The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet
• By Chris Anderson and Michael Wolff
• Wired September 2010
I found Chris’s viewpoint to be very interesting and has sparked a lot of debate during lunch and coffee breaks
Chris wrote as follows:
“ You wake up and check your email on your bedside iPad — that’s one app. During breakfast you browse Facebook, Twitter, and The New York Times — three more apps. On the way to the office, you listen to a podcast on your Smartphone. Another app. At work, you scroll through RSS feeds in a reader and have Skype and IM conversations. More apps. At the end of the day, you come home, make dinner while listening to Pandora, play some games on Xbox Live, and watch a movie on Netflix’s streaming service.
You’ve spent the day on the Internet — but not on the Web. And you are not alone. “
Well it does seem with the proliferation of smartphones and better hand held devices the APP has definitely changed the way we communicate and surf the web
I use the apps everyday and it simplifies my life and you don't realize that you have not used your laptop until you either need to print something or there is a special program that resides on your laptop.
Apple has made great strides in the APP category, followed by Google Android. RIM is being left behind but they are working feverishly to create more APPs especially if the touted BlackPad is to come out.
The Internet has always been the connectivity network and not the content or the applications. Hence, the Web is the application and content network. With the Internet extended by fiber, wires, copper landlines, or wireless the access to instant on anytime, anywhere, anytime has now become the term to define how we use the APPS on our devices.
Now with the promise of clouding computing starting to work its way into our daily experience, things will change even more so the next few years.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Avaya one-x Portal Unified Communications Tool
For enterprise customers and SMB customers, Avaya offers some Unified Communication tools that can enhance their employee’s ability to communicate effectively.
One such solution is the one-X portal. IT managers have been asking for years for a lightweight very thin client PC solutions that don’t create management headaches and is VPN and firewall friendly. This solution is a browser based interface to Avaya telephony, messaging, mobility, conferencing, and presence services provided by Avaya Aura™ Communication Manager, Avaya Modular Messaging, Avaya Meeting Exchange, and Avaya Aura™ Presence Services.
Avaya one-X Portal does not require the installation of any application software on your desktop to deliver its basic functionality.
Users can use any internet connection to be able to communicate virtually anywhere – make calls, receive calls, check voice mail and place conference calls. You can even control your extension for extension to cellular and follow me applications.
The application that provides the greatest benefit is the ability to use “presence” functionality to see co-workers presence and be able to determine the ability to reach them via voice or instant messaging.
All this integration is connected back to the Communication Manager Server or IP Office platform providing benefits for large or small customers.
It’s Simple to install and simple to use and powerful in its ability to allow the user to effectively communicate from virtually anywhere.
One such solution is the one-X portal. IT managers have been asking for years for a lightweight very thin client PC solutions that don’t create management headaches and is VPN and firewall friendly. This solution is a browser based interface to Avaya telephony, messaging, mobility, conferencing, and presence services provided by Avaya Aura™ Communication Manager, Avaya Modular Messaging, Avaya Meeting Exchange, and Avaya Aura™ Presence Services.
Avaya one-X Portal does not require the installation of any application software on your desktop to deliver its basic functionality.
Users can use any internet connection to be able to communicate virtually anywhere – make calls, receive calls, check voice mail and place conference calls. You can even control your extension for extension to cellular and follow me applications.
The application that provides the greatest benefit is the ability to use “presence” functionality to see co-workers presence and be able to determine the ability to reach them via voice or instant messaging.
All this integration is connected back to the Communication Manager Server or IP Office platform providing benefits for large or small customers.
It’s Simple to install and simple to use and powerful in its ability to allow the user to effectively communicate from virtually anywhere.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sales Strategy Execution - Delivering Strategic Presentations
Salespeople typically have trouble selling to strategic issues and instead focus their presentations on the tactical pains that your solution solves or the solution features. You are being outsold by competitors with inferior solutions by not selling at the executive level.
Once salespeople understand the process of selling up the chain of value, they need the skills to craft an effective presentation that links your solution to those needs in a format that is relevant to an executive audience and hits home to everyone on the evaluation team.
