Potential Business Applications for an Apple Tablet
From an Apple Patent. Source: NYT
With all the current speculation as to if, when and in what form factor Apple will release a tablet in 2010, it is a good time to consider some potential business applications for the mythical “iTablet” or “iSlate” (Post Launch Update: before the announcement, I thought that iPad was too obvious a brand). Some blog comments have termed the tablet “a solution looking for a problem.” Perhaps the following ideas do not represent the fixing of severe problems, as much as they suggest more convenient or elegant ways of performing certain tasks.
The following ideas generally center around the ergonomics of alternative ways to absorb or present information — compared to sitting in a ridged, upright position at a desk with a keyboard and mouse as foreground devices.
Reading White Papers and Product PDFs
Many businesspeople are flooded with PDFs that they should be reading (but often don’t read) on an ongoing basis. For most people, it’s much easier for to read a lengthy document while in the comfort of a chair or a bed (or another popular home reading venue). An Apple tablet would allow for reading PDFs in a comfortable position and in living color.
Accessing Cloud Applications with Zero Boot Time
Any Safari-compatible cloud application, such as Salesforce.com, will now be quickly accessible in a larger screen format than on existing, highly portable devices. For example, if a salesperson wants to quickly enter a new contact record or log meeting notes into their CRM system while on the road, they will be able to do this more quickly and easily on an Apple tablet compared to the current mobile options.
Delivering One-on-One Presentations
Imagine creating a slide presentation on Google Docs and then delivering a one-on-one presentation to someone at their desk or while standing next to the person. This would simply be a more convenient way to present one-on-one compared to awkwardly swiveling a laptop on a desk or in the palm of one’s hand. A tablet remote, that’s similar to the current Mac remote, would help in this scenario.
I now recall the guy who, years ago, tried to hard sell me on kitchen cabinet refacing while flipping through his three ring binder — which included the requisite dark, blurry “before” shots and the bright, crisp “after” shots.
Post Launch Update: Apparently, you can open Excel, Word and PowerPoint documents in iWork, the productivity software that will ship with the iPad.
Business Book Reading
In a similar vein to the reading of PDFs, an Apple tablet would make it easier for businesspeople to catch up on their reading of business books. If someone recommends a good business book to you, you could be reading the prologue within about 60 seconds, rather than making a soon-to-be-forgotten To-Do entry to order the book for physical delivery.
Watching Product Training Videos on YouTube or iTunes
Some vendors have made extensive training videos available on iTunes and YouTube. For this type of application, it would be helpful if the Apple tablet were to have a picture frame-like stand. This way, you could watch a training video at a desk and put your paper notepad or your laptop next to the video presentation in order to make notes or to follow along within an application as the instructor covers various topics on the application.
It’s a given that there will be many browser-based and App Store applications for business users who adopt this new platform — assuming an Applet tablet is not just a figment of our collective imaginations.
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Steve Chipman is the founder and president of Lexnet Consulting Group, based in San Francisco. Lexnet is a leading value added reseller for CRM (customer relationship management) solutions.
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