Three months and three million iPads later it looks like Apple has a winner on its hands.
Yet very few still seem to really know what to make of it (“I can make a hat, a broach or a pterodactyl”).
Can the iPad can be used as a serious business tool or is it just a coffee table accessory targeted at parents/grandparents of tech-savvy individuals?
I think it can be a valuable tool for the business traveler, particularly on short trips.
Some, like Steve Rubel, are experimenting with making the iPad their primary computing device, but limitations in current capability and IT departments everywhere conspire against that goal.
I think it’s perfect for the business traveler, especially those of us who have to fly coach and deal with little to no room to open up your laptop on the plane (and I’m not even talking about if the person in front of you leans the seat back a millimeter).
Reading an analyst report, reviewing a presentation or reading a book or watching a movie are very pleasurable and natural activities while on the plane. And the 10+ hour battery life is unbeatable.
I recently took a cross-country trip, used the iPad almost the whole time (including playing music over the iPod app in the background) and finished with more than 50% battery remaining.
So here’s some advice on how to make the iPad a viable business travel companion:
1. WiFi is the way to go
My recommendation is definitely to buy the WiFi model, not the 3G version. A few reasons for this. For one you won’t be at the mercy of AT&T’s network.
Then, take the $130 savings and buy a mobile hotspot device like Sprint’s Overdrive model. This tact provides you the ability to upgrade to 4G (which offers 10x speed increases) as it becomes available and to use it with your other devices like your notebook when you don’t have your iPad with you.
And finally there are so many places that now offer free WiFi (Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbuck’s, McDonald’s, many major airports) and many airlines now offer WiFi while you fly (when 3G won’t work anyway), the need for 3G is greatly alleviated.
2. Splurge on extra memory
In my mind you can never have enough storage and there’s no way to upgrade the iPad. So if you saved the $130 on the 3G, put some of the “extra” money into more memory.
$100 buys you another 16GB and $200 extra gets you 4x times the original storage (all the way to 64GB). In for a penny.
3. Keep your documents in the Cloud
File sharing/synchronizing apps like Dropbox are a must. Many bemoan the lack of USB port on the iPad and simply emailing docs back and forth to yourself is idiotic.
So a cloud-based sync and storage app like Dropbox, SugarSync or Box.net fits the bill perfectly.
4. Stay Productive
The iPad is a great companion for a salesperson. Take out the sleek, shiny object and run through your deck with the prospect.
Then get on Safari and load the meeting notes and follow up actions into Salesforce.com. All this in a compact 1.5 pound package (your back and shoulders will thank you).
If you’re primarily working in a Microsoft Office dominated environment, Documents to Go by DataViz is the best bet. Not only does it provide good integration with Office docs, but it provides built-in support to view, edit and sync files on Google Docs, Box.net, Dropbox, iDisk and SugarSync as mentioned above.
I had initially downloaded Keynote and Pages by Apple, but while they solved some of the initial bugs, they compatibility with Office documents just isn’t strong enough and the number of templates and background are too shallow.
5. Turn the iPad into the back of an envelope
If you’re like me and like scratching out concepts, pick up a drawing app like Ideas by Adobe, OmniGraffle for iPad or Draft from 37Signals.
6. Tweet away
While you may not want to write War and Peace on the iPad, it’s perfect for short form communication. As such, it’s ideal for Twitter.
While I absolutely love Tweetdeck on the desktop, it’s horrific on the iPad. Why it’s so much worse than the Tweetdeck for iPhone app is beyond comprehension.
That being said, the app from Twitterific is very slick and Tweetie for the iPad (purchased a few months ago by Twitter itself) is apparently soon in the offing.
7. Stay on top of the news
There are plenty of good RSS reader apps, but the mobile version of Google Reader (an HTML5 app) is awesome…and free is good, right?
But if you want to pay the New York Times and to a lesser extent (and journalistic quality) USA Today apps are good too. And if you want offline browsing capability, you have to get Instapaper.
8. A terrific book-reading experience
If you’re traveling that’s often the only time you have to read. Needless to say the experience using iBooks is fantastic.
And if you don’t see what you want there the Kindle app for iPad is excellent and now enjoys multimedia capabilities that you can’t get on an actual Kindle device.
9. Table for two
Finding places to eat while on the road is always a challenge. Download the OpenTable app or Zagat to Go.
10. I wanna go there
Of course when you talk travel, you want to actually plan and book too. There are excellent apps like Kayak Flights, FlightTrackPro from Mobiata, Goby and TripAssist by Expedia to help you plan your travels.
