar to return to the top of the page like on iPhone, which makes for a lot of scrolling on long forum pages such as this one.



    Uh, sure you can. I just did it… I do it all the time.



    Quote:

    There is no way to block obnoxious ads like on a Mac with Ghostery.



    We'll need a much more powerful iPad before we can have Safari extensions.



    Quote:

    You cannot modify the apps that appear on the home screen.



    … Uh…



    Quote:

    You can't charge it from your computer.



    So… you don't HAVE a computer or something? Of COURSE you can charge it from a computer.



    That's the only way I have EVER charged it.



    You can't charge it in WINDOWS. Windows is prevented from charging it. When I boot to Windows on my Mac Pro, my iPad doesn't charge. When I boot to OS X, it works perfectly fine.
  • Reply 27 of 45
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    That's not true. You can delete e-mails in Mail without ever having read them.







    Uh, sure you can. I just did it? I do it all the time.







    We'll need a much more powerful iPad before we can have Safari extensions.







    ? Uh?







    So? you don't HAVE a computer or something? Of COURSE you can charge it from a computer.



    That's the only way I have EVER charged it.



    You can't charge it in WINDOWS. Windows is prevented from charging it. When I boot to Windows on my Mac Pro, my iPad doesn't charge. When I boot to OS X, it works perfectly fine.



    Perhaps I just don't know how to use it properly.
  • Reply 28 of 45
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    You can't charge it from your computer.



    If you plug it into a low-power USB port or an OLDER Windows computer USB 1 port, it won't charge (same with older Macs as well). Actually it WILL charge, but just a trickle charge. It needs a USB 2 port (looks the same but provides more power).
  • Reply 29 of 45
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Perhaps I just don't know how to use it properly.



    Well, let's run down the list.



    I can tap the Status Bar to scroll to the top of Safari pages. Don't know why it wouldn't work for you; maybe you need to be more precise in your tapping. You're on 5.0.1, right? Not that that should matter; we've been able to do that since 3.2… Weird.



    You can reorganize apps on the Springboard either in iTunes under the Apps tab or by touching one on the iPad itself and holding it until they all start wiggling. Then you can drag them around the screen at your leisure, putting them into folders and whatnot.



    Now, charging? I have NO idea. I think it's a soft limitation that Apple themselves are imposing on Windows users, but it's not impossible that it just truly CANNOT charge while connected to Windows. It's really strange.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mugzy View Post


    If you plug it into a low-power USB port or an OLDER Windows computer USB 1 port, it won't charge (same with older Macs as well). Actually it WILL charge, but just a trickle charge. It needs a USB 2 port (looks the same but provides more power).



    Says for me that it's not charging when booted into Windows on my Mac Pro. Obviously the ports are identical as when I'm in OS X, so who knows…
  • Reply 30 of 45
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    How do you get that out of what you quoted?



    "So you're telling me there's a chance"
  • Reply 31 of 45
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    Well, in terms of that particular list-- the iPad has USB connectivity via an adapter, there are plenty of Bluetooth keyboards on the market, I don't know what "additional connectivity" means, I don't know what "external storage" means (do I keep my tablet tethered to a hard drive?), higher resolution is possible but likely to be eclipsed by the next iteration of the iPad (and probably isn't high on enterprise wish-lists, being more of a consumer bullet-point bragging right thing), and more memory and CPU are only relevant insofar as they provide superior performance, which for the iPad vs. the competition they apparently do not (and businesses are unlikely to be swayed by spec whoring, see above).



    So once we get out of the theoretical and sort of vague "specific needs" and into cases, it gets pretty obvious that the reason the iPad is the likely choice is that it does what it needs to do at a very competitive price. You can of course wonder if at some point Samsung, say, might release a tablet that outperforms the iPad at half the price and adds some kind of must have feature, but again that doesn't really mean anything.



    I am uninterested in arguing what the specific examples I gave provide as usability features -- you are likely to have been presented with that sort of info but chose to ignore it. My opinion is that the Asus Transformer Prime has currently more to offer than the iPad 2 for some specific tasks. Whetehr businesses will choose it over the iPad is another question. I know I would.
  • Reply 32 of 45
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,780member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    I hate that every mail message has to open before it can be deleted.



    Other minor complaints:



    Keyboard has limited character selection. A lot of characters cannot be typed on iPad such as degree symbol, any greek letter such as theta or micrometer symbol which I realize most people don't need but in medical science I need them. You can't type the cents symbol and many others.