Salespeople who can effectively articulate the benefit statements based on the personalities and roles of individuals on the evaluation committee are more likely to win. This requires the presentations to be structured.
Here are some simple steps to be able to do that effectively:
Presentation Strategy
(1) What are you selling?
(2) To whom are you selling it?
(3) Against what are you competing?
(4) In what environment do you expect the message to be received?
What are you selling? Why are you making the presentation? Take another look at the objective. Are you selling a plan of action, a need for action, a product, a service, or support for an idea?
To whom are you selling it? If you know your audience, you have some idea of its position on the subject.
Against what are you competing? Know your competition.
Presentation Organization
The introduction and conclusion cannot be neglected. At the outset, the presentation should gain the interest of the audience and convey to the listeners what is to be covered.
The body of the presentation, located between the introduction and the conclusion, contains the bulk of the message. It should be presented to the listener in a meaningful form.
In the conclusion, the presenter should review the key points of the presentation and pinpoint the action to be taken, if any.
Presentation Delivery
At the outset, the presenter must establish a rapport with the audience. Early in the presentation, the presenter will be judged, favorable or unfavorably, by the audience. After the audience decides whether it likes the presenter, it will determine whether it can give credence to what the presenter has to say.
Final Thoughts
In the new world of multi-media and web enablement there are new ways opf delivering presentations. In place of a live presentation in a boardroom can it be delivered via a video conferencing, Webex, Microsoft Live Meeting?
Finally, let's run down the list of things that you, as a presenter, should remember when you face the audience:
• Speak up. Make yourself heard.
• Keep your back to the wall.
• Avoid any mention of time during the opening comments.
• Maintain "eye-to-eye" contact.
• Stand erect and control your nervous habits.
• Relax and smile.
• Use stories to make your points.
• Reaffirm your points at the end of the presentation.
Now, you should be ready to prepare and make an effective presentation. Best wishes for success in the next one.
Once salespeople understand the process of selling up the chain of value, they need the skills to craft an effective presentation that links your solution to those needs in a format that is relevant to an executive audience and hits home to everyone on the evaluation team.
Salespeople who can effectively articulate the benefit statements based on the personalities and roles of individuals on the evaluation committee are more likely to win. This requires the presentations to be structured.
Here are some simple steps to be able to do that effectively:
Presentation Strategy
(1) What are you selling?
(2) To whom are you selling it?
(3) Against what are you competing?
(4) In what environment do you expect the message to be received?
What are you selling? Why are you making the presentation? Take another look at the objective. Are you selling a plan of action, a need for action, a product, a service, or support for an idea?
To whom are you selling it? If you know your audience, you have some idea of its position on the subject.
Against what are you competing? Know your competition.
Presentation Organization
The introduction and conclusion cannot be neglected. At the outset, the presentation should gain the interest of the audience and convey to the listeners what is to be covered.
The body of the presentation, located between the introduction and the conclusion, contains the bulk of the message. It should be presented to the listener in a meaningful form.
In the conclusion, the presenter should review the key points of the presentation and pinpoint the action to be taken, if any.
Presentation Delivery
At the outset, the presenter must establish a rapport with the audience. Early in the presentation, the presenter will be judged, favorable or unfavorably, by the audience. After the audience decides whether it likes the presenter, it will determine whether it can give credence to what the presenter has to say.
Final Thoughts
In the new world of multi-media and web enablement there are new ways opf delivering presentations. In place of a live presentation in a boardroom can it be delivered via a video conferencing, Webex, Microsoft Live Meeting?
Finally, let's run down the list of things that you, as a presenter, should remember when you face the audience:
• Speak up. Make yourself heard.
• Keep your back to the wall.
• Avoid any mention of time during the opening comments.
• Maintain "eye-to-eye" contact.
• Stand erect and control your nervous habits.
• Relax and smile.
• Use stories to make your points.
• Reaffirm your points at the end of the presentation.
