Having now had an extensive play with an iPod Touch to get an idea of what browsing might be like on an iPad, I have to say it has cooled my excitement somewhat. Safari on the iPhone/Touch is excellent at what it does, slick and fun to use, but it is not really up to the sort of multi-page browsing that is completley routine on a desktop OS. Yes, it supports multiple pages, but opening a link in a separate page requires a slightly clunkly long-hold followed by a pop-up menu choice, and the new page takes the foreground, not the utterly indispensable background loading that proper tabbed browsers do. And the iPod seems to aggressively reclaim memory (quite understandably), because even though you left the other page open, when you go back to it it reloads. It’s not really like having multiple pages open, it’s more like maintaining links to recently visited pages.
Now, you may be referring to some third-party browser that offers a better multipage browsing experience, but it seems from trying it out that that is not really feasible on an iPhone/iPod Touch with the memory limitations. If the iPad has a lot more RAM, maybe it will work better and be able to hold more pages in memory at once. Not sure how it will distinguish between normal loading and background loading (i.e. what is achieved by normal click vs. middle click, in a desktop-class browser).
Most of the hands-on techie reviews I’ve read speak of how fast the iPad is. It sports an all-new Apple-created CPU and undoubtedly performs a good deal better and faster than the iPod touches. I know the NY Times site loaded much, much faster during Jobs’ presentation than it ever has on my (2nd gen.) iPod touch.
I could certainly see it in the K-12 environment. There is a big push right now to get more computers in classrooms and in student hands. Desktops take up way too much space and laptops cost too much.
So, everyone in the field I know is looking to things like netbooks, iPod Touch, etc. They cost less and take up less space. Most schools are going (if not there already) to wireless, and Mac has been making inroads lately into the K-12 market (the macbook carts we have are huge hits among teachers and students, they just cost too much) So the timing looks perfect for this market.
The one oversight I can see is the lack of a built-in video camera for iChat (and other programs).
I could see hospitals using this in about 10 years or so. That’s about how far the sort of tech they are running is behind.They also have to buy new software which is another cost and get them on the corporate network.A lot of specialized apps written for windows.all in all a big hassle for something with minimal gain over a Panasonic H1.
disinfection is still a big deal and was just glossed over in that article. I have a friend who works in medical and would love it,but says the chance is slim to none. Don’t underestimate inertia. By the time Apple has a chance in “that” market, I am sure Panasonic and their ilk will have something also. Watch the first video of that link also when the Ipad can handle falling down some stairs and getting bled or vomited on then they play in “that” arena. This is just a really cool toy that will hopefully morph into something cooler,but that is a ways off.
My company currently has 2 main web products, both of which require IE because they install active X controls.
My company has a stand alone app - this will ONLY work on Windows devices (and not even validated with windows 7 yet)
So while the technology is superb for this kind of information workflow I think many companies like mine will be slow moving to adapt to using this device. I think they will stick with their current tablet PC model “slate/tablet” computing solutions
If you could imagine a doctor making rounds, he has a worklist main page where his patients are listed, as he walks into a room he taps on patient - from there he has access to all images, lab results, notes, medications, hostory (you get the picture) - he then can talk to patient, annotate case and tap submit, closing the case window and returning to the worklist. Doctor walks to the next patient and repeat.
Any solution we have now isn’t even close to this.
Hospitals will never use these. I work in one, and our IS department is about 10 years behind and VERY Windows-centric. If you mention using anything besides what’s on their list of hardware and software, they have to ‘review’ it which means ‘NO’. Now, I could see private practices LOVING this device. But hospitals will never use this. There’s no money in it for contractors that sell overpriced EMR software.
