Yet Another iPad for Business Review

When I purchase my iPad I hoped that I could use it on short business trips instead of my laptop. I quickly found out that this was not realistic no matter what Jeremy Schoemaker says. Doing real work is just too cumbersome on the iPad.

Things I can get done in 10 minutes on my laptop take 3 or 4 times as long on an iPad (if they can even be done at all). As it is, working on a laptop is already slower than my desktop where I have access to 3 monitors and every email and document I have created or received over the past 10 years.

This is not to say the iPad is useless for business. Its best feature is the ability to quickly turn it on and check email on a nice readable screen without fumbling with a laptop. For example, when I land at the airport I used to sit down and fire up my laptop to check and reply to important emails. With the iPad, I can flip it on and check my email almost instantly. Of course, if an email involving real work comes up I often respond with an “I am traveling, I’ll get back to you on this when I can access a real computer” reply.

I do like to use the iPad at conferences. While moving from seminar to seminar, it is easy to follow the conference Twitter timeline, keep up with email, and to look up web pages mentioned by the speakers. The battery lasts forever so you won’t need to join the battle for one of the power outlets that seems to occur at the various tech/seo/marketing conferences.

So now rather than taking just my iPad on a business trip as I hoped, I am taking my iPad and Laptop. Fortunately the iPad fits nicely in the laptop bag and is about the weight of a good size magazine so it isn’t a big deal, and since it is great for reading magazines, newspapers, and books, my reading material total weight has been greatly reduced.

Business Pros

• Great Twitter App that actually makes Twitter enjoyable to use.
• Keep up with your business related RSS feeds on the go.
• Quick checking of email without firing up a laptop or working on a tiny phone screen.
• No need to carry several pounds of reading material to pass the time as you travel.

Business Cons (Just one big one)

• Doing real computer work is a pain and not worth the effort. Fire up that laptop if you want to get things done.

Don’t expect miracles but if used realistically, the iPad can make your business travel a bit more productive and enjoyable.

Do you need it – No. Will you like it – Yes.

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Tags: Business, Gadgets, iPad

Category: Electronics