Now, you should be ready to prepare and make an effective presentation. Best wishes for success in the next one.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Strategic Technology – Unified Communications – The Importance of Presence
Strategic Technology – Unified Communications – The Importance of Presence
Unified Communications increases the speed of interaction between co-workers and customers by bringing together voice, messaging and video. It’s only been the last few years that organizations have started to see the real benefits and the promises it delivers.
Unified Communications brings together fixed and mobile telephony, email, fax, instant messaging and conferencing into a single unified workspace.
All vendors offer a version of Unified Communications in their platforms today and there have been many improvements over the past few years. Some systems wil inter-operate with older TDM systems and newer IP based systems. Regardless of what technology you have there is an application available for it.
It’s transparent and integrated and its technology is stable and mature. One problem it doesn’t solve is getting the right message to the right person at the right time so that they can respond immediately. That’s where the key feature of Unified Communication, “presence” comes into play.
Presence lets users know who is reachable, where and by what method. Users can see who on their buddy list is online, available, busy, in a meeting, or reachable only by cellphone while travelling.
So now we can communicate in an intelligent manner and in the moment.
The biggest benefit of presence is the ability to Instant Message a colleague, and has a quick chat session that can escalate to a telephone call if required. These messages allow teams and groups of people to eliminate telephone tag and voice mail and are able to communicate in real time and in an effective manner.
The collaboration of voice, video and messaging can be managed effectively by the use of the presence feature. The faster organizations can implement these tools the faster they can communicate more effectively and increase their employee productivity and propel their business forward.
www.john-voipguru.blogspot.com
Unified Communications increases the speed of interaction between co-workers and customers by bringing together voice, messaging and video. It’s only been the last few years that organizations have started to see the real benefits and the promises it delivers.
Unified Communications brings together fixed and mobile telephony, email, fax, instant messaging and conferencing into a single unified workspace.
All vendors offer a version of Unified Communications in their platforms today and there have been many improvements over the past few years. Some systems wil inter-operate with older TDM systems and newer IP based systems. Regardless of what technology you have there is an application available for it.
It’s transparent and integrated and its technology is stable and mature. One problem it doesn’t solve is getting the right message to the right person at the right time so that they can respond immediately. That’s where the key feature of Unified Communication, “presence” comes into play.
Presence lets users know who is reachable, where and by what method. Users can see who on their buddy list is online, available, busy, in a meeting, or reachable only by cellphone while travelling.
So now we can communicate in an intelligent manner and in the moment.
The biggest benefit of presence is the ability to Instant Message a colleague, and has a quick chat session that can escalate to a telephone call if required. These messages allow teams and groups of people to eliminate telephone tag and voice mail and are able to communicate in real time and in an effective manner.
The collaboration of voice, video and messaging can be managed effectively by the use of the presence feature. The faster organizations can implement these tools the faster they can communicate more effectively and increase their employee productivity and propel their business forward.
www.john-voipguru.blogspot.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
A Day in the Life of an Employee using Unified Communications Tools
A Day in the Life of an Employee using Unified Communications Tools
Employees that work for employers that have IP enabled Telephony applications are a lucky bunch indeed. These employers have realized the immense benefits available by using softphones, collaboration tools and IP centric network connectivity. The employee is now able to enhance their productivity in an anyplace, anytime, anywhere environment. The following example shows how a mobile Softphone, Instant Messaging and collaboration tools allows me to get my work done in an efficient and productive manner.
• 6:00 a.m. Wake up, shower, shave and out the door. I am meeting a client in Ottawa and I need to drop by the office to get a file.
• 7:15 a.m. Park and run upstairs to get the file. A short walk to the Fly Porter Shuttle bus stop. My Blackberry keeps me in touch while on the way to the airport.
• 9:14 a.m. Laptop plugged into guest cubicle and a quick check of emails and voice mails for any urgent items
• 9:30 a.m. Customer meeting to discuss some changes to our auditing engagement.
• 11:00 a.m. Back to my guest cubicle for a conference call
• 11:15 p.m. Frank sees I am connected and through Instant Messaging asks me to join a meeting with a possible new client who wishes to meet at 5:00 pm in Toronto. A quick check of the Porter flight schedule means I can attend. I send an Instant Message to Frank while in the conference call that I will attend.