    The keyboard is sometimes a bit laggy and I absolutely hate the spelling correction.



    In Safari you can't tap the header bar to return to the top of the page like on iPhone, which makes for a lot of scrolling on long forum pages such as this one.



    There is no way to block obnoxious ads like on a Mac with Ghostery.



    You cannot modify the apps that appear on the home screen.



    Hate the smart cover.



    The screen is dreadful outdoors even when not in direct sunlight, especially if you are trying to show someone sitting beside you something on the screen.



    The stock ear buds are useless on a plane. The volume is not loud enough to be heard over the jet engines even in executive class.



    You can't charge it from your computer.



    That is just off the top of my head. I'm sure I can think of other issues I have with the iPad but I don't have it in front of me at the moment.



    All that said I still use it almost everyday.



    A lot of the things you don't like are actually not quite correctly being understood I think. You can tap the top of Safari, you can change apps on home screen, you can get other covers, the spill chucker is flooless mist of the thyme, I might be wrong but I honestly thought it was charging when connected to a Mac, going to check ... be right back ..
  • Reply 33 of 45
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Perhaps I just don't know how to use it properly.



    Well me neither apparently. I just now found out that the status bar is the black line that tells you the time of day and your battery status. Tap that and you get the top of page. Well then its time to open that bookmark in Safari, 'Ipad user guide'.

    I searched and got this result which is really good.
  • Reply 34 of 45
    chiachia Posts: 714member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    no, I wasn't talking about cheap Android copies, but about high range tablets that are sometimes more expensive than the iPad but offer things like USB ports, optional keyboards, additional connectivity, external storage, higher resolution, more memory and CPU power, etc...





    You're moving the goalposts, you originally posted that people were using iPad as a generic term for tablet device, you didn't specify any particular category of device.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mugzy View Post


    Don't expect them to be used as laptop replacements



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    Well, in terms of that particular list-- additional connectivity etc...

    ... being more of a consumer bullet-point bragging right thing

    ...businesses are unlikely to be swayed by spec whoring, see above).



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    I am uninterested in arguing what the specific examples I gave provide as usability features -- you are likely to have been presented with that sort of info but chose to ignore it. My opinion is that the Asus Transformer Prime has currently more to offer than the iPad 2 for some specific tasks. Whetehr businesses will choose it over the iPad is another question. I know I would.





    The mistake DrDoppio and iPad competitors make is that

    they view iPads and tablets as types of laptop,

    instead of seeing they're within a unique category with its own style of use.






    Imagine if the first microcomputers were used in the same way as their mainframe predecessors, connected to several terminals and time sharing.

    Such a setup would be a disaster; it'll be so much slower than using a mainframe.

    The microcomputer became a success as it brought reasonable computational power to the individual business person and hobbyist, rather than having it locked away in large corporations and research institutes.



    Likewise, the iPad is not a laptop, those businesses where a task requires frequent access to "additional connectivity", large hard disks, keyboards etc will be better off buying a laptop or even desktop.



    The iPad comes into its own for those tasks which require a portable yet large display, some input and good battery life. The iPad has been designed to be a very portable, personal device. I see its uses within healthcare and customer services: you bring the info and the data to the client/patient, rather than they coming to the terminal, thus making for a more natural and closer, professional association.



    The idea that for example a clinician will walk up to the patient's bedside using a tablet with a hard disk and keyboard dangling from USB ports, is frankly clumsy and absurd. In this scenario the tablet has the advantage of being easier to use and clean than a laptop.
  • Reply 35 of 45
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ChiA View Post


    You're moving the goalposts, you originally posted that people were using iPad as a generic term for tablet device, you didn't specify any particular category of device.

    ...



    Well I left that to your imagination, naively.



    Let me tell you about a friend of mine, who has been brought up in Europe and came to the US as an adult. He often complains about the quality of American beer, but I think he cannot be further from the truth. I think Americans brew some of the best beers in the world.



    The problem with my friend is, that he chooses to drink cheap popular piss instead of the quality beers, and then he complains. He doesn't know about Stone Brewing Co, Brooklyn Brewery, Ommegang, Lagunitas, or Dogfish head. All he knows is budd and corrs.



    He reminds me a lot of the Android haters around here.



    Quote:



    The mistake DrDoppio and iPad competitors make is that

    they view iPads and tablets as types of laptop,

    instead of seeing they're within a unique category with its own style of use.





