As a devoted Apple fan, as well as the owner of a Mac-technology consulting firm, you’d think I always drink from the Macintosh Kool-Aid™ ­fountain. And truth be told, I often do. Apple has proven time and time again that it usually knows what the market wants before most other tech companies, and often before the market itself knows what it wants.

Apple hasn’t hit a homerun with every product it’s produced, but it has a better track record than just about any other computer company still in business. If Apple played baseball, its batting average would be about .900 or so.

When the iPad was first introduced, it was poo-poo’d as a tablet computer that wasn’t really a computer. Apple educated us that it was really a media device—for email, web browsing, music, videos, and similar functions. The public responded by buying them in droves. By the third quarter of 2012, more than 80 million units had been sold—a hugh success by any measure.

Then came the iPad Mini. The questions beg to be asked. Why? Who needs a smaller tablet? Who needs a larger phone for that matter? If we listen to technology companies, it seems they think we all do.

We live in a world of strange divergences; our TVs keep getting larger, ya gotta catch Sunday’s game on that big 72-inch­ screen, yet we easily watch that next blockbuster movie on our phones.

Technology companies keep telling us what we need next, so, does anyone really need the iPad Mini? Yes, I think we do.

The original iPad is great, the kids love it to watch movies on it, I use it to check email, video chat with the family back east, but then it gets put back on the side table or the edge of the desk where it lives most of its life. For many, it’s just a little too large to put in a back pocket or in a wife’s purse. While some venture out, it often stays at home. (Of course, one trip to Disneyworld and you’ll see countless tourists using it for photos and videos!)

Increasingly, the world wants to be mobile. Business wants to be mobile. YOU want to be mobile, and the iPad Mini helps accomplish that.

Doctors can now comfortably fit one in their lab coats as they make rounds. Expect to see iPad Minis usage really take off in the medical community. I have a mental health client who has hundreds of direct care staff working in the field. The iPad in general, but the iPad Mini specifically will end up in their hands to provide a direct link to the main office with critical client related data and time critical communications.

Table staff at restaurants can now easily carry an iPad Mini on the floor to take orders, and still juggle a tray of drinks or hot plates. Sales reps can use it to show product, download intruction manuals, email orders, or a host of other activities, all from a device pulled out of their pockets. Warehouses can use cloud service software and iPad Minis to “pick and pull” from warehouse bins. Almost any retailer, for that matter, can use it for price checks, inventory control, and even communications.

So, are the iPad Mini, the Samsung Galaxy Note, Google’s Nexus 7, or the Kindle Fire HDX relevant? Yes, I believe they are, whereas a larger tablet is more of a gadget, albeit, a very cool gadget, I think a smaller tablet is more of a tool. I would even argue the iPad Mini is cool tool, as often only Apple can do, but a tool nonetheless. One that got its size right, got its functionality right, and got its price right. A business tool that will wind up in more businesses, doing more business.

In my mind, the only question is “how will your business use a mini tablet?” •

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The iPad was launched with much poo-poo’ing from the PC crowd and a lot of head scratching from their own Mac crowd. Was it a tablet laptop? Was it a new form of  “netbook?” Or was it just a big iTouch for people with bad eyes?

Despite a lot of questionable press, the iPad sold more than a million units its first month, and it sold more than 3 million in less than 3 months. Its launch was a huge success by any standard.

What the world quickly learned was that the iPad is not a laptop. It is not a tablet as the PC world knew it. It is, instead, a multimedia device that is both easy to use and cool to have. Through either a wireless communications plan or a local Wi-Fi network, the iPad connects you easily to the web. Through any one of the millions of apps available, you gain productivity. And lastly, it’s an entertainment device allowing you to listen to music, watch TV and movies, read books and magazines, or play countless games.

During the first week of release, iPads began showing up in business meetings. Granted, it was mostly by early adopters who did it for the cool factor as much as anything else. But within a very short time, business professionals began to see additional benefits.

For some reason, laptop computers never really became a mainstay of business meetings. Some have postulated that the screen was obtrusive, making meetings less personal as people were “hiding behind” screens. But more and more, business people needed to connect to the Internet in meetings, and it was not easy or convenient. This may have been due to the security issues of wireless networks in corporate environments and the fact that cellular connections not taken off yet and become commonplace. Also, not all laptops owners carried around a cellular network device (Mi-Fi).

iPads seemed to blow past laptops, and surprisingly, a lot of “pad and paper” people have made the migration to them. While not quite as fast as a paper and pen, the Notepad application, or “app,” is generally sufficient for taking basic notes. Programs such as Documents To Go, Office HD, and iWorks give the user access to documents as well as some advanced tools such as word processing and spreadsheet software. Calendars are even easily piped into iPads now.

Another key factor toward its success is that iPads work very well with most corporate Exchange servers, making business email a breeze to send and receive through your iPad.

So, next time you’re looking for a pen and paper to bring to the meeting, try taking your iPad instead. There are many iPad stylus’ that you can purchase if you can’t seem to leave the pen. And hey, if the meeting is ever boring, there’s always the Netflix app! •

On The Horizon

Apple has never been good about releasing any information regarding new products before they come out, but the rumor mills are buzzing about several anticipated iPad items.

iPad 3

The newest version of the iPad is rumored to be almost here. Mac bloggers are going crazy about this, with lots of chatter about new Retina displays, faster processors, and a higher megapixel camera.

iOS 5.1

Apple is will be releasing a highly-anticipated new system software (iOS) for the iPad, iPhone and iTouch. While features of the new software have been kept hush-hush, it is believed that it is not a small upgrade but a pretty significant jump in functionality. While no firm date has been announced, it will be sooner rather than later.

Microsoft Office for iPad

Business users and consumers alike are anxiously awaiting the inevitable release from Microsoft. If the rumors are correct and Microsoft introduces and Office version for iPad to coincide with the iPad 3 release, the business and educational communities will surely make it a best-seller. •

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