iPad debuts with hopes of replacing other devices
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It's a week for devotion, and the faithful are braving long lines and covetous glares today to pick up an iPad, hyped by Apple Inc. as a "magical and revolutionary" gadget that arrives after years of speculation.
A touchscreen tablet device, the iPad mimics Apple's game-changing iPhone in aesthetic, hype and ability to get countless industries and workers rethinking strategy. The iPad works like a giant iPhone, allowing users to surf the Web, check e-mail and take notes on the screen.
Not that the iPad's arrival will abate feverish speculation. The excitement peaks today as early adopters and opportunistic entrepreneurs snatch up the first models; but it won't take long for focus to shift to what features the next iteration will include, or even what the follow-up product might be.
Depending on capabilities, the iPad retails for anywhere from $499 to $829.
The size -- about 10 inches tall and 8 inches wide -- situates the iPad as a direct competitor to e-book readers, and many see the screen as a potential replacement for textbooks, newspapers or laptops.
Talk to Apple and you'll hear that iPads will be used for everything and could become as ubiquitous in the boardroom as briefcases or red ties.
It's already a recruiting tool as industries cash in on the cache of the device.
Seton Hill University in Greensburg announced this week plans to equip every full-time student with a 16 GB iPad. The announcement garnered national news coverage for the 2,000-student school, which has replaced its website homepage with an announcement about the iPad plan.
Likewise, some companies see the iPad as a way to lure employees.
Geraldine Yong is planning to outfit workers at her company with iPads. As founder and CEO of mobile application developer LeftRight Studios on the South Side, Ms. Yong will pick up her device today and plans to purchase more in the coming weeks as a workplace incentive.
"We could fuel applications by saying you'll get an iPad if you work here," she said.
Dave Nelsen, a social media consultant who runs Dialog Consulting Group in Cranberry, said that sort of intimacy would cast the iPad as a more immediate tool for company promotion. He'll be advising clients to tap the device's advertising potential. With the iPad, companies have a portable device to store video of testimonials, he said. It trumps clunky laptops, and even the act of holding an iPad may amplify the message it carries.
"It'll be like an iPhone ... easy to hand from person-to-person, but it'll be a different and compelling experience," he said.
First Published April 3, 2010 12:00 am
