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Welcome To
The Better Systems Podcast!
 
May 15, 2010 Show Notes (PodcastIT015):
"Do I need an iPad computer?"
It really depends on what you expect out of an iPad as the reasons
are different for many owners and would-be owners.
If you are expecting a high productivity computer with lots of power
and
applications, you expectations may be too high at this time. The
reason I say "at this time" is that as the popularity and
profitability of apps are added, more and more demand will create
the need for more high production apps. Right now, there are only a
few that do what you expect a desktop, or even a production laptop,
to do.
Since the iPad uses small program applications, or apps, you have to
see if there is an app that you need. The famous Apple commercial
stating, "There is an app for that" made the iPod and iPhone a big
hit. You can purchase these apps on your iTunes stores. Apple does
hold tight reigns on just what apps are made available to purchasers
and what are not. Rejected apps may compromise the system, some may
be adult oriented, and some are direct competitors to Apple. Since
they have the control, Apple gets to say what gets approved and what
does not.
This is actually a good business model for the common consumer,
though a lot of tech gurus will argue with that statement. Since
Apple has the control, any vulnerabilities to malware will be
greatly minimized. This will make the iPad experience more genuine
to the purchaser as they can only run programs that are clear of
this type of issues plagued by the main operating system, that is
Windows which run most desktop, laptop, and netbook platforms.
Another plus to the consumer is that system crashes is also almost
non-existent. Who hasn't ever run a Windows computer that has locked
up or had the dreaded Blue Screen of Death? This is not a problem
with the iPad (knock on wood) since, again, only approved software
is included in their iTunes stores.
Now, the drawbacks! Since Apple does control the apps, you may not
have the exact one that you need, or one that you are used to. So,
if you want a high end spreadsheet program, it is not available. If
you want a high end word processing program, that is also not
available. If you want a high end email program, again, not
available. This may change in the near future, but not at this time.
Some of the higher end productivity software that we are familiar
with, have the capability to add macros, that automate certain
tasks, again are not authorized by Apple. This would make your
productivity experience unequal to the desktop or laptop experience.
Again, this may change in the future, but this one is likely not to
be added anytime soon.
There is also an ongoing battle between Apple and Adobe on the use
of Flash. Flash are found on websites where you see almost
movie-like movement of images or actual movies. Some gaming
platforms use Flash to make it easier to program online games.
However, Apple will not allow it as they say it is a system resource
hog as well as a security risk to their system. While Apple has
points in both counts, there are many websites that use Flash. Even
Houston Outsource uses Flash on almost every websites that we make
because the customer wants it. This situation, and the popularity of
the iPad, will have all website programmers scrambling for an
alternate solution. Right now, there is no new standard that
performs the same function as Flash, though there are a lot that
want to be the
new standard.
The apps that are found on the iPad are various and fall in many
categories. You can have mobile versions of your favorite websites
such as PayPal, eBay, and YouTube. You can download a multitude of
games. You can get a lot of educational apps that help out your
children. You can also watch movies online using a handy Netflix
app. You can listen to music, check your email, read a book, or even
listen to one. You can check your local weather, watch a TV show,
check your stocks, map a route to the nearest McDonald's, and even
find the cheapest gas station nearby. As of January of 2010, there
were 134,000 apps available on the iTunes store. Though they are not
all productive, or even worthwhile, there is bound to be something
there that you want to get.
Better Systems Tech Tips:
My wife Katelyn, who run Houston Outsource Tutoring Services,
purchased an iPad that she uses to help elementary school aged
children, as well as Pre-K children, learn in an unconventional way.
She uses special teaching apps, books, and audiobooks, to get them
to learn and comprehend concepts without them even knowing that they
are learning. Most think they are on a break playing a game.
I suggested that she get the iPad as I don't ever want her to be
teaching on a
netbook, and then have her computer or software crash on the
student. The
experience of handing over an iPad knowing that it is going to work
as advertised is key for her decision to buy one.
If you do buy one, get a protective case for it. Though I may go out
of business servicing PCs if everyone buys an iPad, I will be more
profitable replacing the glass screens if you crack one!
Check Out Our Other Show Notes!
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