Posted by Marc Parnell, CTO
Having downloaded and experimented with the iPad simulator included in the new SDK, I am struck by how much the large screen and touch area can transform the type of apps that are possible when compared to the iPhone.
Although I still believe that the primary market for iPads is going to be for personal and entertainment use, I am convinced that third-party app developers are going to come up with some radically new and exciting interfaces for business applications. Just porting existing PC and Mac applications is not going to work well: the iPad is not a simple replacement for your laptop. Instead, I can see opportunities for completely new applications, for example, in Management Information Systems. Having a multi-touch screen that you can use to rotate and drill into data and charts could be a blessing for senior management who have traditionally struggled to deal interactively with the key information on their business.
Another promising area is education, where the opportunity to digitise large, expensive printed binders and handouts and bundle them together in a custom branded app could be very attractive to an institution. Add the ability to mark up, share and discuss the content with classmates and this has significant added value for the students.
I can't wait to explore these and other possibilities with our clients.