There are also other downsides of the device, such as a lack of camera and microphone for communications, absence of standard USB ports or even a card reader, the fact that the pad may not work with some examination and surgical gloves, and the battery cannot be swapped in the device
World of DTC Marketing polled some anonymous healthcare industry workers: “I can’t use it. Am I supposed to write with one finger while holding the iPad” one family physician told WDCTM. “Too cumbersome. It would have been a winner if it has a stylus and allowed me to write information on medical records or write an Rx” said another physician. One senior physician said that “we need an enterprise software solution to integrate any external devices with our system. It also needs to be able, on the back end, take the data and communicate with insurance companies and pharmacies. This has a long way to go before it meets our needs.” A medical device VP of training said “it’s not for us right now. It’s missing a lot of features especially FLASH which we use in illustrations to train sales people as well as customers.”
Blogger Doctor Anonymous: “But, it’s not about the hardware people. It’s all about the software. Will the corporate EMR hospital and office vendors write updates and patches for iPad? I really doubt that (at this point). I mean they are busy as it is with their own interoperability issues as well as big picture issues like keeping up with CCHIT certification and the mysterious term called “Meaningful Use” which helps hospitals and doctors obtain federal stimulus monies for “meaningful use” of EMRs. I can just see EMR vendors saying now, “Oh yeah, we can write software to use iPad on the hospital system. It will be an additional (several) hundred thousand dollar price tag for that feature. And, we agree. It’ll be cool to see iPads using our system…”
Those aren’t a few more reasons…they’re the reasons you quote above, copy and pasted on [maybe] a different site…and you left out
Remember, LOTS of people said PC’s had no place in the office. 640kb out to be enough for everybody, and there’s a market in the world, for perhaps 5 computers.
Whoda thunk ultrasound machines would get small and cheap enough to show up everywhere?
Again, it’s the small minded that think something won’t be done. It’s the equally small minded that dismisses something purely because it won’t be done in ‘X’ number of years.
Some thing can be done, but I don’t see Apple as necessarily beng the ones to do it. the thing is that the iPad does not have a lot of variation it want it is. But someone will be able to offer a PC version of this that can also meet some of their more stringent requirements. Here’s the thing, the iPad is very interesting and cool, it is true, but it is also not very flexible in its design. I have no doubt folks will find interesting uses for it, but it is also lacking a certian bit of cutomizability that will limit its use in many situations where it might otherwise suceed.
hey I am all for a Star Trek future now. I am just pointing out it ain’t gonna happen now. With this Ipad. maybe version 10 or something. There is no way everyone in a medical/hospital setting is going to drop everything overnight for the Ipad version 1. There is simply nothing it can do that can’t be done now with existing hardware/software. and it offers nothing better besides it’s sexy. Also industrial places don’t like to be tied down to one vendor which they would be if they used Ipad. Steve would have them by the short hairs. That’s another advantage to using windows. Dell raises their price buy HP, etc.
size…there are already similar sized windows tablets with more on the way
price…be sure to include new software, installing into system, and replacing the broken ones
intuitive interface… have you seen some of the specialized software written for stuff like the H1. I have and it seemed pretty intuitive to me, plus it had handwriting recognition. Of course they paid a buttload for the software. Think they are going to pay again to get a version for the Ipad.
oh and in my second link read the comments that is what I was linking.
I can see who might use this- mostly, families who want an extra casual-use computer. For example, big sister might be able to continue to IM while her mom is doing work on the real computer. Or Dad can surf the SDMB while the kid is writing a report. It might also be a good guest computer.
But there are lots of people who aren’t going to be using this. For example, me. I’m (hopefully) going into grad school and will be in the market for a portable device to supplement my too-heavy-to-lug-around laptop. I have an iPod touch, and I love it for travel and casual use. I love that it is small enough to slip into a small purse, and cheap enough that I won’t slit my wrists if I lose it.
Anyway, I need something I can take to class and can use in cafes and the like. But I also really, really, really need to be able to do full word processing on it. It seems like the iPad is not going to be a comfortable thing to write a paper on. I wish it was what I wanted- something light and cheap would be perfect. But I don’t think it’s going to be me.
And this is bigger problem. I think it’s going to have trouble appealing to most college students- who live in small quarters and generally already have a laptop.