Who really needs an iPad? Workers weigh in
April 6, 2010 by Valerie HelmbreckPosted in: Communication, Gadgets, Hardware, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Travel and entertainment, WiFi, adoption, cell phone, mobile technology, smartphones, telecommuting
Well, it’s finally here — Apple’s iPad hit stores on Saturday and now that consumers have their hands on the much ballyhooed tablet computer, it’s time to see if they’ll use it for the reason they said they would: work.
A recent study by mobility experts at Sybase found the No. 1 reason most buyers have for purchasing the iPad is to be able to work on the go.
Those who analyzed the data from the Sybase study believe it points to a growing appetite among consumers for more access to information and work apps on mobile devices — something business IT groups are going to be called on to budget for and support.
The study also pointed to the two things mobile users say they are looking for in a device: a wide array of functions (the iPad will have more than 100,000 applications available to users) and extended battery life (the tablet computer’s battery has a 10-hour life).
Everybody’s been debating the usefulness of the iPad since it was announced weeks ago. Critics point to its entertainment functions — movie watching and game playing — as evidence that the portable computer is little more than a toy.
However, in the Sybase survey, work-related tasks ranked at the top of users’ lists of anticipated tasks:
- More than half of smartphone users polled claimed they are most likely to use a new tablet device like the iPad to conduct work (52.3%).
- The idea of using an iPad or tablet device for work garnered the most interest from smartphone users, while watching movies and television programs, and playing games placed a close second and third respectively (48.2% and 35.4%).
- Three-quarters of smartphone users surveyed believe that smartphones and forthcoming devices like the iPad make people more productive at work, with one-third of those feeling that the productivity impact is significant.
While there are thousands of mobile apps available these days, consumers told Sybase they still have limited access to common enterprise applications they need for work:
- Access to both personal and work information continues to be lacking for most consumers. For respondents who have data on their mobile devices, the study shows that almost two-thirds estimate they have access to less than 10% of their personal data and work data (59.8% and 69.4% respectively). Access to work applications is also lacking, with almost three-quarters of respondents claiming they have access to less than 10% of the applications they need to do their jobs (72.3%).
- 67.6% of respondents with smartphones felt that if they could access twice the amount of information and applications they do today, it would make them more productive.
- When asked about what functions they wished their smartphones had, the ability to connect with work systems, and the ability to watch streaming television shows or movies topped users’ wish lists (27.1% and 27.2% respectively).
Regardless of studies and predictions from industry watchers, the iPad’s already proved to be something of a cultural phenomenon. Units available for purchase online — with in-store pick up scheduled for Saturday, April 3 – sold out well before that date.
Apple’s stock has also catapulted to record highs in the weeks since the iPad was announced. Just this week, Apple shares hit a 52-week high and analysts are expecting the price to climb to as high as $284 this year.
Overall, the company’s stock has exploded in the past year. It’s up 118% since last spring and climbed to over $237 a share last week. Back in January, share price had languished at below $200.
All this while other tech darlings — like Google — are struggling. Google’s stock is down 10% this year to date, while Apple’s is up the same amount since January 1.
Gene Munster at Piper Jaffray believed Apple would sell 200,000 to 300,000 iPads in its first weekend, bringing his total unit estimate to 2.7 million in 2010. He also thought his estimates may be conservative, given the extraordinary initial demand. Munster’s been quoted as saying he believes the breakout year for the iPad will ultimately be next year (calendar 2011) with 8 million iPad units estimated to be sold.
The iPad’s made such a splash that a popular new ABC sitcom — “Modern Family” — built an entire episode around one character’s obsession with getting (and eventually cradling and stroking) his brand new iPad. It should also be noted that other computers in the show were also Apple products, indicating a pretty active product placement deal.
Does this mean that the iPad will be the “game changing” technology some have predicted it will be? User reviews so far have been fairly glowing (read the New York Times assessment here) both for the tablet computer’s speed, ease of use and graphical display..
If consumers do use it primarily for work — and abandon their smartphones — it really could be game changing.
Last minute update:
According to Bloomberg, sales of iPad in its debut weekend will likely be double what was originally estimated.
Piper Jaffray predicted 200,000 to 300,000 units would be sold. Sanford C. Bernstein & Company predicted 300,000 to 400,000. However, the first day has seen an estimated 700,000 of the tablets out the door. (See ReadWriteWeb’s ongoing coverage of the iPad launch.)
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April 6th, 2010 at 11:11 am
It is interesting to me to see all of the interest in using the Ipad for work. I have been thinking the same thing and I am an IT professional who has the responsibility to figure out how to get the Ipad to access work applications. There is no doubt that people love the interface of the Ipad. That was pretty much proven with the Iphone. The problem for IT who is responsible for the security of the data on the work applications is making a wireless device secure when connected to the work environment. The other problem is using Apple’s somewhat proprietary environment to connect to the mostly Windows based world of work applications. The Payment Card Industry is only getting more and more strict with it’s standards to protect customer credit card data which makes any access from outside even more difficult.
Somehow we will have to make it all happen since it seems like such a waste to not be able to use the wonderful user interface of the Ipad for business applications.
April 6th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Obviosly a Weighted review, when you say things like “More than half of smartphone users polled claimed they are most likely to use a new tablet device like the iPad to conduct work (52.3%)” We are not really talking about the ipad exclusively. The fact is the ipad lacks the the compatibility to be exepted by the main stream.
April 6th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
We are evaluating the device as a more green way of presenting our board meeting data each month. Rather then creating sixteen 4″ binders and having them delivered to the board member’s offices each month, we will upload the public information to the internet for download or install it for them prior to thier arrival. Cost saving in preperations and materials will far out way the cost of the unit in one year, not to mention the ease of use for board members in finding and presenting the information during the meetings. If this works out we will be deploying one to each member and staff involved with board meetings before the end of the year.
