[Phileas]

A friend of mine is just starting her residence in a hospital in Toronto. She says that the introduction of the iPad into the system is literally saving lives.

It provides instant, verified, information about a patients history. ER is now taking photographs of wounds that are added directly into patient files, doctors are recording voice notes when typing isn't practical. A huge, huge help when a patient is being handed over. And those are just a few of the tasks the iPad handles. There's instant access to x-rays and scans, prescription history, etc, etc.

A junior doctor costs about $7k a month to pay, equip, etc. Adding a one time cost of $500 is nothing.

[Spheric Harlot]

Thanks for the clarification, guys.

That does sound eminently sensible.

For a toy.

[Phileas]

Of course. We mustn't forget that.

Did you read that last months ebooks have outsold paper books, in the US, by a significant margin?

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

A friend of mine is just starting her residence in a hospital in Toronto. She says that the introduction of the iPad into the system is literally saving lives.

It provides instant, verified, information about a patients history. ER is now taking photographs of wounds that are added directly into patient files, doctors are recording voice notes when typing isn't practical. A huge, huge help when a patient is being handed over. And those are just a few of the tasks the iPad handles. There's instant access to x-rays and scans, prescription history, etc, etc.

A junior doctor costs about $7k a month to pay, equip, etc. Adding a one time cost of $500 is nothing.

Err... I'm not sure what relevance this has for the greater population, and furthermore, this is not even a new thing. Doctors in other jurisdictions had been using tablets in this context for years now, even before the iPad came along. In addition, smartphone use is mandatory in many institutions, for instant email and access to data. The evolutionary incorporation of iPad/tablet use is not surprising, and as I said, it's been happening for quite some time now. eg. Panasonic Toughbook tablet.

Lightweight, Durable and Ideal for the Healthcare Environment
Based on Intel's reference design, Panasonic's Toughbook H1 Health mobile clinical assistant (MCA), features a bright 10.4" dual touch display that offers both tablet and touchscreen functionality and has an IP65 certifed design. Weighing only 3.4 lbs, with hot-swappable twin batteries, this mobile computing platform features an 80GB shock-mounted flex-connect hard drive, the latest Intel® mobile processor technology, embedded wireless capabilities, and is designed to meet the specific needs of healthcare professionals.

The iPad has the advantage in weight and cost. The Toughbook has the advantage just about everywhere else, because it's a tablet specifically built for healthcare use.

However, all of that is besides the point, since in this context, none of the machines are used for productivity in the way grandma would use a tablet. IOW, specialized hospital-based productivity or specialized film-production productivity is pretty much irrelevant as a comparison to grandma's productivity.

P.S. The iPad 2's camera sucks royally. I wasn't surprised when I got the unit because the reviews said it was bad, but nonetheless I was surprised that Apple was willing to put such a crappy unit in the iPad 2, given that even the one in the iPhone 4 is noticeably better (although not exactly great either).

[Phileas]

Who took the jam out of your doughnut? Or are you channeling Vodoo today?

The iPad is making inroads into a plethora of productivity scenarios precisely because >$50 apps are replacing >$$$$ dedicated solutions. Thats happening in publishing, in healthcare, in content creation, in product design and yes, in business. Two of our financial services clients have outfitted theIr entire sales force with iPads. And these guys get paid for being productive, believe me.

Nobody said that there haven't been solutions before the iPad. But the iPad is the first hardware solution that makes people come up with innovative ways to use it, mainly via app development.

Your personal experience of the world, and your definition of productivity, is just that. Others see it through their own lens.

[Eug]

Who took the jam out of your doughnut? Or are you channeling Vodoo today?

No, I'm just looking at this realistically. The iPad is being used in healthcare like other tablets. Great for Apple, but it's not as if it's the 2nd coming or something.

The iPad is cool, but a lot of people didn't think the first version of the iPad was well-suited for health-care work because it was missing things like bar-code scanners and it was a lot more fragile than desired. Plus it doesn't have any sort of dust and liquid resistance rating.