    You don't need to shout.



    The only mistake competitors to the iPad made was that they expected to get the same profit margins as Apple. All high-end Android tablets were priced higher than the iPad at release. That's why they never made it.



    Finally, don't forget here we discuss business use of the tablet. Why is it so hard to grasp that they may have specific needs better met by a custom choice of tablet? Do I need to spell out use cases, or can you try to think outside the box?



    One example: A waiting room. The receptionist snaps a hi-res photo of the customer with the built-in cam, fills in address info on the keyboard, then detaches the tablet from the keyboard and hands it over to the customer to fill-in a multiple choice questionnaire using a simplified interface.

    Another example: On a flight, one passenger ask for a computer to work on some spreadsheets he has on an Sd card. His kid wants to see a movie. He gets the keyboard-equipped tablet and types away, while his kid gets the tablet with a kids movie library popped in the microSD slot.

    Third example: A construction in a developing country. An inspector loads the blueprints from a memory card, takes notes and pictures while on the go, then removes the card to securely transport it to the HQ where his report is entered into a DB.

    Fourth example: A company heavily invested in Windows hardware decides to use tablets. They choose windows 8 tablets...



    Surely one can think of more examples, and surely in many cases the iPad would do just fine but another tablet even better.
  • Reply 36 of 45
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    The only mistake competitors to the iPad made was that they expected to get the same profit margins as Apple. All high-end Android tablets were priced higher than the iPad at release. That's why they never made it.



    Finally, don't forget here we discuss business use of the tablet. Why is it so hard to grasp that they may have specific needs better met by a custom choice of tablet? Do I need to spell out use cases, or can you try to think outside the box?



    One example: A waiting room. The receptionist snaps a hi-res photo of the customer with the built-in cam, fills in address info on the keyboard, then detaches the tablet from the keyboard and hands it over to the customer to fill-in a multiple choice questionnaire using a simplified interface.

    Another example: On a flight, one passenger ask for a computer to work on some spreadsheets he has on an Sd card. His kid wants to see a movie. He gets the keyboard-equipped tablet and types away, while his kid gets the tablet with a kids movie library popped in the microSD slot.

    Third example: A construction in a developing country. An inspector loads the blueprints from a memory card, takes notes and pictures while on the go, then removes the card to securely transport it to the HQ where his report is entered into a DB.

    Fourth example: A company heavily invested in Windows hardware decides to use tablets. They choose windows 8 tablets...



    Surely one can think of more examples, and surely in many cases the iPad would do just fine but another tablet even better.



    Sooooo, you think that the ipad isn't as great of a choice for businesses because it doesn't have a microSD slot? In your first example, the ipad can do just that. The second and third examples rely on sd slots but why exactly are these needed again? There's the cloud, email, camera connection kit and many other ways to get data on and off the ipad. And for your last example, people are doing that with the ipad already with citrix and many other programs. And btw, the new windows 8 tablets won't have the exact same software as the desktop.
  • Reply 37 of 45
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by freckledbruh View Post


    Sooooo, you think that the ipad isn't as great of a choice for businesses because it doesn't have a microSD slot? In your first example, the ipad can do just that. The second and third examples rely on sd slots but why exactly are these needed again? There's the cloud, email, camera connection kit and many other ways to get data on and off the ipad. And for your last example, people are doing that with the ipad already with citrix and many other programs. And btw, the new windows 8 tablets won't have the exact same software as the desktop.



    The iPad has lousy cameras that do not take HD pictures. And yes, someone may very well decide the iPad is a bad choice due to the lack of SD card slots. There's no cloud on an airplane, and the connection kits are precisely the stupid dongles that people here are complaining about. And if you think Windows 8 will not have advantages when it comes to compatibility with MS products then you're delusional.



    The lack of imagination I see around here is staggering. I just gave a few examples and noted that the iPad could likely do, but it doesn't have to be a default or even a preferred choice. Yet people here stubbornly insist that no one else will ever think differently than themselves. Sheesh!
  • Reply 38 of 45
    chiachia Posts: 714member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    Well I left that to your imagination, naively.

    He reminds me a lot of the Android haters around here.



    No, you keep on changing the criteria from your first statement but you've finally hinted of your grudge against the success of the iPad or Apple.



    The Android cheerleaders refuse to accept that the iPad is the most popular tablet by far.

    Most consumers and businesses view all the other tablets as unsuitable for their needs.

