http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/29/MN521BP9AH.DTL
..."Just the fact that you have that much more real estate and processing power, it's an invitation to use it in new environments," said technology forecaster Paul Saffo. "I think we'll see some really interesting things happen with the iPad."
Mark Tauschek, lead researcher for Info-Tech Research Group, which serves IT professionals, said the iPad could propel Apple into the corporate world, beyond the recent progress established by the iPhone.
On the road
He said companies with employees who travel a lot can outfit them with iPads for easy presentations. With new business software, the iPad could be a powerful tool for corporate workers as well as field repairmen, said Tauschek.
Bruce Francis, vice president of corporate strategy for online business software provider Salesforce.com, said the iPad brings together two important trends: the use of business technology in consumer products and the easy availability of high-speed connections.
"Businesses can push critical information out to their sales and field service teams, and immediately get back critical updates," he said. "The iPhone rewrote the rules on smart phones, and the iPad will probably do the same for mobile computing."
Lisa Kala, assistant dean for administration at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education, said the iPad could find uses among educators and even more acceptance among students as a digital textbook.
She said the color screen and Internet connection of the iPad, along with its portability, make it a natural fit for students used to getting digital information from PCs. And it is more versatile than electronic book readers like the Kindle.
"The iPad does more than a book reader, because it's very multifunctional," said Kala, who oversees technology and IT at the school of education. "The ability to be multifunctional and portable, and having the comfort of looking at something in your hand, it's very nice."
Tablet experience
At El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, doctors and nurses started working on convertible tablet computers in 2003, but abandoned them last year after moving into a new building with computers in every patient room.
Cheryl Reinking, vice chief of clinical operations at the hospital, said the decision was made after workers soured on the tablet computers - which included a full keyboard - because of their bulk, short battery life and screens that weren't always easy to read.
However, she said, the iPad is promising enough to make the hospital consider a move back to tablets. Reinking said the iPads could be valuable for doctors moving around the hospital.
"You could use this in the operating room, when you need to document things quickly, or in the lab," she said. "Physicians could use the device at the bedside to make notes, or use it as a reference for medications. It could be an amazing tool."
Developers working on artistic and music apps for the iPhone see a new creativity boom waiting to take shape with the iPad.
New class of apps
Ge Wang, co-founder of Smule, a popular maker of music apps, said the iPad could prompt a whole new class of music and production apps that make use of the larger touch-screen. He said Smule is looking at building iPad-specific apps that might include a digital guitar or harp, or perhaps a DJ app or mixing program.
"The iPhone was a small canvas, and so you paint to fit that medium," Wang said. "With a bigger canvas, the subject material, how you go about painting it, and how people consume it all changes."
The iPad has also piqued the curiosity of print media leaders, who are looking for a way to increase revenue. At Apple's event held Wednesday to unveil the iPad, the New York Times presented a newspaper app built specifically for the device, featuring a dynamic layout akin to a traditional paper but with video and other Internet features.
Reading newspapers
The hope is a that new generation of tablet-styled newspapers and magazines might persuade online readers to again pay for news.
Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst at the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit journalism organization, said tablets still have a lot to prove. But he said that if the devices get better and they prove popular, newspapers down the road could eventually shut off their presses and go primarily with tablet publications.
"With the iPad, there's some encouragement that with the right presentation on the right device, there's a potential market there," Edmonds said...
..."Just the fact that you have that much more real estate and processing power, it's an invitation to use it in new environments," said technology forecaster Paul Saffo. "I think we'll see some really interesting things happen with the iPad."
Mark Tauschek, lead researcher for Info-Tech Research Group, which serves IT professionals, said the iPad could propel Apple into the corporate world, beyond the recent progress established by the iPhone.
On the road
He said companies with employees who travel a lot can outfit them with iPads for easy presentations. With new business software, the iPad could be a powerful tool for corporate workers as well as field repairmen, said Tauschek.
Bruce Francis, vice president of corporate strategy for online business software provider Salesforce.com, said the iPad brings together two important trends: the use of business technology in consumer products and the easy availability of high-speed connections.
"Businesses can push critical information out to their sales and field service teams, and immediately get back critical updates," he said. "The iPhone rewrote the rules on smart phones, and the iPad will probably do the same for mobile computing."
Lisa Kala, assistant dean for administration at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education, said the iPad could find uses among educators and even more acceptance among students as a digital textbook.
She said the color screen and Internet connection of the iPad, along with its portability, make it a natural fit for students used to getting digital information from PCs. And it is more versatile than electronic book readers like the Kindle.
"The iPad does more than a book reader, because it's very multifunctional," said Kala, who oversees technology and IT at the school of education. "The ability to be multifunctional and portable, and having the comfort of looking at something in your hand, it's very nice."
Tablet experience
At El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, doctors and nurses started working on convertible tablet computers in 2003, but abandoned them last year after moving into a new building with computers in every patient room.
Cheryl Reinking, vice chief of clinical operations at the hospital, said the decision was made after workers soured on the tablet computers - which included a full keyboard - because of their bulk, short battery life and screens that weren't always easy to read.
However, she said, the iPad is promising enough to make the hospital consider a move back to tablets. Reinking said the iPads could be valuable for doctors moving around the hospital.
"You could use this in the operating room, when you need to document things quickly, or in the lab," she said. "Physicians could use the device at the bedside to make notes, or use it as a reference for medications. It could be an amazing tool."
Developers working on artistic and music apps for the iPhone see a new creativity boom waiting to take shape with the iPad.
New class of apps
Ge Wang, co-founder of Smule, a popular maker of music apps, said the iPad could prompt a whole new class of music and production apps that make use of the larger touch-screen. He said Smule is looking at building iPad-specific apps that might include a digital guitar or harp, or perhaps a DJ app or mixing program.
"The iPhone was a small canvas, and so you paint to fit that medium," Wang said. "With a bigger canvas, the subject material, how you go about painting it, and how people consume it all changes."
The iPad has also piqued the curiosity of print media leaders, who are looking for a way to increase revenue. At Apple's event held Wednesday to unveil the iPad, the New York Times presented a newspaper app built specifically for the device, featuring a dynamic layout akin to a traditional paper but with video and other Internet features.
Reading newspapers
The hope is a that new generation of tablet-styled newspapers and magazines might persuade online readers to again pay for news.
Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst at the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit journalism organization, said tablets still have a lot to prove. But he said that if the devices get better and they prove popular, newspapers down the road could eventually shut off their presses and go primarily with tablet publications.
"With the iPad, there's some encouragement that with the right presentation on the right device, there's a potential market there," Edmonds said...