And anything you can’t get there you can probably get via an iPhone app (they all run on the iPad) or on the web via the built-in Safari browser.
11. Shhh, don’t tell the boss
Don’t worry this is not a NSFW item (Steve Jobs won’t let porn on the iPad), but there are games galore for the iPad and they can make long flights go by quickly.
Combined with the accelerometer and a large screen, who wants a dinky NintendoDS?
Future versions which may include the multi-axis gyroscope found in the new iPhone4 should take things to another level, but the iPad does just fine as it is.
Don’t forget movies via Netflix or iTunes and – oh yeah – music. You almost forget this whole thing started with a digital music player.
So, what else?
There are now over 10,000 iPad-specific apps out there now. So browse away and be ‘magical’.
And of course none of these tips talk about how you might use the iPad in your business. I think it could be a game changer as written previously.
In fact many travel companies (outside of creating apps) are experimenting with different ways that they can incorporate the iPad into their operations and their customer’s travel experience.
Australian LCC JetStar is using the iPad as in-flight entertainment. InterContinental Hotel Group is arming concierges with the iPad and several independent hotels are lending iPads to their guests.
Should I buy one now?
This is of course up to you, but if you’re on the fence I’d say “yes”. Personally, I got one on the very first day they were available.
Why? Not because I’m a Pavlovian Mac-fanboy (I don’t even own an iPhone), but because I wanted to experiment with the new device.
I wanted to try to figure out how this can be used in my company’s business? Is this really a sea-change in the computing experience (in many ways, yes).
But you can’t learn this without playing with the device. So if you’re intellectually curious, go get one (if you are, you probably already have).
For those of you who haven’t taken the plunge yet you hear a lot of the same things: it’s just a big iPod Touch or it’s a iPhone without the phone.
Some complain about missing features, like no front-facing camera. Or if you’re our favorite curmudgeon, you think the iPad (or, in particular, its sister iPhone) is the devil’s instrument and wouldn’t want it under any circumstance.
I think the difference will become evident once you start using native iPad apps. It starts to not feel like a big iPhone anymore because you’re taking full advantage of the larger screen size that allow you to do things differently and better.
But the computing paradigm is the same, as is the basic hardware design, so it engenders the big iPhone comparison.
Now some may say: “I’m going to wait until they shake out the bugs and get the second generation”. That’s an eminently reasonable position.
But it’s not as if that’s going to happen anytime soon. Apple’s pretty consistent about waiting a year for any major hardware revisions.
And the new tech like the retina display just launched on the new iPhone will be road-tested on the iPhone and then determined how quickly the manufacturing process can be scaled to a larger device.
No sure-things there.
In all likelihood things like the front-facing camera will make its way to the next-gen iPad (as will FaceTime), but most of the real improvements will come via software, especially when iOS4 ships for the iPad in the fall.
Do you have an iPad? What have your observations been? Agree or disagree?
Related posts:
- Goby launches iPad app to tap into trip planning impulses
- Apple iPad – helping say goodbye to Cannonball web formats in travel
- Lukewarm response to iPad in Facebook survey of travellers
- Kayak, Mobiata size up the iPad transition and like the design freedom
- Lonely Planet raises the iPad flag with Ultimate Experiences app
Great post. Totally second Glenn’s thoughts and had some of the same experiences. Bought one the first day too but for the opposite reason, as I’ve been an admitted Pavlovian Mac/Jobs fanboy for a very long time!
Agree!! The iPad makes a great travel device for business and entertainment. I do wish I could figure out how to turn off the volume so it didn’t interrupt my sleep. Also, apps like Read it Later and document readers like Goodreader are essential. I also just read that Google is introducing new support for Google Apps for the iPad.
Yes, get one. Its loads of fun. It’s ideal travel amusement. It can make an excellent business tool but the games and entertainment side is where the fun really kicks in.
Took me a while to accept that Microsoft Courier is not coming and that no champion remains for my awesome Tablet PC….but took the plunge a while back. Still hoping for handwriting recognition on the iPad sometime soon. At least the OS4?
Now I am on the Rubel camp and trying to make the iPad my main device. If only Apple could deliver iTunes over the air…for one.
Good list of Apps. One notable omission is iThoughts for mind mapping. Great for junkies like me. It does not work well with my GTD set up on my Blackberry like MindManager did, but I have rigged up a temporary solution. Nothing better than geeky problems to solve
Great article, Glenn! As the recent winner of a non-3G iPad, I was one of those scratching my head about how to make it work for me. I’d dearly love to replace my laptop while I travel – maybe it is do-able after all!
