Out here at the InformationWeek 500 Conference, I was talking last
night with a few CIOs about the iPad and what it is that makes it
so special: why lots of big companies in various industries are
turning to Apple's latest bit of wizardry.
And as I listened to the wisdom of our audience, I think the answer
finally penetrated even my thick skull: the iPad allows individuals
and companies to do what they could not do before.
I don't mean to trivialize the device with a description like
that—in fact, that's about the highest form of praise I could
offer to a technology tool. It's not the same as a computer company
unveiling a smaller/better/faster/cheaper notebook, nor is it like
the great leap from notebook to netbook, nor is it matched by even
the extraordinary power of the smartphone.
The iPad engages its users to move beyond mere
productivity—applying technology to a something you already
know how to do and delivering a more-efficient outcome—and
into the realm of innovation by allowing people to create new ways
of seeing things, new ways of presenting ideas, new ways of
communicating, and new ways delivering almost every fathomable type
of information, from business graphics to images to text to
video.
n the enterprise world, I think that in a year's time we'll look at
the iPad as the ultimate business-engagement tool, allowing
companies to equip not only their employees but also their
customers with a device that expands the possibilities of how those
customers can engage with business partners in richer and
more-meaningful ways.
I think we'll see some crazy-smart companies buying iPads for not
only their own employees but also for some of their customers,
because in that way the seller's imaginative ideas and fresh
perspectives can be fully shared with prospects and customers.
Is that an absurd idea? Sure it is. But it's also absurd to
consider the sales success Apple's had with the iPad, where even a
company like Apple that is consistently recognized as having one of
the world's top supply-chain experts has been unable to make enough
of the devices to keep up with demand.
This is not just a new thing that Apple's a little bit out in
front with—this is a game-changer across multiple industries.
And here's a specific example from the world of video, starring
Apple's new white-hot partner, Netflix.