Product Perspective: Introducing a new kind of computer

by Simon Strantzas (procurement@loop.ca), Product Specialist

It’s true. The iPad is coming. You’ve no doubt been hearing the rumours about Apple’s latest device for months now, but in January it was finally announced. Up here in Canada we haven’t yet heard what the final price will be, but if the US pricing is any indicator (and it must be since Apple Canada’s pasted it right there on their webpage) it’s going to be a wonderful device for next to nothing in price.

The iPad is more than just a blown-up iPhone, and it’s a mistake to discount the impact it’s likely to have on the world in general. Apple has a unique ability to design products not for the gear-heads among us but for you and me – people who don’t care what a computer can do but instead what it can do for us. We want things that will make our lives easier, not more complex, and the iPad looks like it will be that device.

Imagine the ability to pass your mockups around the room during meetings without demanding your clients juggle a laptop. The interface is so intuitive, they’ll be able to zoom in or out without issue. Load up a presentation that they can hold in their hands comfortably and easily. The iPad is also the perfect device for the medical community. Already vendors like MacPractice have announced plans to support the device with custom applications, putting the ability to manage schedules and patient records in the hands of the doctor, replacing the clipboard that’s been a staple for so many years. Integrated with wireless technology, the doctor will be able to pull up records as necessary. Not to mention the ability to bring up any needed medical reference text when necessary. The only paper left in the room might be what gets pulled over the examining table!

Think of the iPad not as a replacement for your laptop, but instead a portable console for your life. All the apps you use now on the iPhone and love will work on the iPad, but a whole slew of new app are expected to arrive shortly after its launch. Just as no one could have predicted the kind of things programmers could make the iPhone do, we have yet to imagine what exciting areas the iPad will be the perfect fit for. It’s an exciting time in the computing world as we are about to embark in a whole different direction, and the iPad is merely the first step.

The iPad is due in Canada in the next few months, and no doubt will require a 3G plan with your provider to take advantage of some of its features. The rest will work fine over your current Wi-Fi connection, which is more than sufficient for most business use. Please let your Loop Representative know how interested you are in the iPad and as soon as it’s available for purchase we’ll be sure to keep you informed.

On Line Backup and Restore

A remote, online, or managed back up service is a service that provides users with a system for backing up and storing computer files.
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Contact your Loop Sales Representative at sales@loop.ca to lean more about this service and to schedule our complimentary on-site assessment.