• I continue my work as if I was in the Toronto office, making and receiving telephone calls with clients
• 3:00 p.m. I leave the Ottawa office for my flight to Toronto
• 4:45 p.m. I connect my laptop at my desk and reply to several important emails
• 5:00 p.m. Meet with Frank and the new client
• 7:00 p.m. We are invited to present our solution to the partners in New York at their office.
• 8:30 p.m. After dinner and helping the kids with homework, I connect to the network to retrieve a presentation template and start work on my presentation. Frank calls me and we discuss the proposal using the whiteboard application. Seeing that Brenda in the Manhattan office is on-line we ask her to participate and add some content.
• 11:00 p.m. Done! Time to get some rest and I feel assured that I can make changes once we arrive at the Manhattan office and can present our solution the following day. I know that I can be accessible and productive on my business trip and still be connected to the Toronto office as if I was there.
Employees that work for employers that have IP enabled Telephony applications are a lucky bunch indeed. These employers have realized the immense benefits available by using softphones, collaboration tools and IP centric network connectivity. The employee is now able to enhance their productivity in an anyplace, anytime, anywhere environment. The following example shows how a mobile Softphone, Instant Messaging and collaboration tools allows me to get my work done in an efficient and productive manner.
• 6:00 a.m. Wake up, shower, shave and out the door. I am meeting a client in Ottawa and I need to drop by the office to get a file.
• 7:15 a.m. Park and run upstairs to get the file. A short walk to the Fly Porter Shuttle bus stop. My Blackberry keeps me in touch while on the way to the airport.
• 9:14 a.m. Laptop plugged into guest cubicle and a quick check of emails and voice mails for any urgent items
• 9:30 a.m. Customer meeting to discuss some changes to our auditing engagement.
• 11:00 a.m. Back to my guest cubicle for a conference call
• 11:15 p.m. Frank sees I am connected and through Instant Messaging asks me to join a meeting with a possible new client who wishes to meet at 5:00 pm in Toronto. A quick check of the Porter flight schedule means I can attend. I send an Instant Message to Frank while in the conference call that I will attend.
• I continue my work as if I was in the Toronto office, making and receiving telephone calls with clients
• 3:00 p.m. I leave the Ottawa office for my flight to Toronto
• 4:45 p.m. I connect my laptop at my desk and reply to several important emails
• 5:00 p.m. Meet with Frank and the new client
• 7:00 p.m. We are invited to present our solution to the partners in New York at their office.
• 8:30 p.m. After dinner and helping the kids with homework, I connect to the network to retrieve a presentation template and start work on my presentation. Frank calls me and we discuss the proposal using the whiteboard application. Seeing that Brenda in the Manhattan office is on-line we ask her to participate and add some content.
• 11:00 p.m. Done! Time to get some rest and I feel assured that I can make changes once we arrive at the Manhattan office and can present our solution the following day. I know that I can be accessible and productive on my business trip and still be connected to the Toronto office as if I was there.
Strategic Technology – Unified Communications – The Importance of Presence
Strategic Technology – Unified Communications – The Importance of Presence
Unified Communications increase the speed of interaction between co-workers and customers by bringing together voice, messaging and video. It’s only been the last few years that organizations have started to see the real benefits and the promises it delivers.
Unified communications brings together fixed and mobile telephony, email, fax, instant messaging and conferencing into a single unified workspace.
It’s transparent and integrated and its technology is stable and mature. One problem it doesn’t solve is getting the right message to the right person at the right time so that they can respond immediately. That’s where the key feature of UC, “presence” comes into play.
Presence lets users know who is reachable, where and by what method they can be reached. Users can see who on their buddy list is online, available, busy, in a meeting, or reachable only by cellphone while traveling.
So now we can communicate in an intelligent manner and in the moment.
The biggest benefit of presence is the ability to IM a colleague, and has a quick chat session that can escalate to a telephone call if required. These messages allow teams and groups of people to eliminate telephone tag and voice mail and are able to communicate in real time and in an effective manner.