The advantage here is the iPad is cheaper and lighter, not that it's necessarily better overall.

The iPad is making inroads into a plethora of productivity scenarios precisely because >$50 apps are replacing >$$$$ dedicated solutions. Thats happening in publishing, in healthcare, in content creation, in product design and yes, in business. Two of our financial services clients have outfitted theIr entire sales force with iPads. And these guys get paid for being productive, believe me.

I happen to agree, application support is key for a very specific usage. However, that doesn't mean grandma's usage will be anywhere near similar, and the vast majority of the time, it isn't.

BTW, for your financial services clients, do they still use laptops? If not, colour me surprised.

[freudling]

Originally Posted by Eug 

No, I'm just looking at this realistically. The iPad is being used in healthcare like other tablets. Great for Apple, but it's not as if it's the 2nd coming or something.

The iPad is cool, but a lot of people didn't think the first version of the iPad was well-suited for health-care work because it was missing things like bar-code scanners and it was a lot more fragile than desired. Plus it doesn't have any sort of dust and liquid resistance rating.

The advantage here is the iPad is cheaper and lighter, not that it's necessarily better overall.


I happen to agree, application support is key for a very specific usage. However, that doesn't mean grandma's usage will be anywhere near similar, and the vast majority of the time, it isn't.

BTW, for your financial services clients, do they still use laptops? If not, colour me surprised.

If you actually believe what your writing... how the hell have you been around MacNN this long with this kind of dribble your penning?

Eug, if you don't think the iPad is a very big deal, and has not only taken the PC industry by storm, but the entire world, you are mistaken in a big way.

The iPad is a general purpose, ultra portable computer that with hundreds of thousands of Apps, can turn into to virtually whatever you want it to be.

The market has spoken. The iPad is king of the hill.

And here we go... a hospital in Ottawa just ordered another 1800 of them for deployment on the job. No Panasonic Toughbook or anything else can compete because of how thin and light the iPad is, and the fact that it's got zillions of Apps that can be installed on it.

Because of the iPad, governments are actually finally moving over to total digital solutions for charting and patient files. Without the iPad, that wouldn't happen. They've been trying for years but it was stagnant because all the devices available for this kind of thing are just crap.

[Eug]

Well, you are pretty confused yet again. I happen to think the iPad IS a big deal.

However, the market already exists for tablets in healthcare. The fact that the iPad is taking some of this market and potentially expanding it is no surprise to me at all. The iPad's size/weight and lower cost are definite advantages.

The big deal isn't that the iPad is being used in niche markets. The big deal is that the iPad is being adopted widely in the mainstream computing market.

My entire point here is that in-hospital healthcare isn't mainstream usage at all, and neither is film-production. Comparisons of the mainstream computing market to either of these niche markets are pretty much meaningless.

To give you an example: Ultra-high pixel density huge screens are common in hospitals, for use by radiology departments and research labs. The penetrance of these in the health-care market far outstrips the adoption of iPads in 2011. However, this doesn't mean grandma wants or needs ultra-high pixel density huge screens any time soon, because the usage just isn't the same. There is of course eventually some technology trickle down, but that's not the same thing.

Next you're going to tell me grandma wants rackmount servers because rackmount servers have taken over enterprise by storm.

[freudling]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Well, you are pretty confused yet again. I happen to think the iPad IS a big deal.

However, the market already exists for tablets in healthcare. The fact that the iPad is taking some of this market and potentially expanding it is no surprise to me at all. The iPad's size/weight and lower cost are definite advantages.

The big deal isn't that the iPad is being used in niche markets. The big deal is that the iPad is being adopted widely in the mainstream computing market.

My entire point here is that in-hospital healthcare isn't mainstream usage at all, and neither is film-production. Comparisons of the mainstream computing market to either of these niche markets are pretty much meaningless.

