I'm quite curious, what markets can be targeted with the iPad... I'm thinking schools, but what else?
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I'm curious, what do you think is Apple's target market for the iPad?
- Thread starter MythicFrost
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Anyone who looked at the kindle and thinks it looks like a nice idea, but is too limited or the screen sucks.
The big market for it will those with a desktop (i.e. iMac) but don't want/need the expense of a laptop, but would like a couch computer/casual computer.
There will also be a huge market for those with mobile computing needs that can't quite do it with a iPhone/iPod touch, but looked at netbooks and laughed (there are a LOT of people who think netbooks are garbage, me included).
There is also a huge market of people who want a tablet experience, have tried several Tablet PC platforms and walked away from the utter crap MS has tried to pawn off on them. This market is varied and somewhat educationally biased, but these people (of which I am one) will throw away their Tablet PC's based on windows and buy and iPad on day 1.
The big market for it will those with a desktop (i.e. iMac) but don't want/need the expense of a laptop, but would like a couch computer/casual computer.
There will also be a huge market for those with mobile computing needs that can't quite do it with a iPhone/iPod touch, but looked at netbooks and laughed (there are a LOT of people who think netbooks are garbage, me included).
There is also a huge market of people who want a tablet experience, have tried several Tablet PC platforms and walked away from the utter crap MS has tried to pawn off on them. This market is varied and somewhat educationally biased, but these people (of which I am one) will throw away their Tablet PC's based on windows and buy and iPad on day 1.
I agree with everything you said except for the Kindle's screen sucking part. The screen is the sole reason why it's selling.
Good for reading in daylight and for your eyes, it kinda sucks for reading at night (you need lighting) and it can't display video or colour etc...
Maybe sucks is a bit harsh.
The kindle is great if you read in bright light. This is the one and only reason why I never bought one. I tend to read in "non-optimal" conditions and every time I tried a Kindle in these conditions it was basically unusable, which is why I think it sucks. Handspring visors back in the day had a great backlighting eInk-ish display that was perfect in light and perfect in dark. Also the kindle refresh rate drives me bonkers, it just feels so 1997.
I know there are eInk fans out there and more power to them, the Kindle is great for these people and the iPad will just make the kindle even more affordable. But for me (and a lot of others) eInk just doesn't do it. I already spend a lot of time reading on a laptop LCD or my iPhone LCD, so reading books etc. on a iPad will be pretty much the same.
agree 100%
my particular case is that I have a MBP as my 'only' computer (although I have a mac mini, its mostly a HTPC). I compromise power and screen size for portability, and I sofa surf a *lot*
the ipad will (hopefully) deal with the sofa surfing, freeing me up to sell the MBP and buy an imac for more power/screen size. Alternatively I'll semi-permanently dock the MBP with an external screen.
Just off the top of my head:
Home Theater fans (more customizable, functional, and way less expensive than most high end HT remotes)
Medical industry
Insurance industry
Road Warriors who don't have complex computing needs
Anyone who needs/wants basic computing but doesn't like computers.
Casual Gamers
Casual Readers
People who like to surf the Internet when watching TV
People open enough to accept a non-preconceived concept of what a tablet is & how it should function
Home Theater fans (more customizable, functional, and way less expensive than most high end HT remotes)
Medical industry
Insurance industry
Road Warriors who don't have complex computing needs
Anyone who needs/wants basic computing but doesn't like computers.
Casual Gamers
Casual Readers
People who like to surf the Internet when watching TV
People open enough to accept a non-preconceived concept of what a tablet is & how it should function
I think the iPad will be a great media and entertainment device. I don't see any application for it in the "medical industry" that can't be handled just as well with an iPod Touch or iPhone. And the stuff that's available now is of pretty marginal usefulness. Those that buy an iPad with any expectation of it being a significant productivity tool are going to be depending a lot on a new genre of apps coming out.
A 40-something w/ disposable cash AND lots of free time? Gee, I'd like to live in that world.
Personally, my iPad will replace my Pronto remote, not my laptop.
Look at what happened to the iPhone - Apple's predictions got blown away.
Apple's demographical breakdown of users for the Touch/iPhone seem to be evenly balanced male/female, and also spread across evenly from young to old.
We'll see in other words - but I guess others might be having a similar response - getting family members talking about the iPad impromptu, or PC users getting their hackles up about it!