The collaboration of voice, video and messaging can be managed effectively by the use of the presence feature. The faster organizations can implement these tools the faster they can communicate more effectively and increase the employee productivity.
Unified Communications increase the speed of interaction between co-workers and customers by bringing together voice, messaging and video. It’s only been the last few years that organizations have started to see the real benefits and the promises it delivers.
Unified communications brings together fixed and mobile telephony, email, fax, instant messaging and conferencing into a single unified workspace.
It’s transparent and integrated and its technology is stable and mature. One problem it doesn’t solve is getting the right message to the right person at the right time so that they can respond immediately. That’s where the key feature of UC, “presence” comes into play.
Presence lets users know who is reachable, where and by what method they can be reached. Users can see who on their buddy list is online, available, busy, in a meeting, or reachable only by cellphone while traveling.
So now we can communicate in an intelligent manner and in the moment.
The biggest benefit of presence is the ability to IM a colleague, and has a quick chat session that can escalate to a telephone call if required. These messages allow teams and groups of people to eliminate telephone tag and voice mail and are able to communicate in real time and in an effective manner.
The collaboration of voice, video and messaging can be managed effectively by the use of the presence feature. The faster organizations can implement these tools the faster they can communicate more effectively and increase the employee productivity.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Will the iPad Wow Business Owners?
I like Scott's viewpoints a lot and the iPad but a revisit 3 months after this article would be interesting
Apple's new tablet could soon prove both a vital launch pad and productivity tool for entrepreneurs.
By Scott Steinberg | January 29, 2010
URL: http://www.entrepreneur.com/technology/shinyobjects/article204852.html
Call it the Apple iPad, "Jesus tablet" as some media insiders have, or just Steve Jobs's latest high-tech obsession. Either way, there's no getting around the seismic cultural impact of the consumer electronics industry's latest high-profile launch. However, as many tech experts have been quick to note, hype aside, there's little compelling reason for everyday shoppers or business owners to make the upgrade. Or rather, there isn't quite yet--a fact it may take months to remedy, and that leaves a gaping void just waiting to be filled by legions of budding entrepreneurs.
At surface value, the iPad--a 9.7-inch LED touchscreen-equipped computer that offers multi-touch input, Wi-Fi/wireless broadband access and user-friendly multimedia storage, shopping and playback--promises power on par with a mid-range notebook PC. Debuting in late March in multiple configurations starting at $499 and up and ranging in size from 16GB to 64GB (3G high-speed cellular connectivity optional), Apple sees it spearheading a new category of mobile computing device. It sits somewhere between a smartphone and laptop in power and cost, and offering a 1Ghz Apple A4 chip that promises more advanced processing and graphics power than the iPhone. Consider, though: There's no telling yet whether this potential vertical exists.
Still, measuring up at just 0.5 inches thin and 1.5lbs in weight, yet offering a full range of productivity functions, respectable horsepower and support for "nearly all" 140,000 current iPhone apps, it's a curious experiment. Resembling nothing so much as an overgrown iPod Touch, a comparison some critics have made with derision, the big question mark is whether it can address small-business owners' needs. Blame a range of intriguing, but not necessarily must-have built-in features, and current lack of killer apps--two major issues that could ultimately torpedo the tablet PC's sales and market adoption rates.
Not that the iPad isn't doing its best to swing for the fences. Going straight for e-readers' throats with its iBooks virtual bookstore, bookshelf and reading application, it's hard to see how pricier, single-function models such as the QUE proReader will compete. Not only should the iPad make browsing, purchasing and skimming business books and publications easier, it may also make the process much richer and more informative, thanks to digital literature's integrated support for multimedia audio and video content. The device further promises to offer an array of functions from word processing and spreadsheet composition to options for screening music, movies and TV shows--all for a fraction of the price of traditional e-book players.
In many ways, it's anticipated to do for aspiring business and non-fiction authors what the App Store did for legions of bedroom coders. Providing a ready means to connect with an audience, build a following and establish yourself or your brand as a subject-matter expert, potential marketing and advertising applications are boundless. Moreover, the iPad could grow the e-book audience to the point where small presses actually have the opportunity to readily experiment with new formats, packaging strategies and prices. Or, for that matter, shift copies of their latest works, compelling case studies and innovative methodologies in respectable numbers, or at least profitable ones, given the relative cost savings of digital versus physical content delivery.