To give you an example: Ultra-high pixel density huge screens are common in hospitals, for use by radiology departments and research labs. The penetrance of these in the health-care market far outstrips the adoption of iPads in 2011. However, this doesn't mean grandma wants or needs ultra-high pixel density huge screens any time soon, because the usage just isn't the same. There is of course eventually some technology trickle down, but that's not the same thing.

Ok...

Which brings up an interesting point. A consumer device like the iPad is penetrating enterprise.

I think business strategies like RIM and HP-Palm are dead in the water.

I agree with this article:

An Open Letter To HP Palm's Jon Rubinstein

[Eug]

To be quite honest, I will admit I never expected RIM to be as popular as they became. They made inferior products, but products that filled one specific niche... but that niche was quite a large one. They eventually managed to expand beyond that niche.

However, then they stopped innovating. After they got some traction in the consumer space, I thought they'd expand their product line to include products that would be much more palatable to to the mainstream than their corporate --> consumer crossover products. But they never did. I have NEVER seen a single RIM product that I have actually liked. The only reason I recommended RIM products to some people was because the products worked well with existing enterprise infrastructures. But as consumer electronics devices, they ALL sucked IMO.

Sony Ericsson had a different approach. They created a bunch of different products all with neat features for the mainstream consumer, but there was absolutely no consistency with their products, and their software sucked royally. It was a mess.

Apple realized this extremely early on, and with their immense failure trying to get Motorola to work with them in the phone market (or stepping stone, if you like), they decided just to enter the market on their own to fill the void, and out of this came the iPhone. It was basically several generations beyond what Sony or RIM could ever seem to design. Obviously this has a lot to do with Apple's extremely gifted design expertise, but it also had to due with focus and understanding of what the consumer market wants, in the context of a cohesive overall product range in terms of both software and hardware.

[Eug]

Speaking of RIM:

RIM BlackBerry PlayBook: Unfinished, unusable | Mobile Technology - InfoWorld

Not only can it not compete with an Apple iPad, it can't compete with the second-best tablet, Motorola Xoom, nor even with marginal Android tablets such as the Galaxy Tab that use the smartphone version of the Android OS rather than the Honeycomb tablet version. In fact, if my choice were between a PlayBook and a Windows 7 tablet -- my benchmark for unusability -- I think I'd rather go sans tablet.

I knew the prerelease reviews were negative, and I had my own concerns after seeing a PlayBook demo in January. But even those didn't prepare me for the profound disappointment that is the PlayBook. Why did RIM bother shipping it?

[freudling]

Originally Posted by Eug 

To be quite honest, I will admit I never expected RIM to be as popular as they became. They made inferior products, but products that filled one specific niche... but that niche was quite a large one. They eventually managed to expand beyond that niche.

However, then they stopped innovating. After they got some traction in the consumer space, I thought they'd expand their product line to include products that would be much more palatable to to the mainstream than their corporate --> consumer crossover products. But they never did. I have NEVER seen a single RIM product that I have actually liked. The only reason I recommended RIM products to some people was because the products worked well with existing enterprise infrastructures. But as consumer electronics devices, they ALL sucked IMO.

Sony Ericsson had a different approach. They created a bunch of different products all with neat features for the mainstream consumer, but there was absolutely no consistency with their products, and their software sucked royally. It was a mess.

Apple realized this extremely early on, and with their immense failure trying to get Motorola to work with them in the phone market (or stepping stone, if you like), they decided just to enter the market on their own to fill the void, and out of this came the iPhone. It was basically several generations beyond what Sony or RIM could ever seem to design. Obviously this has a lot to do with Apple's extremely gifted design expertise, but it also had to due with focus and understanding of what the consumer market wants, in the context of a cohesive overall product range in terms of both software and hardware.

Well said.

It's really simple. Apple just tries to make the best possible products they can. They don't dilute their offerings into a crap load of different devices. They offer the best of breed consumer electronics with simplified product lines.

