29 March 2011

Miscellaneous

Are You Ready For The iPad 2?

Everyone is talking about them, but nobody knows whether they really need one. The iPad 2 is now on sale, but are you going to get one?

When the original iPad tablet computer, which is designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc, originally hit the shops this time last year, many thought it was pretty pointless. A large version of the iPhone was the original thought - a gimmick, something that you didn't really need to spend your money on. But people did, and they flew off the shelves.

A year on, Apple has released the second version of the iPad: the iPad 2. If you were walking through your local shopping centre last Friday, or over the weekend, you may have seen the huge lines of people queuing outside Apple stores, as they did across the country - many having been there for days.

The question is not about Apple's iPad specifically, but about the future of computers. Will the old, rugged laptop become obsolete?

Computer enthusiasts will see no point in buying a tablet computer over a more robust laptop with many more functions, but the majority of the population aren't computer savvy and use their laptops for nothing more than to browse the web, to check news, read an email or watch a video. 

There is also an extensive range of apps available on the iPad, but are they as impressive as their iPhone counterparts?

Tablets take portable computing to the next level. Where laptops can be heavy and cumbersome the easily portable iPad can be taken pretty much anywhere for use on the train, in the car, in meetings or at lunch.

The smaller, but similarly styled iPhone, has revolutionised the mobile phone industry, but that's still in essence what it is: a phone. There is still something personal about an iPhone, whereas an iPad has a sharing ethic: families, partners, friends, children and work colleagues can use it. This is where the iPad excels: allowing information to be shared conveniently. The 9.7-inch touch screen is ideal for watching video clips and browsing the internet on your own or with friends and colleagues.

If other companies can keep up with Apple the future may be bleak for laptops. The ease of use of a tablet is way ahead of a laptop's game, but with a tablet you do sacrifice some features that a laptop has. Only time will tell if the tablet will truly take over, but if the sales of the iPad 2 over the weekend are anything to go by, the future looks bright for the tablet.

FDC is currently developing iPhone apps for the travel and agricultural industries. For further information contact the FDC team on: 0844 414 2687.