What nobody talks about is the impact iPad could have on the data-entry / industrial market. I'm pretty certain that I'll be buying a bunch of the 16GB $499 iPads for my job (pharma manufacturing). Make a simple web-app for collecting data and the iPad replaces paper easier than any other 4x more expensive tablet. No need to setup or install software or custom apps: Safari + default onscreen keyboard works just fine.
People don't steal things from their job because they're better for doing their jobs. People steal things from their jobs because they're fun or useful outside of work. Configuring a device so as to seem too work-specific to steal could be an advantage.
In summary: It's worth spending hundreds of dollars to not have to use Linux / the kinds of devices Linux is associated with.
The message the desktop Linux community is refusing to learn from. At least half your points are fairly directly based on the state of Linux at the moment (e.g. Safari, ease of setup) and the other half linked to the state of the ecosystem surrounding Linux which pushes for cheaper and hackier solutions (wifi drivers, perception of coolness, implementation of software and hardware quality).
Bug in iPad: 1,000,000 million hits on Google with 1,000 solutions
Bug in any of the other Nix tablets: 12 hits, all of them from people like me asking for solutions
Question I have to ask myself is do I want to save $2k upfront and spend countless hours some day in the future supporting the device or just pay a higher price and get a stable appliance that I don't have to worry about.
Bug in iPad: 1,000,000 million hits on Google with 1,000 solutions
I call myth. That's only true when you happen to hit a bug that apple was generous enough to fix. Otherwise you're not only on your own but usually you can't do anything about it.
How do I know about it? Because I'm affected and it forces me to reboot my snow leopard every once in a while. And going by the number of reports I gather it's not just me. The related apple forum thread has hundreds of posts...
Bug in any of the other Nix tablets: 12 hits, all of them from people like me asking for solutions
That really depends on how popular your device is and how obscure a bug you hit. If the tablet is running linux then most bugs will likely be in software components that are also used on other hardware with a much larger userbase. And most OSS projects, at least those surrounding the kernel, have quite active communities, with mailing lists and open bug trackers.
Don't get me wrong, I agree that there are reasons to go for the iPad over other tablets - but this is not one of them.
Counterpoint: my mac stopped seeing my iPhone. There was no advice on the internet on how to fix it. I'm completely lost at what to do. I can't upgrade the phone's software, and can't load new songs, I can't backup my phone :-(
Happened to me a month ago. There was in fact a lot of information on the net on how to fix it, but none of the suggestions worked. In the end only a full reinstall of OS X (done for unrelated reasons) fixed it for me.
Firefox runs on Linux, it is just as good as Safari. Setup shouldn't be an issue as I'd expect it to be pre-installed on a Linux tablet. Don't know the devices you are talking about, though.
> Firefox runs on Linux, it is just as good as Safari
This is the problem with Linux right here... (and I say this as someone who's used Linux as a primary desktop for years and eventually went to a Mac)
When you start saying things like X is just as good as Y, it isn't.
People that choose to use Safari have a very specific reason for doing so. Usually it's because it's well integrated into Mac system. Not in an IE integrated way, but a "it fits with everything else" kind of way. If you choose between Firefox and Safari on a Mac, the biggest difference is speed. Safari feels faster (I don't know if it is or not).
Similarly Chrome on Mac feels faster than Safari. Maybe it's just because it's a little more minimalist right now.
On Linux, no one has the authority or cares enough to say "this is the way we are going to do things...". So you end up with a ton of half assed solutions to every problem. Sometimes those are good (Firefox as an example). Sometimes they are adequate (OpenOffice). Sometimes, no matter how hard they keep trying, they can't keep up with the competition (Gimp).
So, yes... Firefox runs on Linux. But no, it's not as good as Safari.
Yes, I know there are people that choose to use Firefox on a Mac (my wife as an example). I still maintain that Safari provides a better "experience".
It seems to be primarily a matter of taste with Safari vs FF. Except on Linux you don't have Safari as an option.
I also stick with FF on the Mac. I have tried Safari briefly a couple of times, but I didn't have the patience yet to try discover any features that might be better. It's also what you are used to, maybe...
Chrome is perceptibly faster than Safari which is perceptibly faster than Firefox which is ridiculously faster than Internet Explorer. But there we are.
Could it all be perception? Like maybe Safari and Chrome make smoother animations to hide the loading times? I seem to remember there was a similar thing with menus in OS X vs Windows (or Linux?) - one was actually faster, but the other was perceived faster because they animated how the menu items would unfold.
Also there are of course issues with preloading the browser, which would (unfairly) reduce startup times.
It's a meaningless distinction. I don't want a browser which measures fast but feels slow anymore than I want speakers which measure 'loud' but I can't hear them.