Steve Jobs and company have also taken great care to demonstrate marked support for the professional user, as illustrated at the gadget's recent unveiling. Out of the box, the iPad doesn't just spare you the headache of having to purchase software programs you own on the iPhone again, many of which can also be "pixel doubled" to fit the device's display and take advantage of its enhanced visibility, brightness and larger screen real estate. It also has the capacity to run more advanced productivity apps (downloadable, bite-sized software applications) that offer better, more ergonomic touch controls, a greater range of complex features and expanded online connectivity options. Whereas current office suites for the iPhone provide limited functionality and a smaller feature set as compared with desktop alternatives, make no bones about it: The iPad is a true portable computer, not simply an enhanced smartphone (although the iPhone and iPad do share an underlying operating system), and software utilities for the iPad will better approximate full-fledged desktop cousins.
Among its main benefits to business users is enhanced Web surfing, with sites readily visible in either portrait or landscape mode, and user input facilitated via intuitive gestures and an on-screen virtual keyboard. The experience benefits from greater room to scroll by swiping a finger, zoom in just by pinching, and, at odds with smartphones' cramped screens, more closely resembles what you'd resemble from the traditional internet browsing process. Alas, support for the Flash software platform still isn't included, limiting access to certain videos, sites and online games. Nor can users multitask (switch between simultaneously running programs), which seriously calls into question its ability to serve working professionals.
Downloading and viewing standard or high-def online video through YouTube or iTunes is a much more enjoyable experience though, and may open a wider audience for digital footage, making it a ready platform for entrepreneurs to serve taped testimonials, webinars and commercial spots on. Extensive e-mail support is also offered (as is sideways or vertical message viewing) through a cleaner user interface than that found on the iPhone, whose split-screen views, drop-down menus and pop-ups make scanning your inbox and responding to queries a snap. Extensive support for multiple calendars and notes is also featured, and it's easy to quickly add and browse contacts, pull up important phone numbers or access full-color maps as needed as well. Far-reaching search options allow you to quickly skim the entire device for names, details and addresses.
Given the not inconsiderable price, which swells further when you consider the pressing need for a monthly data plan, more storage space and accessories such as a physical QWERTY keyboard and carrying case, let's be frank: The iPad is destined to directly compete with standard laptops. The most pressing issue is whether you'll consider it a worthy replacement for your current portable PC workhorse, especially if features like a dedicated 3-D video card, Web camera, high-end CPU, multitasking performance and Windows compatibility are potential sticking points.
On a positive note, Apple's put on a convincing show of demonstrating how its Microsoft Office-like iWork application suite--which consists of Keynote (slides/presentations), Numbers (spreadsheets) and Pages (word processing) programs--empowers small-business owners. At just $9.99 each for the motion-sensing applications, which support standard desktop documents and PDFs, it's a relatively simple matter to create and edit charts, graphs, functions, formulas, slides and documents. Multi-touch input further makes all intuitive to browse by tapping or dragging a finger. But as much as we appreciate the ability to access slideshow templates with a poke, shuffle pictures and text layouts just by swiping or scroll through marketing plans with a flick of the wrist, let's be honest: Gesture-tracking commands are nice, as is compatibility with Mac-built and Microsoft Office documents. Still, we find it hard to believe road warriors would be well served without owning a dedicated, real-world keyboard; options for easily swapping between multiple programs; or having the option to easily expand internal memory or processing hardware.
Because it's primarily a digital lifestyle device, we don't see legions of entrepreneurs making the switch in 2010. But once enterprising entrepreneurs begin to crank out productivity apps and other programs (social media clients, cloud computing tools, voice-over IP services, etc.) en masse, the device could quickly come into its own as an entrepreneur's best friend in the next 18 to 24 months. The iPad isn't the be-all, end-all portable computing device that tech experts envisioned. But as it's done with the MacBook, iPod and iPhone, Apple will surely continue to innovate on the hardware, while competitors such as HP, Lenovo and Microsoft toy with the possibility of introducing competitors of their own.
