Discussion on:

Apple iPad 2 review: Why it's still winning with business users

What I can draw from your comments, is that business users are helping to drive sales, despite the fact that it isn't a good business tool? So mainly people are trying to use them in business is to justify the expense of buying them on the company dime, but for personal use? If that is true, this is the opportunity RIM needs to exploit, since their whole message is the Playbook really is for business.

I believe the enterprise features that he is talking about are security, manageability and customization, i.e. things that the IT department is looking for in a device. Business users buy them because they are light, easy to use and a quick way to access information. They are easy to carry around, have essentially no boot time and no setup (no mouse to plug in, no need for a power cord, etc.), but it still does 90% of what most users need.

Bill
edited because got interrupted and didn't realize i didn't finish a thought.

It might not be 90% of what YOU need - but you and I are not most users. We are tech guys. It is NOT at device for tech guys. It is a device that does 90% of what most people want - facebook, email, watch videos/photos. MOST people do not want the complexity and trouble that comes along with a 'proper' computer!

I agree that the email application is the biggest weakness of this device. As you stated, most users are business users that use the device for both business and personal. The email application should also have more "account specific" settings. Currently a user can only have a single signature for all email accounts. That is NOT what users want or need. We need to have a signature specific to each account. Also the "bcc self" or blind copy function should also be account specific. I need to have copies of work related emails sent to my work account. When sending emails from my personal email I certainly don't want them sent to my work account.
RA

Mail App's for the iPad 1 & 2 will be developed to meet the demand. Thats the good part of the Apple programing community. Thats also why the iPad will continue to me the top PADD for business users. The iPad will now be Steve Jobs #1 project, and will someday replace all the laptops in there lineup. Next step (sorry for the pun) will be the full Mac OSX Tab in 2014. If you look at the size of the new MacBook Air and turn over the LCD screen and make it a touch pad, their job is done. Now that will be interesting to see how the other manufactures will be able to keep up. Let it run OSi and OSX at the same time. Just like the days of OS 9, running on the older Mac's .

I am a business user that bought the iPad, then the iPad2, for personal use, but, found out that it is better for business. I have put all of my meeting notes on it and even record the meetings using Evernote. My whole intention for using the iPad was for eliminating my laptop at home. Having it sitting on the counter by my chair to watch Netflix or Hulu and for checking IMDB when ever we needed to find out who an actress or actor was. I have since incorporated it into my daily work life. Answering emails on the road and using the calendar to keep track of meetings. I also bought a todo app to keep track of want needs to been done each day. I love using it for everything!

You are aware that todo and evernote are multiplatform right?

He's shown that the iPad meets his need for multiple reasons as a business user. He bought the iPad for one purpose and found out that it could meet others that naysayers claimed it could never do. ToDo and Evernote may be multiplatform, but he found the iPad platform to meet his needs best. Others will have other needs that the iPad may or may not meet.

every one who reviews a tablet no matter the benefits can not do it without mentioning the the ipad 2. Rather then saying what problems it solves. some reviews mention the ipad more then the device they are mentioning, even if they claim not to be ipad fans.

... don't want to admit that an Apple product has done far better than they ever dreamed it could do. At the moment, the iPad and iPad 2 are the best and most available products of their kind on the open market. This could change. The iPad has proven itself capable of serving effectively in many different corporate tasks far beyond the mere "media consumption" arguments made when it was first announced.

Yes, there are other devices. You have the older Windows tablets that weigh up to 5 pounds and have little real touch-centric capability due to the lack of touch- or pen-based software and costs $3000 or more. You have the newer Android devices, most notably the Galaxy Tab and the Xoom, one of which seems to be doing poorly in the corporate market and the other reviewed as an "incomplete, beta-model device." You have the recently-announced RIM Playbook which also has an "incomplete" review, implying--no, flat stating that many of the functions it should have out of the box rely on the user owning a Blackberry to access them. As yet, despite supposedly superior specifications, no competing device is as fully integrated and fully functional as the iPad. Until there is, the iPad remains the most logical choice for corporate and consumer users.

Think technology should be shiny but not functional.

The fifties!

@Kanderous - so people's experience doesn't count for anything? When someone finds that a device works for them, you obviously know better and put it down to the shiny factor. The most basic application of intelligence to the evidence would suggest that it is precisely the fact that it's functional that encourages them to use the gadget. As one who probably fits your imputed demographic, I don't have time to fiddle with stuff that provides daily challenges just to get it to work - I've got more important things to do.

