The iPad: The Ultimate Productivity Device?


Friday was the launch date of Apple’s iPad device outside of the United States and early reports suggest that sales are likely to be as “brisk” as they were when the American public had first dibs.

Now that the device has made its way into nine additional countries, many wonder if part of the appeal of the device is its inherent appeal to be used to maximize productivity. With Apple themselves marketing their iWork suite as productivity apps and The Omni Group focusing their energy on bringing all of 5 of their productivity apps to the platform, it’s clear that the iPad is being positioned as a device geared towards fostering productivity.

(That said, it’s also being touted as a cutting-edge gaming device.)

Whether the iPad becomes the “go to” device for people wanting to be awesomely productive or if it’s just a flashy new gadget (re: distraction), one thing is certain – it is going global.

Is the iPad the ultimate productivity device?  What do you think?


Mike Vardy an editor on Work Awesome. We could tell you where his personal productivity parody site, Eventualism and all of his other projects reside on the web, but you'd be best served going to Vardy.me and following the trail of virtual bread crumbs from there.

Discussion

  1. Peter North on the 29th May

    I was pretty skeptical of the iPad, especially as a media creation device. Apple itself marketed it as a “media consumption device,” so I thought it would be great for viewing documents, images and video, but I expected it wouldn’t be used to create such things.

    Then I tried the iWork suite. It’s easy, intuitive, and built especially for the touch screen interface. Combine that with one of those iPad keyboard docks, and you’ve got a full-blown computer with a longer battery and even 3G data.

    It’s an amazing productivity tool; it overcomes all the obstacles that keep you from your work. No Wifi? No power outlet? No room in that little taxicab or that cramped airplane seat? No problem.

  2. Luis Reyes on the 29th May

    I have had it for about a week, good device but not as impressed as I thought I would be.

    I’m sure I would love it on a plane or waiting. I will still use my android phone for communications like tweets and messaging.

  3. RJ on the 29th May

    Just from a productivity stand point I am super impressed with the iPad. I am a web designer and I can do almost every part of a project (minus the actual design). Drafting up contracts and proposals with Pages has been great, and being able to email them or upload them to iwork.com makes it even better. We are only in the “first round” of iPad apps, so I think things are going to get better and we will see how this one awesome device with all of it’s perks starts to be the go-to device for most things.

  4. Pablo Valerio on the 29th May

    The BBC has called the iPad a “Glorified Toy”..

    I believe the device has great potential, but you can do much more with a Netbook for half of the price.

    However I have to recognize that Apple again has made a great “gizmo” and has an amazing marketing approach. But I don’t like “closed” markets and lack of compatibility with open standards

    We have to wait until rivals with Android or Linux come into the tablet market. Prices will go down making the tablet technology mainstream and more flexible options will be available.

    But we have to praise Apple for bringing the tablet to the masses….

  5. Mike on the 30th May

    I completely agree with Pablo. I am a musician and was excited about how the iPad could be used for live performances as a control surface, Then I found out no USB. Also it runs a custom processor and custom OS so app development will be limited.

    Apple was doing so well in becoming mainstream with moving over to intel chips an opening up a bit and then they do stuff like this. I guess they are opening the door for future devices like this but its still frustrating that they can get out of the “mac only” mindset.

Add a Comment