The iPad as Tool, Not Toy

By Robyn M. Perrin

Considering the iPad as an e-reader limits the imagination. In that context, it’s meant to be used by one person for passive display of content – a miniature television, a giant iPod Touch. No big deal, really, other than convenience. But this ignores a fundamentally different mode of use: as a platform for presenting visual products in face-to-face settings.

Photographers have already figured this out. Professional photography businesses rely on client interaction and a digital product. (The number of pro photographers who still work in film is almost nil.) When showing proofs to a client, photographers have until now been forced to choose between prints – with their associated inflexibility, delays and cost – and a laptop. Nearly everyone can relate to the awkwardness involved in “sharing” a laptop: the display doesn’t angle properly for both parties to view it at the same time, and passing an 8 lb. V-shaped object the size of a phone book back and forth is asking for trouble.

The iPad, though, solves pretty much all of these problems. The hard drive is big enough to store entire portfolios. The display gives fidelity of color and resolution. The client can hold the display at any angle they need to aid in viewing. It’s not heavy or awkward. And best of all, they can physically interact with the images with a brush of fingertips without coaching on how to navigate. The price of the device is quite a bargain, actually; $499 doesn’t go very far in photo print consumables. Some photographers are even considering using them as disposable devices, destined directly for the client.

But why stop with photography? Any time visual information is shared between two people, the story is the same. Graphic artists, architects, marketing professionals, landscape architects, even a large swath of sales force; it’s all a variation of the same theme. And what about real estate? An iPad could be used to show property listings and photos. Plus it could handle transactional documents including digital signatures and….hmm, it even has enviable mapping application. No GPS yet, but WiFi-based location approximation is possible.

Another set of vertical markets doesn’t involve two users; it involves one user with particular needs. Consider the built-in accessibility of the device to individuals with visual, auditory, or motor deficits. No, head over to Apple and really dig into it. The most intuitive advantage is that the iPad essentially is an on-demand magnifying glass, which could be a pretty big deal for, oh, say, almost 36 million seniors in the U.S.

But it also supports voice-over screen navigation, which netted instant recognition from the National Federation of the Blind. For the hearing-impaired, it supports close-captioned content. For those with very low visual acuity, the display can be set to high-contrast white-on-black. And for anyone with a neurological or motor deficit – such as patients suffering from strokes, Parkinson’s disease, or traumatic brain injury – the iPad allows interaction that is impossible with a traditional mouse-and-keyboard setup. If you have control over one bodily appendage, you can run a standard iPad. It doesn’t actually matter whether the appendage is an index finger, a nose, or a big toe. With two points of contact, you can zoom in and out. With a little imagination, you can envision use of the device not only as a communication and e-reading tool, but also in vocational or physical therapy.

So how do the vertical markets add up? The table in the sidebar shows stats and sources for the business and user profiles I’ve described. In all, even if there was an modest 20% market penetration for visual product professionals and 5% market penetration for elders and users with accessibility needs, that would result in about 2.3 million units in the U.S. alone. And let’s not forget markets abroad. With 51.8 million Chinese citizens over the age of 65, it would be interesting if a large number of iPads manufactured in China ended up staying

there.

So

make no mistake. This isn’t a toy for affluent technophiles. The market potential of the device reaches far beyond an e-reader.

And the product name? It’s not going to matter. The human mind has a way of not processing literal meanings of names once it attributes the name to an object. After all, no one makes jokes about narcotics when you order a Coke. Nor bathroom references when you fire up a Wii.

About the Author:
Robyn M. Perrin is a freelance writer based in Madison, a registered patent agent with the law firm of Casimir Jones, S.C., and co-owner and writer for Focal Flame Photography, LLC. Somewhat regrettably, she has no APPL financial conflict of interest to report.

This article was originally published in WTN News.