iPad or Pad Paper?
To the staunches fans of Apple products one would call the iPad a different category of its own. I personally think besides all the media hype that it is simply a mobile device. I was initially in the market for an eBook reader. The original driver to purchase the product stems from my admittance to an MBA program. I felt that an eBook reader would assist with the burden of carrying multiple text books around. I also needed a device that I can easily bring to work and perhaps inconspicuously do some reading in between meetings or during boring presentations. Around the same time that I was looking at purchasing an eBook reader, the rumor of an iPad was already producing a lot of media frenzy. I then decided to evaluate what this new device from Apple brings to the market place. In the process of considering what the iPad brings to the table, I also saw the possibility of utilizing this device as a great portfolio alternative for my day job as a Healthcare professional. It has been quiet a journey for some time now for me personally in terms of what to carry to my meetings. My trials run the gamut of multiple devices both technical and not so technical. From your simple portfolio, a wired bound notebook so I can have a much better historical perspective of what has transpired in my meetings, to a Smartphone device that has the capabilities to wireless sync my email, calendar and contact list. The Smartphone route however still left me carrying a portfolio around for note taking. My recent endeavor prior to the coming of the iPad was the idea of trotting along a Netbook. This device was not as bulky to carry around like an actual laptop and it provided me all the capabilities I wanted except for one problem, which was the same reason why I abandoned the idea of carrying a laptop to meetings in the first place. For some reason my netbook just like my laptop of recent past when carried to my meetings seem to be a distraction. I have often even observed that the act of staring at a vertical device can change the dynamics of my meetings. I believe it to be because I was gazed at a screen as opposed to paying attention to the crucial conversations occurring at my meetings. To further complicate matters there is the noise emitted by the clicking of the keyboard as I type notes into my netbook. The iPad in my view would fit the bill of the perfect meeting portfolio, being flat as it is would emulate the same workflow as if I was following the meeting agenda and due to its touch screen capabilities would naturally solve the keyboard issue apparent on my netbook.
To solidify my decision in purchasing an iPad, as an eBook reader and a portfolio alternative, I did an exhaustive search reading multiple online sources such as blogs and product reviews’. I started my review of sites by utilizing Google and simply typing in, “iPad review.” This provided me commentaries and detailed reviews from sites such as Engadget, Gizmodo, CNET, PCMag, Huffington Post and the likes. I also expanded my search, being a Microsoft Windows user that I am to obtain various viewpoints, specifically those expressed by windows based users and this was achieved by also doing a Google search for, “windows users review of the iPad.” To ensure that I truly get multiple perspectives on this topic, I did a Google search of Apple fans and read their review of the iPad. It comes as no surprise however that the proclaimed Apple fanatics practically revered the iPad for the most part as the Holy Grail of Apple. Nonetheless, the online research did not do justice to this device, not until I was able to actually visit a local Apple store and physically test out the device. It was at that magical moment as I interacted at the very responsive yet intuitive user interface and the stunning design Apple is known for that I realized the iPad had just raised the bar in terms of consumer expectations with mobile devices.
In order to classify this purchase as a fruitful one the factors necessary to solidify my decision would be based on battery life, how distracted my colleagues would be as I bring this device to meetings and lastly how I would adopt to the paradigm shift of moving from paper based textbooks to an electronic one. Specifically, how would I handle the workflow process that one generally takes with paper based textbooks which includes bookmarking, annotations and highlighting of important text?
To those who know me it could be said that I have been one of Apples toughest critic. Apple is known to be a closed proprietary product, only allowing third party application that has been granted approval. To some it is merely Apple acting as curators to make sure only great quality products are released to its user base. To others like me, I say let us the users decide what is best for our purchased product. Let the public be the curators and not be objects of Apples discretion because there is this notion that they know better what is best for us users. So in closing the determining factor on whether this decision to purchase an iPad can be considered a successful justification is based on how it can adopt to my daily workflow not only as a professional going through the daily grinds of one meeting after another but also now as a graduate student with the need to ensure textbooks are mobile and can accommodate the typical interactions I have with paper based textbooks. In my estimation, one month would be a good time frame to ensure productive use has been properly instituted on the iPad to deem it an excellent selection and perhaps even profess that it is a device that has changed my world for the better.
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