Yes, we have iphones as well for some senior staff members but we needed something that is readable and will handle PDF files with touch sensitive indexes to make it work. The Kindle does not do this plus it was to small for some users.
April 6th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Wow does the reporter get a free Ipad with every marketing piece for Apple? How about connnecting to the real world business apps that most of the planet uses? Sorry to burst your bubble they were not made by Apple.
April 6th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
I, too, am responsible for IT at my company, and agree that we’ll need to accomodate the device, despite our MS leanings. I’ve been using a Touch for some time now, and it’s become indespensible. I can use it to look up data kept in spreadsheets, and log onto equipment with built-in web interfaces on my site with no problem. And, since we run Citrix, and Citrix has “an App for that” already, we should be able to instantly support the iPad. Nevertheless, I’m suggesting the short wait until the 3G model comes on line with GPS.
April 6th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Hey dwayne a laptop and a projector will do the trick. How funny and cheap is that.
April 6th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Only in the conference room itself….
The iPad goes where I do.
April 6th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Cmos128; Cute; You obvioisly have never worked with a board in a major corporation. They want the material ahead of time. Also, the time alocated for presentations is minamal compared to the amount of material that is actually in the binder (or iPad) and yes we use all normal presentaion methods for those portions of the meetings that require them. We would be there all night if all we had was the proposed projector and a laptop. (-;”
At one time we were looking at tablets for each member but I needed something that is cheap, easy to use and load, with minamal support costs.
James, I understand this is not a tool for everyone and it would be a nightmare if I had to support it with the rest of my 500 employees but for this type of limited use it almost seems perfect. I manage a large technolgy platform as well and some of the things I can do right from my iPhone is amazing. The Androids are close but not yet there.
April 6th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Dwayne, I did not mean to offend but I am an IT administrator in a large company worldwide. And we have 24 seats in our board room. How much is an Ipad? Please, if you wish to save money get away from the trendy devices and start following the industry standards. I have been in IT since its birth and I also know how to save money and go green. Our reports system is queued and captured and compiled into pdf then sent through email automated for daily and monthly reports. And in our corporation if you are not prepared for the board meeting you will be looking for a job with your IPAD. But I can appreciate your need for shinny things.
April 23rd, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Dwayne, I understand completely about the board preparation and the desire to use the iPad. I’ve been reviewing devices for a couple of years and only purchased the Kindle DX for trial basis…didn’t work out for the board meeting but boss loves use it. I believe the iPad may be an answer but still working through the “management” of the devices. Would love to hear of any progress you’ve made. We have 35 board members from all over the states that come together for the meeting several times a year. I want like to use my local Mac for the contacts/data, etc and sync/push to all devices. Any thoughts?
April 26th, 2010 at 9:39 am
Cmos, no offense taken. We bought the $499, (2x) 16gig units to test them out. I myself was dragged kicking and screaming into the Windows world. Excel was the App that finally sold me (-;”
Luckily we are small enough (12 seats) that “trend” is not so much the issue as cost savings. In many cases I have found that following “the trend” has cost me a lot more $$$ than being a little different.
Db2010 – The biggest problem I had was to find an application that will take the PDF file and present it with the indexes in-tack. The other issue was how to get the file onto the iPad easily enough that a non technical person (some board members) can get to it and review it.
1) I first created a virtual wireless SSID for the board room so the iPad can get to the internet and setup the iPad to do just that. We are considering getting the 3Gs for just the board members and the WiFi units for the other users.
2) I did find a program called Readdle that does exactly this, (PDFReader Pro is working on one as we speak but has not gone live with it yet.) I purchased it $5.99 and loaded it on each iPad.
3) I established a Web email address for the board members as a group that allows for large files to be sent with attachments. Some of our PDF with photos can be as large as 50mbs, most are 16 to 20mbs. We then send the PDF via web mail and each board iPad has its mail button setup to receive from that email address at my exchange server.
4) All the board member needs to do is open the mail, select the right email and hold their finger on the attachment for about 3 seconds and a menu to right pops up and they then select “Open with Readdle.” The PDF opens and you are there. Using this method we can also send the presentations after the meeting for their review as well.
This is not a done deal yet but the staff that prepairs the material are all on board and the RIO is reasonable. The real question is will they be functional for the Board?
April 26th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
Thanks, Dwaine, for all the detail! It’ll make selling and setting up some similar capabilities in my own environment much easier.
My experiences on my ‘touch seem to favor your email scheme, too. I’ve tried a number of very easy transfer solutions like GoodReader, but these transfers are generally finished up from the host side, whereas the final transfer of emailed content is very easily done from the iPad client side.
Of course, I’m hoping that Citrix has their app set up to work well enough on the iPad that opening a XenApp instance of Adobe Reader itself will be practical, rendering file transfer entirely unnecessary.
April 26th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
… Of course, if the iPad user’s plane ride home doesn’t have WiFi or Cell service to connect to our servers, email will win the day.
April 27th, 2010 at 7:54 am
Dwayne: Have you looked at this iPad app for PDF reading? GoodReader: (99 cents) Gets high marks for PDF reading. It also lets you view local Word, Excel, PNG, TXT, JPEG and other files. Wondering about your opinion of it.
April 27th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
Valerie,
For what it’s worth, GoodReader is an app I use all the time. Works great on an iPod Touch (for Excel files and pdf’s, at least – can’t comment on others). It also performs file transfers wirelessly and very easily… if you can be sitting at the computer you want to transfer from. Dwayne’s users can’t do that, so emailing the files solves that problem nicely.