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I'm curious, what do you think is Apple's target market for the iPad?

Hmac said:
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?
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Forget doctors and nurses, the iPad would be a great device for patients to while away the boredom of being bed ridden watching canned TV programs. Most hospitals have wifi now.

Also, the iPad would be a great travelling device for RV'ers and motorcycle touring. It's about all you need on the road while you leave the heavy lifting PC's and laptops at home. The 3G enabled iPad would allow web surfing on those long stretches while RV'ing from location to location. You could even look up details on various points of interest along your routes while you drive.
 
On second thought, there is no market. Everyone is able to do what they need to do today without one. So, logically, nobody will need one, and therefore nobody will buy one. Furthermore, the iPad won’t be able to do anything useful. No useful apps will be developed for it, and there are already laptops that can do whatever the iPad apps will do.

/snark

Seriously, this is the kind of idiotic logic I see over and over and over… People look at new products like the iPad without any vision, and using “today’s paradigm” as a substitute for the future. i.e. you can’t look at electronic health records today with something like an iPad, so you never will be able to… It’s a problem that will just never be solved. By anyone. Ever. Therefore, no medical person will ever need an iPad. Nevermind the fact that an iPad costs about as much as a few hours stay in a hospital, and could include an entire medical diagnostic reference database… I’m sure that’d be entirely useless, and waaaay too expensive for a poor doctor to buy.
 
vini-vidi-vici said:
On second thought, there is no market. Everyone is able to do what they need to do today without one. So, logically, nobody will need one, and therefore nobody will buy one. Furthermore, the iPad won’t be able to do anything useful. No useful apps will be developed for it, and there are already laptops that can do whatever the iPad apps will do.

/snark

Seriously, this is the kind of idiotic logic I see over and over and over… People look at new products like the iPad without any vision, and using “today’s paradigm” as a substitute for the future. i.e. you can’t look at electronic health records today with something like an iPad, so you never will be able to… It’s a problem that will just never be solved. By anyone. Ever. Therefore, no medical person will ever need an iPad. Nevermind the fact that an iPad costs about as much as a few hours stay in a hospital, and could include an entire medical diagnostic reference database… I’m sure that’d be entirely useless, and waaaay too expensive for a poor doctor to buy.
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So true! "Who needs X when we already have Y?" Drives me nuts. The dustbin of history is littered with Y's galore. It's amazing how many people don't see this.
 
Hmac said:
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?
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The docs I use, all have tablet already, for web type access. They will be going to the ipad when it comes out. Smaller, Faster, Lighter, Cheaper...
 
Press to SJ: what is your target market?
SJ: Everyone
Press: Everyone as in Eveyone in the World?
SJ: Yes, Everyone
Press: Really?
SJ: Yes
Press: Why?
SJ: Because I can
Press: Oh.
 
MacVDS said:
Forget doctors and nurses, the iPad would be a great device for patients to while away the boredom of being bed ridden watching canned TV programs. Most hospitals have wifi now.
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Patients can already bring in their laptops. No reason they can't bring in their iPads.
 
SteveSparks said:
The docs I use, all have tablet already, for web type access. They will be going to the ipad when it comes out. Smaller, Faster, Lighter, Cheaper...
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Web access to an EHR isn't cheaper or easier. In fact, it's a big PITA. Those docs will continue to use those tablet PC's because their regular desktop EHR client can be loaded and run natively and access their EHR server over their proprietary encrypted wifi far easier than their iPad can access it.

Nope...long, long way to go for the iPad to have any usefulness as a productivity tool in a health care scenario.
 
Hmac said:
Web access to an EHR isn't cheaper or easier. In fact, it's a big PITA. Those docs will continue to use those tablet PC's because their regular desktop EHR client can be loaded and run natively and access their EHR server over their proprietary encrypted wifi far easier than their iPad can access it.

Nope...long, long way to go for the iPad to have any usefulness as a productivity tool in a health care scenario.
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That's not true. A web interface will work just fine. I do exactly that almost everyday with health related data and systems. All I need is SSL.
 
SteveSparks said:
That's not true. A web interface will work just fine. I do exactly that almost everyday with health related data and systems. All I need is SSL.
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SSL wouldn't be so bad, but the majority of EHR's aren't accessed by SSL because of HIPAA. Full access, including patient data and order entry (not just registration data), would be unusual via SSL. On an iPad, without a native client for the EHR, we'd be talking usually about VPN/Citrix, both of which are cumbersome and slow, especially compared to a native client running on the network.
 
anthonymoody said:
So true! "Who needs X when we already have Y?" Drives me nuts. The dustbin of history is littered with Y's galore. It's amazing how many people don't see this.
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History has also shown us that the big corporations squash the smaller yet better innovators to eschew progress - or worse competition.

Just sayin'
 
At first I wasn't going to get one, just recently got rid of my iphone so figured what the heck do I need an iPad for it's just another iphone. Originally I was hoping it would be a tablet with osx operating system so was really disappointed but then after thinking about it for awhile it makes sense why they went with iphone OS.

This is essentially to compete with the netbooks and for that purpose it will blow them away just due to the appstore alone pretty much all you can do on a netbook is surf net, email etc... the processors are too weak to do much else. Same with the processor in ipad but where it has a big advantage is that tons of developers will be making games and apps for it so it will in the end be alot more useful/fun than a netbook. Not to mention the web browsing on a 10" touchscreen with pinch to zoom will be way better than on any netbook. Not having flash is a disappointment but as long as it does Youtube and Hulu comes out with there supposed ipad app that is pretty much all I need flash for.

