Apple iPad Could Be Small Business Boost

Steve Jobs promised that Apple's recently announced iPad will make computing and Web surfing “much more intimate, intuitive and fun” than ever before. But, while Apple boasts about its “magical” new device, how will it really help small businesses?

A Price for the Times
In the latest culture of cutting excess expense and streamlining processes, the iPad's unexpectedly low price of $499 makes this product affordable for many businesses.

Apps on Steroids
A new version of the productivity suite iWorks, will be available to create presentations, spreadsheets, and documents. And with a larger screen and more processing power, the iPad can build from a large base of apps already developed and used in the business environment.

More Powerful, More Mobile
Because of it's size and computing power, the iPad also promises to make doing business on the go more convenient. Tech blog VentureBeat quoted MeLLmo owner Quniton Alsbury: “[The iPad] is poised to change how mobile workers conduct business. It’s more mobile than a laptop, more powerful than a smartphone.”

Better Marketing Tool
If this product catches on like the iPhone, then the iPad can reach a wide audience by providing a smarter and more graphically powerful tool for small business marketing. It's powerful processor and larger screen could make interactive business promotion more powerful and user-friendly than ever before.

But Do People Want It?
The Associated Press asked the question of whether consumers really want (or need) the tablet device.
“Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said he doesn't believe the iPad added enough for consumers to justify buying yet another gadget, or to call this a new category of devices,” according to AP reporters Jessica Mintz and Rachel Metz. “In an e-mail, he criticized its lack of social features such as ways to share photos and home video and recommend books.”

We'll wait and see if the iPad fills a need in evolving digital media, but no matter what, the iPad indicates the direction that business and marketing are moving—mobile.

To learn more about how HIT Web Design can help your business prepare for the future, visit www.hitwebdesign.com or call 1-866-211-0743.