All of this could add up to a potential renaissance for the entire tablet PC category. In terms of features, convenience, value, price and performance, that's a potentially huge win for entrepreneurs and everyday consumers seeking a more portable, flexible and lifestyle- and value-minded solution for accessing treasured digital content.
Tecnology expert Scott Steinberg is the publisher of tech product reviews site DigitalTrends.com, and a celebrated gadget guru and video game expert who frequently appears as a technology analyst on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and CNN, and has contributed to 400+ outlets from The New York Times to Playboy and Rolling Stone.
Apple's new tablet could soon prove both a vital launch pad and productivity tool for entrepreneurs.
By Scott Steinberg | January 29, 2010
URL: http://www.entrepreneur.com/technology/shinyobjects/article204852.html
Call it the Apple iPad, "Jesus tablet" as some media insiders have, or just Steve Jobs's latest high-tech obsession. Either way, there's no getting around the seismic cultural impact of the consumer electronics industry's latest high-profile launch. However, as many tech experts have been quick to note, hype aside, there's little compelling reason for everyday shoppers or business owners to make the upgrade. Or rather, there isn't quite yet--a fact it may take months to remedy, and that leaves a gaping void just waiting to be filled by legions of budding entrepreneurs.
At surface value, the iPad--a 9.7-inch LED touchscreen-equipped computer that offers multi-touch input, Wi-Fi/wireless broadband access and user-friendly multimedia storage, shopping and playback--promises power on par with a mid-range notebook PC. Debuting in late March in multiple configurations starting at $499 and up and ranging in size from 16GB to 64GB (3G high-speed cellular connectivity optional), Apple sees it spearheading a new category of mobile computing device. It sits somewhere between a smartphone and laptop in power and cost, and offering a 1Ghz Apple A4 chip that promises more advanced processing and graphics power than the iPhone. Consider, though: There's no telling yet whether this potential vertical exists.
Still, measuring up at just 0.5 inches thin and 1.5lbs in weight, yet offering a full range of productivity functions, respectable horsepower and support for "nearly all" 140,000 current iPhone apps, it's a curious experiment. Resembling nothing so much as an overgrown iPod Touch, a comparison some critics have made with derision, the big question mark is whether it can address small-business owners' needs. Blame a range of intriguing, but not necessarily must-have built-in features, and current lack of killer apps--two major issues that could ultimately torpedo the tablet PC's sales and market adoption rates.
Not that the iPad isn't doing its best to swing for the fences. Going straight for e-readers' throats with its iBooks virtual bookstore, bookshelf and reading application, it's hard to see how pricier, single-function models such as the QUE proReader will compete. Not only should the iPad make browsing, purchasing and skimming business books and publications easier, it may also make the process much richer and more informative, thanks to digital literature's integrated support for multimedia audio and video content. The device further promises to offer an array of functions from word processing and spreadsheet composition to options for screening music, movies and TV shows--all for a fraction of the price of traditional e-book players.
In many ways, it's anticipated to do for aspiring business and non-fiction authors what the App Store did for legions of bedroom coders. Providing a ready means to connect with an audience, build a following and establish yourself or your brand as a subject-matter expert, potential marketing and advertising applications are boundless. Moreover, the iPad could grow the e-book audience to the point where small presses actually have the opportunity to readily experiment with new formats, packaging strategies and prices. Or, for that matter, shift copies of their latest works, compelling case studies and innovative methodologies in respectable numbers, or at least profitable ones, given the relative cost savings of digital versus physical content delivery.
Steve Jobs and company have also taken great care to demonstrate marked support for the professional user, as illustrated at the gadget's recent unveiling. Out of the box, the iPad doesn't just spare you the headache of having to purchase software programs you own on the iPhone again, many of which can also be "pixel doubled" to fit the device's display and take advantage of its enhanced visibility, brightness and larger screen real estate. It also has the capacity to run more advanced productivity apps (downloadable, bite-sized software applications) that offer better, more ergonomic touch controls, a greater range of complex features and expanded online connectivity options. Whereas current office suites for the iPhone provide limited functionality and a smaller feature set as compared with desktop alternatives, make no bones about it: The iPad is a true portable computer, not simply an enhanced smartphone (although the iPhone and iPad do share an underlying operating system), and software utilities for the iPad will better approximate full-fledged desktop cousins.
