Following its announcement on January 27, 2010, Apple’s iPad captured the imagination of a world that had waited patiently through months of speculation – a world that watched as Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs introduced the device with a well placed quote from the Wall Street Journal stating that the
… Last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.
But even as we watched, dreamed, and envied from afar – a three-month layover stood between us and the object of our desire. In the interim, people were uncertain what to think of it. Some scoffed that the iPad was merely a toy, while others lauded it as the messianic new hub for digital media.
Now, nearly one year later, both camps were right. And wrong.
When iPad first made it into the waiting hands of early adopters in the U.S., there were Apps aplenty for people who wanted to play games, watch high definition streaming video, and listen to music. There were Apps for several news and entertainment outlets, and reference and personal finance Apps. But where was the word processing power? What about presentations, spreadsheets, or the simple ability to read PDFs on the go and view attachments to email messages? No luck, at first.
As a result, iPad got a premature reputation for being an expensive toy – something fun to have, but not necessary. It was no laptop killer. And while businessmen and women were licking their chops for a good reason to add iPad to their arsenals of productivity tools, that reason simply did not exist in the beginning. But thanks to a year of evolution and App development, not to mention the announcement of iPad 2, the present outlook for business use for iPad is brighter than ever. Here are some of best Stop Gap Apps for putting iPad to work.
Pages. When Apple ported the hallmark Apps from the iWork suite, the first full-bodied word processor for iPad made it possible to create and edit Pages and Word files that could be saved to MobileMe, or emailed for printing from a computer. Pages remains, in my opinion, the best iPad word processing App.
Keynote. The other game-changing App from iWork, Keynote lets you create and edit sleek, professional presentations on the fly. Recently, I created an entire presentation for a project for one of my clients using iPad and Keynote. It is the first time I ever received a standing ovation for a presentation.
Dropbox. Dropbox lets you store any kind of files in the cloud, where they can be streamed or accessed from anywhere straight to your iPad. You can also share links, making collaboration easy and effective. A great solution for non-MobileMe subscribers. Get a free account with up to 2GB of storage at dropbox.com
Numbers. I didn’t rank this one as highly as the other two iWork Apps I mentioned, because I don’t happen to work with spreadsheets too often, but when I do, I tend to need more room to move around. Still, it is phenomenal to be able to create and edit spreadsheets on iPad when necessary.
Penultimate. Armed with my Boxwave capacitive stylus, I am a Productivity Ninja once this App is opened. I can handwrite notes, make sketches and outlines, and even draft flowcharts – all of which can be printed later. (I don’t print very often. I’m trying to go paperless, but that’s just me.)
ReaddleDocs. This was the first App that made it truly easy and practical to read PDF, Word, Excel and Powerpoint files on iPad – without a lot of hassle. And you can save attachments from your email. Now, ReaddleDocs adds online storage to its ample collection of useful features, making it even better than before.
Analytics HD. The power of Google Analytics is in your hands, allowing you quick access to detailed traffic reports on all of your websites. Being able to see charts packed with statistics on visits, page views, and referrals is useful to me as a technology consultant and web developer.
Those are only a few of my favorite business Apps for iPad, but with new productivity Apps entering the fray daily, get out there and explore to find the ones that are right for you. You’ll soon see that iPad is far more than a pretty toy – it is truly a powerful business tool, surpassing, in some cases, the usefulness of a laptop. No wonder iPad is such an iconic post-PC device.
Paisley S. Paisley enjoys writing about SEO, books, and directsattv.com. When not writing, she loves spending time with her cats and friends.
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