I don't have a problem with the Apple iPad for the consumer .. my wife enjoys the one I bought her and recently we sold her netbook since she wasn't using it. I am more business oriented so the iPad doesn't work for me. I have addressed the issue of iPads in our company many times in the past year and I have no problem with them if anyone can provide an application for their use .. besides they're cool and fun. I have one manager who is interestedin a tablet and waiting for the latest Acer Droid unit to be available. The use would be to provide PowerPoint presentations connected to a projector/tv, quick start time, battery life and portability. Of course there has to be an app to run the presentations on either a Droid device or iPad. The list of needs and options grows and diminishes respectively for the 2 most common platforms.
The best device I have found that would work well in a business setting is the Tangent Tycoon since it is a "VIP Pad" and can be purchased with Windows 7 Professional. Imagine the ability to join the domain, access the mapped drives, run the same Office and Antivirus applications and of course be managed through Group Policies. You have to give up a little "quick start time" and battery life. Now a person just has to determine which is more important.
I always have an issue with the person who metaphorically stands in front of the microwave and yealls "Come On!! I don't have 10 seconds!!" Technology will never pay them what they're owed!

I looked up the Tangent Tycoon, it looks to be a pretty neat tablet. My major concern with the Atom powered devices is speed. Have you found it able to keep up with the multi-touch screen and Office 2010 (pretty bad performance hog in my opinion).

The AMD C50 and C350 solve the speed problems, largely due to a very good GPU and 4 Gigs of DDR3. They last as long or longee than the Atoms and they're dual core.

I bought one to test out and it is very nice. It boots up faster than a quick laptop but it does perform slower than light apps on a Droid tablet or an iPad. I am hoping the next version has a better processor. Here is the main comparison to evaluate the purchase/use. Several people have laptops and are known to do many PowerPoint presentations. They forget power adapters at places and complain when it takes a long time for their laptop to boot up because they don't want to learn the sleep/hibernate functions. You know, put it away in the case and next time you get it out the battery is dead becasue you didn;t turn it off, you hibernated it. But I digress. If I could provide a tablet (not a laptop tablet) or something like the iPad (or the iPad) that would be able to replace their mobility needs and make it easier/cooler AND replace their laptop with a workstation back in their office ... that would be the best program. Faster in the office ... lighter, quicker and mobile out of the office but retain the network access, programs needed and lock down. I am working on it. I might be about 6 months to early but it looks promising in 2011.

... that the iPad offers a means to connect to said projector and has an app for putting said presentation on-screen. I've been doing this with an iPad 1 for several months now. The quick start and long battery life are already well-known features of the iPad. Quite honestly, you seem to be blocking a very effective tool due to lack of knowledge.

As yet, and still, I don't understand why so many people insist that you need a full version of Windows on a mobility device--it's far too much OS for the average mobile need. It's why Windows has been an effective failure on tablets for over 10 years. Putting a full version of Windows on a more compact, lightweight and less expensive platform is not going to make it that much more desirable unless it also has touch- or pen-based software readily available for it. So far, it doesn't.

I guess you missed the part where I said you need an app to run the presentations on either the Droid or the iPad. I am not blocking the iPad "tool" from our organization. If the only reason is to provide mobility for PowerPoint presentations then it is not adding value. They have laptops already and we have "loaners" as well. I say spend a couple hundred more and actually provide better integration into the network/domain. Get more for our money. To help explain it better you could say the $499 iPad does not meet the minimum $500 purchase price for depreciated assets. A capitol expenditure versus a depreciatable asset means a lot to my Accounting Dept. and it is my job to provide the best value for our company which also includes the bottom line.
But the iPads are cool.

Good luck typing the character ` (single-back-quote, usually on the left side of the "1" key on a real keyboard), I use this character all the time both for *nix shell commands and some of my passwords. If this is good for business, it's not good for IT business if I can't have all my characters on the keyboard. This is an issue with both iPad 1 and 2. I guest I will just have to wait for iPad 3 or 4, or 5 for this "new feature".

Hit the shift (.?123) "key" and slide your finger over the apostrophe ' key and hold for a couple of seconds. A little mini keypad pops up where you can select the ` and a couple other things.

What about the pipe symbol?