Among its main benefits to business users is enhanced Web surfing, with sites readily visible in either portrait or landscape mode, and user input facilitated via intuitive gestures and an on-screen virtual keyboard. The experience benefits from greater room to scroll by swiping a finger, zoom in just by pinching, and, at odds with smartphones' cramped screens, more closely resembles what you'd resemble from the traditional internet browsing process. Alas, support for the Flash software platform still isn't included, limiting access to certain videos, sites and online games. Nor can users multitask (switch between simultaneously running programs), which seriously calls into question its ability to serve working professionals.
Downloading and viewing standard or high-def online video through YouTube or iTunes is a much more enjoyable experience though, and may open a wider audience for digital footage, making it a ready platform for entrepreneurs to serve taped testimonials, webinars and commercial spots on. Extensive e-mail support is also offered (as is sideways or vertical message viewing) through a cleaner user interface than that found on the iPhone, whose split-screen views, drop-down menus and pop-ups make scanning your inbox and responding to queries a snap. Extensive support for multiple calendars and notes is also featured, and it's easy to quickly add and browse contacts, pull up important phone numbers or access full-color maps as needed as well. Far-reaching search options allow you to quickly skim the entire device for names, details and addresses.
Given the not inconsiderable price, which swells further when you consider the pressing need for a monthly data plan, more storage space and accessories such as a physical QWERTY keyboard and carrying case, let's be frank: The iPad is destined to directly compete with standard laptops. The most pressing issue is whether you'll consider it a worthy replacement for your current portable PC workhorse, especially if features like a dedicated 3-D video card, Web camera, high-end CPU, multitasking performance and Windows compatibility are potential sticking points.
On a positive note, Apple's put on a convincing show of demonstrating how its Microsoft Office-like iWork application suite--which consists of Keynote (slides/presentations), Numbers (spreadsheets) and Pages (word processing) programs--empowers small-business owners. At just $9.99 each for the motion-sensing applications, which support standard desktop documents and PDFs, it's a relatively simple matter to create and edit charts, graphs, functions, formulas, slides and documents. Multi-touch input further makes all intuitive to browse by tapping or dragging a finger. But as much as we appreciate the ability to access slideshow templates with a poke, shuffle pictures and text layouts just by swiping or scroll through marketing plans with a flick of the wrist, let's be honest: Gesture-tracking commands are nice, as is compatibility with Mac-built and Microsoft Office documents. Still, we find it hard to believe road warriors would be well served without owning a dedicated, real-world keyboard; options for easily swapping between multiple programs; or having the option to easily expand internal memory or processing hardware.
Because it's primarily a digital lifestyle device, we don't see legions of entrepreneurs making the switch in 2010. But once enterprising entrepreneurs begin to crank out productivity apps and other programs (social media clients, cloud computing tools, voice-over IP services, etc.) en masse, the device could quickly come into its own as an entrepreneur's best friend in the next 18 to 24 months. The iPad isn't the be-all, end-all portable computing device that tech experts envisioned. But as it's done with the MacBook, iPod and iPhone, Apple will surely continue to innovate on the hardware, while competitors such as HP, Lenovo and Microsoft toy with the possibility of introducing competitors of their own.
All of this could add up to a potential renaissance for the entire tablet PC category. In terms of features, convenience, value, price and performance, that's a potentially huge win for entrepreneurs and everyday consumers seeking a more portable, flexible and lifestyle- and value-minded solution for accessing treasured digital content.
Tecnology expert Scott Steinberg is the publisher of tech product reviews site DigitalTrends.com, and a celebrated gadget guru and video game expert who frequently appears as a technology analyst on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and CNN, and has contributed to 400+ outlets from The New York Times to Playboy and Rolling Stone.
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