There’s been a lot of brouhaha about the iPad, Apple’s attempt to revolutionize the tablet game. Though some 4 million iPads have been sold in the U.S., many consumers are still on the fence–wondering if this latest gadgetry is just a bigger iPhone or iPod Touch, or whether it’s a toy with practical and advantageous uses for everyday life.
For small business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals, there are definitely clear advantages to making the iPad part of your work life. Check it out.
WATCH: Introducing the Black Enterprise iPad app
Stop carrying pounds of paper: Yes, your laptop may let you read and write on the go. But with 10 hours of battery life and virtually zero minutes spent booting up, you can compile all your favorite papers, magazines, and business documents on the iPad. Third-party apps allow users to read PDFs and .doc files. Other apps, such as Ideate, allow users to sketch out ideas on a virtual white board, save them as images, and e-mail them to business partners.
Engage your creative side: It’s great to have the information you need at your fingertips but what about when that info ignites a spark of genius? Some iPad apps come with built-in notepads that allow users to jot down notes. With virtual push pins that appear right in the text, representing your notes, you’ll be reminded of what you need to look up or develop. No need to navigate away from the content, open up a separate notepad app, or pull out a pen and paper.
Interact with your information: With embedded video, users can watch short clips that accompany text without navigating away from the original content. The functionality is much more seamless than other platforms, giving you the ability to listen to audio and view slideshows, along with other multimedia elements and larger text pieces, all in the same pane. Say sayonara to having to click through browsers and tabs.
Video demonstrations: Though one of the major drawbacks for many iPad users is its lack of flash capability, it does allow users to integrate their own video projects, i.e., hire wire presentations. Let’s face it–adding video and graphic content can make a good presentation great. With its sizable screen and compact size, you can always have your presentation ready to go–just in case you run into that potential client or investor in an elevator.
Renita Burns is a writer and content producer for BlackEnterprise.com.