When the Apple iPad was released it seemed everyone had something to say about it. People were quick to criticize this new technology, calling it a “big iPhone/iPod that doesn’t make calls” and variety of other things. Personally, I was enthralled by the magic this piece of machinery has to offer. The concept of holding a computer in your hands and efficiently using it at the same time is a technology we as a society are yet to master, for now. Cell phones are a great tool, but the screen is simply too small to be completely productive. Laptops and netbooks are too bulky despite how small they’re made these days, they still have two main parts and need to fold open. The idea of having a flat, almost paper-thin computer screen will undoubtedly change the way we interact with digital media forever. The internet and a computer screen change from “tools we go use” to “tools we carry around with us.” Instead of bringing you to my office to show you my website, I can hand it you in the park.
In my experiences selling a product or business the old fashioned way, face-to-face, I realized that simply handing your product to a potential consumer is the most powerful selling tool one can have at their advantage. When it comes to selling things, “show me what you’ve got” is how the operation begins. Consider this: as a web designer, the greatest disadvantage of my selling my services is that I can’t walk up to you and hand you a website I’ve designed; until now.
In summation; I’m not endorsing the iPad specifically but instead the technology and functionality it provides people. I urge you to watch as this technology changes how we look and interact with internet and ultimately the world, one step at a time.
To support my claim, here is one of seemingly infinite applications of this technology. Ever brought a laptop on a plane and not been able to open it all the way? Not anymore. Pay attention people!
iPad to be Used as Inflight Entertainment System
http://mashable.com/2010/05/12/bluebox-ai/
At its core, Apple’s iPad is an entertainment device — one that certainly has the power to make air travel much more enjoyable. Enter Bluebox Avionics, which is introducing a customized iPad for airlines dubbed bluebox Ai, “the world’s first iPad inflight entertainment system.”
Bluebox Ai units have reportedly already been approved to offer inflight entertainment content and will give passengers the full iPad experience including access to iPad games and apps, iBooks, consumer magazines offered through Zinio and airline-specific custom applications.
