Tablet Computing

I first played with a tablet computer some fifteen years ago. At that time, the technology just wasn’t where it needed to be. Sure, there have been specialty devices like the UPS and Fedex scanners, and a bunch of others, but they are almost all custom or purpose built. Now, with the iPad from Apple, there’s a new way for smaller organizations to deliver custom applications that can run on generic hardware, in the field.

Disclosure: I own 30 shares of Apple stock. I have mutual funds that may or may not have stock in Apple or Apple’s competitors.

The organization I work for could benefit from a device like this. Imagine maintenance staff being able to get work orders on a device of this size. Or someone gathering field data about the environment and having the ability to enter that data directly into a computer on the spot. I’m not sure if the iPad would be capable of this yet. Certainly, a ruggedized version would be desirable for some field deployments, but for gathering data from clients in the home, an off-the-shelf iPad might be just right.

The thing I like about this is that it is smaller, and lighter than a netbook, but has a big enough screen to be truly useful. I’ve owned a Windows Mobile-based Smartphone before and it was just not practical for most applications. The iPad form factor should be just the right size.

Anyway, I’m not sure when I’ll buy one of these, but I am pretty sure I will get one eventually. Maybe I’ll wait for the second generation iPad — gotta get my money’s worth out of my Netbook first. Meanwhile, I’m certainly not going to be getting a Kindle DX as I had been contemplating.