Your Computer Network Solution
Apple's iPad — A Game Changer
by Chris Faist

Every once in a while a new technology comes along that changes the rules. Something that changes the way that we work or how we play. I think the Apple iPad may be that technology... a real game changer.

Introduced in January, Apple positioned the iPad as a pioneer in a new genre of computing, somewhere between a smartphone and a laptop. Candidly, I was very skeptical. I believed that it was a poor excuse for a laptop and way too big to be a smartphone. A device that was hopelessly in between anything useful. I dismissed it.

Well, Apple didn't share my skepticism. They sold more than 8.5 million iPads in the months following the release. Expectations are reportedly as high as 43 million units in 2011. This positions the iPad as the 4th largest consumer electronics device, behind TVs, Smart phones and laptops.

Clearly I missed something! Well, I took a leap and purchased one for use as an e-mail client just before traveling to Florida for a softball tournament. Literally only hours before catching the plane to Ft. Lauderdale.

What first caught my attention was the ease of getting the iPad connected to our corporate Microsoft network and Exchange e-mail system. Apple has done a nice job of integrating their e-mail client with Microsoft's Activesync technology, providing an Outlook level of compatibility. Sitting on my desk, the iPad receives e-mail messages as quickly, or even faster than native Outlook.

Everything with the iPad is intuitive; Apple has really made it easy to navigate between applications and features. Speaking of applications, everything is controlled through the App Store. While this may seem foreign to PC users, it has its merits. Applications are easy to find, they work out of the box and purchasing is very easy. If you need an app, there is only one place to look. Go to the App Store. Not only does the App Store distribute the apps, it also handles all updates. This is very convenient. No more going to every vendor site and chasing down the latest and greatest. They come to you.

Some of the things that really set the iPad apart from other small form factor devices like Netbooks and laptops are features like Instant On. As the iPad uses flash memory, there is no hard disk, just turn it on and instantly you are ready to go. No shutdown either, just hit the on/off button and put it away. This light switch behavior definitely increases functionality. And drivers… what's a driver? It just works.

The other day I attended a vendor briefing with a room full of techy people. Most everyone in the room had netbooks or small laptops. While they were booting their machines, I was already using the iPad. Another thing I noticed was the trail of power cords and adapters all over the place. With the iPad, you will rarely if ever run out of juice. Apple claims 9 hours or so. My experience has been even better. Remember that trip to Florida I mentioned earlier? Well, that's about a 12-1/2 hour commute from my office to the hotel in Boca Raton. I watched movies, read and responded to e-mail, browsed the web, played several card games, read the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and New York Times, all without even coming close to running out of battery life. That is something you will have a lot of difficulty doing on a laptop unless you carry extra batteries.

There are a lot of things to like about the iPad, but here are my top items:

• Instant On — just like a light switch.
• Display — The Hi-Def display is as sharp as a Ginsu knife and big enough to be usable.
• Multi-Touch Display — Drag and drop, resize text and pictures with your fingers. Easy.
• Flash Memory — No hard drive to crash. I've dropped it a few times with no worries.
• App Store — Everything is centrally located and maintained. No need to keep breaking out the checkbook every time you want to buy something.
• GPS — Integration with maps, directories and location-based services. Very cool.

So after having the iPad for a month now, I find it especially useful for quick access to e-mail and calendar around the house or office. It's portable and with the on-screen keyboard about 80 percent the size of a full laptop, it is much easier to use productively than a smart phone. I can use it for watching movies on Netflix when the kids monopolize the TV, or watch various PBS specials. In the office, I take it to meetings and use unobtrusively to take notes. It's neat to be able to e-mail out the meeting notes before even leaving the room.

With integration to Microsoft's CRM, I can have a synchronized copy of our CRM database. This provides me a wealth of information while I'm on the road. I have product spec sheets and collateral material enabling me to easily respond to client requests while traveling.

Here are my favorite apps to get for the iPad:

• Accuweather/The Weather Channel — Real time weather information.
• Mobile CRM — An iPad Client for Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
• Free Wi-Fi — Lists Free Wi-Fi locations around the country and integrates with GPS and maps.
• FileApp — A utility to synchronize PC Files to your iPad. Take docs with you.
• FlightStatus — Check the status of any flight or airport.
• iMExchange — A Task tool that integrates with Outlook Tasks via ActiveSync.
• Life Magazine — A great app that displays all those great Life Magazine photographs.
• BBC News/USA Today/WSJ/NY Times — Stay up to date with the world.
• iBooks/Kindle — Use the iPad as a Kindle book reader.
• Urbanspoon — A great tool for finding restaurants. Integrates with maps and GPS. Very cool.

Most of these are free apps that you can download within seconds. I've got a bunch more including PBS, Zillow, TED, Facebook and others, but they are mostly for fun.

The iPad works very well as a one-to-one presentation device. As it lies flat on the table, it is easy to show slides or video to others. One of my hobbies is coaching softball and I've used the iPad extensively to review video clips from games or to show coaches and players video presentations. Importing video or pictures from a camera or media stick is painless and easy. With iTunes, you can sync most anything.

The uses for the iPad are endless. For someone looking for a device to use while traveling, I don't think there is anything that can match it currently. Given the size of the market, and considering that Blackberry, Google and Microsoft are all developing offerings in the near future, I think they see a great opportunity.

If you find yourself shopping for an iPad, I have some suggestions. The iPad is available in 6 configurations; all include WiFi, but three models have 3G wireless Internet available as well. I'd strongly suggest that you purchase the 3G version, even if you don't initially plan on using it. The service can be turned on and off as needed, so if you found yourself needing it, you would have that option. The iPad is sold in three memory configurations: 16, 32 and 64 GB models. I've found the 32 GB model to be adequate for my needs and that includes a large library of video and photographs. Costs for the iPad range from $499.00 for the basic 16GB version without 3G to $829.00 for the fully loaded 64GB/3G model.

If you have any questions about the iPad or how you might use it within your organization, please contact Chris Faist, Integrated Computer Systems Support, at 425-284-5410.

 

There are a lot of things to like about the iPad, but here are my top items:

• Instant On
• Display
• Multi-Touch Display
• Flash Memory
• App Store
• GPS