Check out Terminal Maps for iPad, I have used that app so much when at the airport!
Just got back from multi-city trip and the Ipad was a brilliant travel companion!
We were largely flying by the seat of our pants and using the Ipad we could find a great place to eat using the Zagat and Michelin apps, then book our next hotel/flight with the Kayak app all while having a coffee.
Terminal Maps was great if we needed to find the best snack in an airport, as were the subway map apps for getting around. Google Maps using location awareness was always good if we got a bit lost!
The Ipad’s travel functionality will increase ten fold as the range of Ipad apps continue to mature and wifi becomes ubiquitous.
I was looking in the app store for Terminal Maps, and eventually found out the app changed its name to AirportAce HD (e-mailed the developer to confirm), got it and it really is a great app for travelers, can’t wait to use it in a real airport
Thanks for the post – great entertainment tool. I am still finding it light on the business side – syncing of calendars is the greatest challenge and the inability to handle *.ics file is very frustrating – but if you want to read pdf, doc, books, email, browse the net, listen to music, watch movies etc its a cool toy
Entertainment – 8/10
Business – 4/10
loved the post, it is interesting and funny how we are all trying to make this a business tool so we can justify the unquestionable coolness of it! for me virtualization and the cloud is the answer!
i have tried a few of the applications listed and the others will be very helpful
and i actually prefer 3G by a long shot because you have that and wireless and access to all AT&T Hot spots included (i.e. Starbuck’s)
I am running my ONLY office WINDOWS desktop as a vm in my office on my network and and connect to it from my iPad WITH ALL MY network resources and applications. The performance is amazing and the iPad will likely be the only device i ever carry, it fits easily in the leather bound “portfolios” I have been carrying to client meetings for years.
I disagree about the wifi model. Especially if you’re traveling, being able to access the web anywhere makes a huge difference. Searching around for a hotspot is annoying, and carrying an extra device in the form of a mobile hotspot is really inconvenient. It will also not likely have as good battery life as the iPad itself.
Jon, you have a good point wrt to the battery life. I don’t get more than 4 hours with the mobile hotspot, but then again, I don’t need it for all the things I do on the iPad and turn it off when it’s not necessary to preserve the battery.
On the other hand, I’ve also used the hotspot with my laptop and my wife’s borrowed it too, so the flexibility of the device has been helpful. Plus as long as AT&T doesn’t enable tethering on the iPad (which may change), the utility is just limited to the one device. Either way, I’d still suggest to spend the extra $100 on more memory.
I agree with the core message, but hey – there are 50 other tablet-like devices coming on the market in the next 6 months.
Apple’s iPads will probably retain the high-end, stilish and pricey share of consumers but we can expecct the Acer, HP, Asus, Dell, Sony, Nokia and their cheap chinese clones to inundate mainstream homes and businesses around the world.
Daniele, thanks for the comment. As for the other tablets that are no doubt forthcoming, it’s also almost as certain that their usability will leave a lot to be desired. So while cheaper, they almost certainly won’t be better (perhaps in raw specs, but will lack the thoughtfulness in design that makes the iPad so simple and enjoyable to use – IMHO). That’s a trade-off that each person must make, but I for one am a user-experience-first kind of guy.
You can use the Printcentral App to make your Ipad act like a drive on your computer and in turn drag and drop files. It also works great with my wireless printer (Canon MX870). Once you have the App you can transfer files wirelessly between your computer and the Ipad. It is a great App.
I also like the Air Video App which converts video files (wirelessly) so that you can play all types of video on the Ipad wirelessly or you can transfer them permanently using Itunes. I was able to convert movies I recorded with an Archos dvr and transfer them to the Ipad using this App.
Media folders is a great App for storing documents, pictures and videos. It can be password protected and you can hide folders if you wish.
Love the Ipad.
Im a Mexico user of one 3G 64g iPad. I can tell you that I’m now using it the 80% of the time than the lap top. If I only can have an app to use the Microsoft Money database on my iPad probably will use my HP to storage the music for the living room only. Try it. I’m getting in love with this gadget.
I would say ipad really good, nice built quality, extremely sensitive LCD,high resolution,wifi. I purchased one last week for my own use, my brother asked me to purchase the same one for him. But if you cannot afford it, an Apad is also a good choice, it’s only around $100, but with full function of ipad.