The Year of the I-Pad

Last week my sister and brother-in-law visited to help celebrate my father's upcoming ninetieth birthday (you read that right--90th!). My brother-in-law brought along his I-Pad. I looked at it, touched a few screen icons, watched him and my sister play Scrabble. The next morning I woke up with this strong urge to own one.

I titled this post, "The Year of the I-Pad' in reference to my post a couple of years ago, "The Year of the Blackberry," my first foray into smart phone territory. The phone has proved to be an indispensable work tool, but it hasn't evolved. I didn't even get a new phone at the beginning of the year when my plan allowed because there was no phone to upgrade to. I've been thinking of the I-Phone but have been advised by my trusted adviser (my son) to wait for the newer version, rumored to be out soon.

The newer version of the I-Pad, however, is out now. I must say Apple does it right. Their sales people not only know their products, they can place your order and deliver it right to where you are standing, playing with a display model. You don't even need to weed your way through the crowded store to the cash register, stand in line, etc., all those distractions that make you change your mind and leave. They keep you focused on the product and the excitement of owning it. All of us in sales should learn from this model.

I am finding my new I-Pad extraordinarily easy to use (including typing on the touch screen), offering great visual displays, loads of apps--both fun, work-related and all around useful. Makes my PC (although still invaluable) seem . . . well almost . . . outdated. It is no longer on the leading edge of computing. I am not the only one who feels this way. I came across an article: IBM Inventor: PC is Dead. Mark Dean is quoted, "My primary computer now is a tablet. When I helped design the PC, I didn't think I'd live long enough to witness its decline."