Lyraspace

Developing for the iPad – the ultimate sales & marketing tool

Posted on 28. Jan, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized

Apple introduced their new thing of beauty yesterday and they didn’t disappoint. The iPad is a 9.7 inch touch screen device that works much like the iPhone but with a greatly enhanced user experience packaged up into a small, lightweight and portable spectacle. I’m sure I don’t need to go on about the details of the device as every man and their dog has been to take a look but I did think it was worth discussing just how people might use the device and in particular the benefits to your productivity.

Your average consumer will delight in using the device for the usual everyday tasks of email, surfing and watching video; especially as they relax after a hard days work with the device sat comfortably on their lap and Eastenders on in the background – but what about on the move?

Nothing can beat the iPhone for providing you with all the kit you need to be productive (or not) while out and about. Whether you’re emailing, checking your diary or posting on LinkedIn you can be sure that in Apple’s own words ‘there’s an app for that’. I personally use a lot of amazing apps on my iPhone. Whether to record notes with Evernote or read articles with Papers I am confident that I am being as productive as humanely possible whilst away from my office and my faithful MacBook Pro. As a developer and a consultant the only thing I cannot do is author code and draw wireframes in OmniGraffle while sat in the dentist chair. But will that change once the iPad is released? Well, to be honest … probably not. I can’t see myself whipping it out while running to catch a train to see if I can squeeze in another five minutes of work – but I can see myself sitting on the train working on ideas with mindnode or sketching some ideas down using the Brushes app. And it will be these kinds of tasks accomplished on the iPad that will really make it stand out from all the other iPhone based tools I use.

Some of the new applications demonstrated at the keynote included Apple’s Keynote, Pages and Numbers which collectively make up the iWork suite of tools that are already available for the Mac but have now been ported over to take full advantage of the touchscreen interface. The consideration to the user-interface and usability of these tools on the iPad is truly breathtaking and it was watching these demonstrations of desktop publishing, presentation design and number crunching that really made me stand up and take notice and then the true market for this device became apparent … Apple have created the ultimate sales and marketing tool.

If you are a media dude out to win that next big pitch then presenting your glossy presentation on this thing is really going to make you stand out from the crowd. Whether your crunching the numbers with colleagues in the local cafe or zapping your latest brochure over to an interested party via Bluetooth this is the device you want to be seen with. The iPad is purely and simply the next big business accessory … it makes the Blackberry look like a child’s toy and sporting one will be the pursuit of every media maestro in the world.

But a cool looking device means nothing without great content … and this is where I may be able to help. As a fully paid-up member of the iPhone Developer program I’ve already downloaded the latest SDK and have been studying all the latest changes that will enable me to produce apps for the new iPad and as a keen developer and designer I’m also ready to produce cutting edge web sites and Keynote presentations that take full advantage of the features of the iPad that will surely look sweet on that magnificent display.

You may want to provide your sales force with an iPad equipped with a bespoke application that allows them to enter their data on the go and send it back to headquarters whilst also recording their movements throughout the day. You’ll be provisioning them with a presentation device that tells the client you mean business. A toolkit that incorporates video and audio, connectivity and usability without any of the stress involved with rigging up projectors and connecting to dodgy wireless connections to showcase your wares.

How about sending someone a PDF of your latest brochure via Bluetooth after previewing the document to them in all its glory in glorious full-screen? What if that brochure was available from iBooks … you never know, Apple may allow businesses to host their own literature on their store as well as apps.

Maybe you’d be interested in adapting your website to include an iPad specific stylesheet so it renders within the iPad browser but looks just like an app.

If your company would like advice on how to plan ahead to take full advantage of this new opportunity then please get in touch to request a consultation. There are exciting opportunities available to us all and you might want to be ahead of the game!

iPad images courtesy of Apple.com

Tags: Apple, business, device, gadget, iPad, iphone, presentation