What is significantly better about Safari than Chrome/Chromium? (Please don't say something about multi-touch interface b/c that's a different issue; a multi-touch interface is a global operating system/hardware issue, not an issue with a particular piece of software)
Data entry on an iPhone-sized device isn't as efficient as a pen/paper/clipboard, so you'll just end up using a pen/paper/clipboard, and then transferring data into a workstation later. The iPad looks like it could be different—there's just more raw room to place/space the virtual keys—but we'll see; it could be just as crappy.
-Standardization: Same software everywhere you go, consistent UI
-Ease of deployment: Restore a preconfigured iTunes backup to each iPad, done.
-VPN support: VPN into the corporate network when you're out of the office for secure access
-Exchange support: Sadly still a very important feature
-Ease of use
Has anybody given a firm release date that one can believe in as to when I'll actually be able to go down my local store and buy one of these rumored cheap linux pads? With Apple I at least know when, what, where and how much.
I'm wondering how much the iPad will be like a scaled up iPhone OS - because as a smartphone which syncs with Exchange, you can force policies on the iPhone from the server to require a PIN, allow remote data wipe, encrypt data, and so on - but you can't do that to a Windows desktop with Outlook. I don't know if you can to a Mac with Snow Leopard.
If this is going to have OS X/iPhone software, email, a wifi and data connection then it will likely have an ActiveSync connection to Exchange so the policies might be a possibility to keep your data safe(r) in the event of an unscheduled malfunction of an, ahem, ambulatorial nature.
As I was tracking the press conference on the live blogs I had the same thoughts as you did.
One of my larger clients is a factory setting using a custom built web app for, among many things, inventory control. When it comes time to do physical hard counts we've been stuck using crappy Dell laptops and pads of legal paper. The 16 gig iPad is perfectly priced and seems more than capable of handling our web app. I'm pretty excited about the possibilities for the iPad in industrial/factory settings.
We did our full physical inventory using MC70s http://www.barcodesinc.com/symbol/mc70.htm last month and had absolutely no problems. I bought a total of twelve Wifi MC70s at a cost of $1600 each. I would have absolutely no problem buying 20 iPads if they can replace the mountains of paperwork that need to be filled in manually for every single production run of a pharma product. I would have bought a CrunchPad for $300-ish but I'm willing to pay more for iPad because of the battery life and quality. Now I just need to find cheap barcode scanners that plug into the 30pin instead of USB.
> Now I just need to find cheap barcode scanners that plug into the 30pin instead of USB.
That's going to be tough. Apple controls the 30-pin connector and I haven't heard of any barcode scanners. You're probably better off looking for Bluetooth. Since it supports BT keyboards, you could likely find one that pairs as a keyboard. Won't be cheap, but hey neither were the MC70s.
The issue isn't getting the SKUs off the iPad, it's getting them off the scanner and onto the iPad. The iPad includes a USB connector to charge and sync, not to access devices with. There aren't public APIs to access USB devices--the accessories you see that use the 30-pin go the other way (getting music off typically).
Well, the question how to get data off of it. Which I answered and got hammered on and now sit in negative karma territory for my trouble (thanks guys! downvote abuse is awesome!). But whatever, apparently actual answers aren't valued.
Getting data onto them (such as scanning barcodes) is a separate question.
Apple claims all of the existing app store apps will work on the iPad. But I wonder how many require things like the camera to function?
But people have been discussing for well over a year. Not one prominent bloggers/journalist mentioned the industrial applications. 802.11n + 10hr battery life + standardized browser like Safari is awesome for writing data-collection web-apps.
I guess Apple's strong B2C orientation & the non-tinkerability of the device has something to do with that. Can you run the webapp on a local server, for example?
Agreed. Another overlooked option is you can easily get people to physically sign things on it. That's a potential tipping point for a huge number of forms that are still on paper.
The question is--how do you lock down this device so people aren't surfing the web or playing games on them? I work on EDC devices for pharma, and this is the single biggest issue for us when choosing hardware--we need the ability to put the device into kiosk mode.
That said, if Apple opened this particular bit of functionality up for the enterprise, we would be all over this device, particularly the 3G version.
Sweeter still is if the iPad has the Newton print handwriting recognition software (which was much better than the cursive handwriting recognition). I heard that many a doctor were upset when Jobs pulled the Newton from the market.
Is there a reason they can't input on the iPhone/iPod Touch? It seems like the iPad (or frankly, any tablet) would be tough to enter data in unless you're sitting down.
I use my iPhone when I'm on site almost exclusively but the employees at this location probably aren't savvy enough to work with the tiny screen. I'm pretty sure the larger iPad display would eliminate a lot of problems that a tiny iPod touch screen and keyboard would create.
If you go Android you're halfway there :) I'm very envious of the Droid's 480 x 854 screen.
Update: Just noticed you're across the bridge from me. If you ever need help on the data entry web apps, let me know. I'm working on a similar type thing for a group of medical imaging centers locally (Palm Harbor, St Pete, etc). That's actually what I have the Droid for.
Couldn't agree with you more. I am part of a small composites manufacturing company, and I can't wait to put them up all over our shop. It's going to be awesome!