Put another way - Apple met their stretch goal of 10 million in 12 months for the iPhone. They could barring problems do >5 million easily.
Apple's demographical breakdown of users for the Touch/iPhone seem to be evenly balanced male/female, and also spread across evenly from young to old.
We'll see in other words - but I guess others might be having a similar response - getting family members talking about the iPad impromptu, or PC users getting their hackles up about it!
Put another way - Apple met their stretch goal of 10 million in 12 months for the iPhone. They could barring problems do >5 million easily.
Oh no - you need lighting. Personally I prefer ambient light while reading vs a dark room where the LCD screen is the only thing illuminating back to my eyes. Personal preference.
You could flip that "argument" and say that the iPad isn't good for reading at the beach because it's hard to read in direct sunlight.
Each device has its positives and negaives.
To each their own.
Most of that marginal usefulness you cite (with which I disagree btw) will be dramatically improved with a larger screen.
You're right about the applications though. That said, I predict that Apple will allow a separate, "private" app development route for enterprises large and small. That way they can develop customized apps for in-house use without having to worry about any approval process. It'd probably fall under some IT admin tools that Apple will also likely offer at some point.
In medicine, a computer's usefulness is dependent on its ability to interface with an electronic health record. Other than than, it's just a few doodad apps like epocrates, Merck, and a couple of calculators, all of which work just fine on an iPhone or even BlackBerry - no advantage derived at all from a larger screen.
The problem with EHRs is that there are dozens of them, and there is no commonality. That means that accessing an EHR depends entirely on the computer being able to run the appropriate client. And it's not in-house IT that's going to be able to develop that client, it's going to have to be the software vendor. That is a very expensive proposition. There may be a few such client programs out there for a few of the various EHRs that have mobile clients available, but I sure wouldn't hold my breath waiting for your EHR to have a client for your iPad. It's going to be far easier to stick with a PC tablet running a full Windows OS.
IOW, to have any significant usefulness, the iPad is going to have to interface with at least some components of the EHR. Writing that interface app is going to be difficult and expensive, and a given health care facility is going to have to have a powerful reason to agree to spend that money. The "coolness" of an iPad isn't going to be sufficient.
Apple already allows/has enterprise apps which are not available to the public but only via private means/specific members of a group.
I guess I have to disagree with all of you. I don't believe Apple created the iPad with even the intention of a specific target market.
Looking at Apple's history, and where they're going, I believe their intention was a device that gave people a more direct means of accessing and controlling digital content. I believe they look to a future of touch & voice controlled devices that will turn the whole concept of digital content and the internet itself into an appliance that everyone can use directly, quickly, and with ease.
I don't think the iPad was created for any "target market", I believe Apple are just trying to move forwards.
And, although I know nobody believes this right now, I have a very strong belief that in 5-10 years, the iPad will have changed the concept of computing, that the majority of us will be using devices just like iPads to use and create digital content, and the idea of a mouse/keyboard/monitor-like computer will be in the history books alongside command-line UIs and punchcards.
Looking at Apple's history, and where they're going, I believe their intention was a device that gave people a more direct means of accessing and controlling digital content. I believe they look to a future of touch & voice controlled devices that will turn the whole concept of digital content and the internet itself into an appliance that everyone can use directly, quickly, and with ease.
I don't think the iPad was created for any "target market", I believe Apple are just trying to move forwards.
And, although I know nobody believes this right now, I have a very strong belief that in 5-10 years, the iPad will have changed the concept of computing, that the majority of us will be using devices just like iPads to use and create digital content, and the idea of a mouse/keyboard/monitor-like computer will be in the history books alongside command-line UIs and punchcards.
Ah indeed yes I guess I'd forgotten about that. Many thanks.
Completely agreed and I wasn't talking about ePoc and the likes for the most part.
In terms of EHR's though and the systems that underpin them, don't some mobile clients interface via secure website as opposed to client software? I could swear my PCP's does, in which case the iPad would work no?
It depends on the level of paranoia any particular health agency has about their potential for violating HIPAA. Some organizations might allow some aspects of record access via a secure website, but usually not. Usually it would require a VPN and then a remote mobile client, or in some cases access might be allowed via VPN and a Citrix desktop. I suppose it's feasible that those things could be run on an iPad, but the question is the need. Most hospitals these days are lousy with computer terminals. So why would a doctor or nurse carry an iPad with them when there's already a terminal in the patient's room, or several at the nurse's station, already running the client directly?