If it was expensive I would pass but seeing as it is relatively cheap I am going to pick one up just to surf in bed/on the couch and when I have some downtime at work maybe play some games too I think some of the iphone games on a bigger screen will be alot of fun.I also plan to use it to transfer all my pictures when i'm taking them at work or out and about to get a better view of them on a larger screen. Basically this thing will just be way more convenient than a netbook or a laptop for my personal use.

So if you want my opinion it is marekted to people like myself, I suspect many will come to the same realization eventually but I also understand where all the folks complaining about it being "a giant ipod touch" are coming from, I use to be one of them after all...
 
SteveSparks said:
Press to SJ: what is your target market?
SJ: Everyone
Press: Everyone as in Eveyone in the World?
SJ: Yes, Everyone
Press: Really?
SJ: Yes
Press: Why?
SJ: Because I can
Press: Oh.
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lol, love it. +1

Thankfully we still have companies run by people that still take risks and do something "just because they can".

This type of dialog reminds me of a very good movie based on sales. Glen Geary Glen Ross. If your in sales, I promise you it's worth a watch. :)
 
Yes, the 40+ crowd. We are the ones that crowd the Apple store day in and day out.

We don't want or need a camera or flash, we just want a bigger ipod.
 
Diet Pepsi said:
Yes, the 40+ crowd. We are the ones that crowd the Apple store day in and day out.

We don't want or need a camera or flash, we just want a bigger ipod.
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Seriously, that means I can take off my trifocals and make the fonts bigger with a gesture. What other device can do that other than an apple product?

:D
 
Hmac said:
SSL wouldn't be so bad, but the majority of EHR's aren't accessed by SSL because of HIPAA. Full access, including patient data and order entry (not just registration data), would be unusual via SSL. On an iPad, without a native client for the EHR, we'd be talking usually about VPN/Citrix, both of which are cumbersome and slow, especially compared to a native client running on the network.
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For HIPPA, All I need is to make sure the device locks within a short period of time. I think you will be surprised.
 
SteveSparks said:
For HIPPA, All I need is to make sure the device locks within a short period of time. I think you will be surprised.
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Those time outs are part of the software and not related to the device. The user has no choice. It's an ongoing problem with our IT department. They set the timeouts for nurses that walk away from an in-room terminal. It's a problem for those of us who carry a tablet from room to room because logging back on is a pain.

Bear in mind that I'm talking about a full-on EHR, not something that's slapped together by a couple of guys down in IT. The whole HIPAA compliance thing isn't as simple as you and I think it should be. Most hospitals go way beyond what's recommended for security.
 
SteveSparks said:
For HIPPA, All I need is to make sure the device locks within a short period of time. I think you will be surprised.
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You'll also need a worse screen than the iPad comes with, or a lumpy filter. No one should be able to read off your screen from an angle. Only straight on. Exactly the opposite of the iPad's screen.
 
The iPad (and future copycat tablets like it) will find a huge market in the millions of people worldwide that currently don't embrace computers and have been left behind by technology... no concept of the internet, email, chatting, discussion boards, webcams, youtube, twitter, facebook, buying music and movies online, etc. People who currently fear or hate computers because they find them too complicated, buggy, or high maintenance. People who don't want to look at the internet on a tiny telephone or iPod screen. Think about your parents, possibly, or grandparents. Television is constantly referring to an online world that they are completely left out of. Those of us who use computers currently might find the iPad to be rather toylike in its simplicity, but for older generations, or even pre-school aged children, this simplicity is its strength.
 
mickhyperion said:
Those of us who use computers currently might find the iPad to be rather toylike in its simplicity, but for older generations, or even pre-school aged children, this simplicity is its strength.
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Young dude. You have no idea what old dudes like in computerland and why. :)

Steve Jobs is part of the "older generation" that invented all your computer gadgets. What's your generation invented lately? :D;)
 
MacVDS said:
Young dude. You have no idea what old dudes like in computerland and why. :)

Steve Jobs is part of the "older generation" that invented all your computer gadgets. What's your generation invented lately? :D;)
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Excuse me, old dude. I'm 43 and I know very well what some members of the generations older than mine struggle with regarding computers because I work with some of those people regularly.

Climb off your high horse, Mr Know-It-All and go take your Geritol.
 
mickhyperion said:
The iPad (and future copycat tablets like it) will find a huge market in the millions of people worldwide that currently don't embrace computers and have been left behind by technology... no concept of the internet, email, chatting, discussion boards, webcams, youtube, twitter, facebook, buying music and movies online, etc. People who currently fear or hate computers because they find them too complicated, buggy, or high maintenance. People who don't want to look at the internet on a tiny telephone or iPod screen. Think about your parents, possibly, or grandparents. Television is constantly referring to an online world that they are completely left out of. Those of us who use computers currently might find the iPad to be rather toylike in its simplicity, but for older generations, or even pre-school aged children, this simplicity is its strength.
Click to expand...

If this ain't ever a troll post, I don't know what is. It's a pretty good one though, I imagine you'll get quite a rile out of those that don't realize your trolling. :D
 
4DThinker said:
I think it will be 40-somethings with presbyopia, with disposable cash, with lots of free time, and who have a sofa that is the most likely place to find them in their house.
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Sounds like me, though I'm not sure if I'll wait untill next year for the iPad as my iPone 3G is getting a little tired and i suspect this year's model will be worth an upgrade.
 
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