    When the others get it right people will come and buy.

    But as of now, the market has decided that Apple has it right.



    You've changed your criterion from

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    Which means that businesses may in fact consider another tablet, if it offers more suitable capabilities.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    a business owner may have used "iPad" as a generic term for a tablet.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    businesses, which may have specific requirements better met by other tablets.



    to



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    I am planning to buy an iPad" may actually mean "I am planning to buy any tablet", because of iPad becoming a generic term for a lightweight tablet.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    I wasn't talking about cheap Android copies, but about high range tablets









    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    You don't need to shout.



    THIS IS SHOUTING,

    besides, you can follow your own advice given to me:

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    Finally, if you don't like my comment then just ignore them, sheesh...





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    The only mistake competitors to the iPad made was that they expected to get the same profit margins as Apple. All high-end Android tablets were priced higher than the iPad at release. That's why they never made it.



    Finally, don't forget here we discuss business use of the tablet. Why is it so hard to grasp that they may have specific needs better met by a custom choice of tablet? Do I need to spell out use cases, or can you try to think outside the box?



    One example: A waiting room. The receptionist snaps a hi-res photo of the customer with the built-in cam, fills in address info on the keyboard, then detaches the tablet from the keyboard and hands it over to the customer to fill-in a multiple choice questionnaire using a simplified interface.



    Another example: On a flight, one passenger ask for a computer to work on some spreadsheets he has on an Sd card. His kid wants to see a movie. He gets the keyboard-equipped tablet and types away, while his kid gets the tablet with a kids movie library popped in the microSD slot.



    Third example: A construction in a developing country. An inspector loads the blueprints from a memory card, takes notes and pictures while on the go, then removes the card to securely transport it to the HQ where his report is entered into a DB.



    Fourth example: A company heavily invested in Windows hardware decides to use tablets. They choose windows 8 tablets...



    Surely one can think of more examples, and surely in many cases the iPad would do just fine but another tablet even better.



    I am drawing from real life commercial use, observation and experience:



    Example One - in the time spent fiddling around connecting the tablet to the physical keyboard the receptionist would have entered the address using the onscreen keyboard. The receptionist can walk up to the visitor and enter the details by their side, instead of being tied to the desk by the keyboard.





    Example Two - I'm of the opinion that if the spreadsheet is important enough and urgent enough for him to work on it that he would have brought his own device. Furthermore, I believe airlines won't be keen on passengers plugging in their own cards and potentially leaving behind trojans, viruses or other nasties on their hardware.



    Yes, memory cards may be convenient but they can be easily lost and are small in capacity. An onboard Mac mini can sync or even stream a much wider range of films and media to the onboard iPads.





    Example Three - memory cards on a construction site? Little fiddly things difficult to grasp with protective gloves. Also think of all the dust, dirt, concrete and water that will jam into the card slot, rendering it and tablet useless. Much better to sync to the cloud, or if that's not available, use a Wi-Drive, no little cards to sink into concrete or be lost.





    Example Four - Well it may or may not suit them: previous tablet editions of Windows have not been as popular as the iPad.





    I can appreciate that other tablets may be more suitable:

    The sales reality is that most tablet purchasers view the iPad as the most suitable tablet for their needs.
  • Reply 39 of 45
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ChiA View Post


    ...

    I can appreciate that other tablets may be more suitable:

    ...



    Thank you, that is the only point I was trying to make.
  • Reply 40 of 45
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DrDoppio View Post


    The iPad has lousy cameras that do not take HD pictures. And yes, someone may very well decide the iPad is a bad choice due to the lack of SD card slots. There's no cloud on an airplane, and the connection kits are precisely the stupid dongles that people here are complaining about. And if you think Windows 8 will not have advantages when it comes to compatibility with MS products then you're delusional.



    The lack of imagination I see around here is staggering. I just gave a few examples and noted that the iPad could likely do, but it doesn't have to be a default or even a preferred choice. Yet people here stubbornly insist that no one else will ever think differently than themselves. Sheesh!



    Why exactly does a hospital need an HD pic of its patients? As far as I know, ID badges don't have HD quality pics on them. As for no cloud on an airplane, er, yes some flights most definitely have internet access and as another poster mentioned, why on earth would an airline (or any other company for that matter) allow random people to slide sd cards into its equipment? Talk about security risk. As for being delusional about MS compatibility, er, I READ articles on statements FROM MS so I guess Microsoft is equally delusional.
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