If you hit the .?123 button and then hit the #+= button, you will see the pipe symbol in the third position second row down. |

I'm a Windows IT guy but would love to use Apple products. But iTunes truly sucks so much i'm giving up. While i know that iTunes is the subsidy that Apple calls "income" it's a damn shame they don't treat Windows users with more respect. However, i hear my Mac friends complain about iTunes too. Can't the famous Jason Hiner nudge them a little?

I've complained about iTunes for years. In fact, in the past I've called it the second worst piece of popular software ever (with Lotus Notes being No. 1).

I agree...the only reason I even have that blasted program is to convert apple music files back to MP3...ones I get from my apple-slave friends.

I really love Apple products for what they are. I can deal with just about every item in the "Cons" column except iTunes. It really is an overbearing, poorly-optimized, my-way-or-the-highway pile of ... opportunity.

I hear there are viable 3rd-party replacements for syncing media, though. I'm looking into using Foobar 2000 with the portable device plugin. Would still have to use iTunes for firmware updates twice a year, but that's better than always having to beat it into submission to get a new CD added to my library.

Not sure if that works for an iPad but for iPod. Transfer your music and photos to and from your computer to device. Easy to use.

I have yet to find any software that does what iTunes does better than iTunes does it. Maybe, despite having over 15,000 tracks and numerous movies and other videos I'm just not working it the way you people do. Please, tell me how you're using it to have so many problems!

The idea that the iPad is not designed for business may be the cart before the horse thinking. I am reminded that the original PC (personal computer) was not designed for business, but business people used the PC for business. Software companies produced software to help businesses do business on their PC???s. In time the PC became a viable business tool. I see this same process happening with the iPad.

I have to concur with more comments submitted. The iPad was developed to meet a perceived consumer need and not business needs. I intended to replace my ThinkPad with an iPad for business use. With the Pages, Numbers, Keynote and SG Project this is possible but not easy. Mail is mostly functional but lacks a local storage capability. Major business tools requiring the use of Flash 7 are restricted so, now instead of dumping my laptop in favor of the iPad, I take both with me on trips; the laptop for work, the iPad for other that it can handle. Again, the iPad is a business toy, not a business tool.

I quite agree with Jeff. Actually the iPad is a boon for people who want something simple, that means not having to tinker with settings and other weird requirements. It works seamlessly with the laptop, Mac or Pc , and if you have an iPhone or an iPod it integrates perfectly. Frankly net books are a pain. They are small and slow. The keyboard is difficult to use, because it's packed together.the iPad by contrast has a better display, can be held up, and the keyboard is pretty useful. An extra line of keys with arrow keys included would help. IAWRITER a word processing app has this additional key line.

The battery life of the XOOM is rated at 9 hours as tested by others... Another thing, the XOOM charges in half the time so you get roughly 18 hours of use for the same amount of charging time that the Apple gets you in 11 to 12 hours.

Also, going from New York to China or Australia with any stop over will leave the tablet short on power. Now remember, even the competitors are over 10 hours when all the radios are turned off so you're not going to see a huge advantage either way.

Is that despite some missing features, it is a long-lasting, instant on, for short form input and long form consumption device. It can be used comfortably in more places than a notebook, and has a larger interaction surface with larger targets than a similarly specced smart phone.

It's closest competitor is the Netbook. The Netbook is superior at text entry to the tablet but that is it's only advantage. Products like the transformer from asus attempt to address this weakness by adding a keyboard dock.

Long form reading and database entry as well as stylus input for sketches are where these devices shine. Add to this presentations, note taking, and impromptu cloud based recording of meetings in a much more convenient way and the tablets uses are obvious to anyone.

I haven't heard any mentions in any review about the addition of a Mic for audio recording. What is it like? Will it work with Dragon to record meetings, etc.? Or, am I wrong assuming it has a mic if it has a camera for Facetime?

This Tab is the real and more powerfull rival for Ipad 2, its has more screen resolution, better cameras, memory card slots, Flash support, .... Just google for "Apple iPad 2 vs New Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1" and w'ill see the differences...

But it has to ship first. Then, not only must it have the ports it must have the drivers to make all those nice ports work as well as the fonts and printer support we see on more traditional notebooks.

Then we have to decide whether it needs SD or microSD or HDSD or all of the above and perhaps support for USB 3 or light peak and so on. Then of course it has to have a hardware keyboard and a track pad and perhaps an optical drive.

Or you could just install an SSD in your notebook and call it a day.