The iPhone sells so well because it's closer to perfect than most anything else out there. It just works. There's no sense in offering an array of products if none of those products get it right.

It's confusing for the consumer, and expensive for manufacturers to design and make all that plastic crap.

You're so right about Sony. They had pretty much the best smartphones back in the day. Amazing stuff. Mobile internet and video which was actually incredible for the time. But they had no consistency between their smartphone offerings, and things were a total mess.

The only other company right now that's really going to compete with Apple in the tablet space is HP-Palm, because like Apple, they couple the hardware and the software together, with simplified product lines, offering just their very best and a few devices. webOS is really a great system and is going to make RIM's QNX bullshit look like a cheap Chinese knock off.

Watch out for HP-Palm. It's good though, Apple needs a tablet competitor, finally. It's not going to hurt iPad sales much, it's just going to grow the tablet market.

[Waragainstsleep]

Doctors are notorious for bad handwriting.
iPads also speed up the delivery of scans and x-rays considerably. Speed can save lives in medicine.

[Stogieman]

I love how Eug always has to bring grandma into an iPad conversation.

Originally Posted by Eug 

However, all of that is besides the point, since in this context, none of the machines are used for productivity in the way grandma would use a tablet. IOW, specialized hospital-based productivity or specialized film-production productivity is pretty much irrelevant as a comparison to grandma's productivity.

Yeah, grandma's productivity would be better served with a cheap netbook instead. But only one that's fast enough for 1080p video playback. (Grandma doesn't have time to be trans-coding multiple copies of her video library.)

Originally Posted by Eug 

However, that doesn't mean grandma's usage will be anywhere near similar, and the vast majority of the time, it isn't.

That's right. Grandma's productivity requires Flash support.

Originally Posted by Eug 

Next you're going to tell me grandma wants rackmount servers because rackmount servers have taken over enterprise by storm.

[insert grandma-facepalm picture here]

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Eug 

No, I'm just looking at this realistically. The iPad is being used in healthcare like other tablets. Great for Apple, but it's not as if it's the 2nd coming or something.

The iPad is cool, but a lot of people didn't think the first version of the iPad was well-suited for health-care work because it was missing things like bar-code scanners and it was a lot more fragile than desired. Plus it doesn't have any sort of dust and liquid resistance rating.

The advantage here is the iPad is cheaper and lighter, not that it's necessarily better overall.


I happen to agree, application support is key for a very specific usage. However, that doesn't mean grandma's usage will be anywhere near similar, and the vast majority of the time, it isn't.

BTW, for your financial services clients, do they still use laptops? If not, colour me surprised.

iPads do not require the use of a stylus. They have large, easy to read displays. They have numerous applications that do not cost princely sums for both server and client side, making it easy and affordable to do what has been done with other tablets but far better and easier. At one hospital I worked at, they had a number of tablets used for basic data collection and order entry, but they were so clunky and difficult to use that they were relegated to desktop use with rather interesting stands that included a mouse and keyboard... Sort of defeats the purpose, eh?

The iPad is not a "killer product" for electronic medical record management, but it makes tablets in general appear more accessible, and that makes it easier for tech un-savvy financial decision makers to understand what's being suggested. Having a staff that is ready to make use of fast access to relevant information so that they can perform medical interventions with the best possible information makes those "let's adopt this" decisions pay off, whether it's a Slate, a Streak, an iPad or some unknown name maker's tablet. But if the iPad makes people think about the applications tablets have in medicine and health care, then they are a VERY Good Thing in that setting.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

iPads do not require the use of a stylus. They have large, easy to read displays. They have numerous applications that do not cost princely sums for both server and client side, making it easy and affordable to do what has been done with other tablets but far better and easier. At one hospital I worked at, they had a number of tablets used for basic data collection and order entry, but they were so clunky and difficult to use that they were relegated to desktop use with rather interesting stands that included a mouse and keyboard... Sort of defeats the purpose, eh?

Yes it does… except Apple doesn't write health-care software. The key to proper implementation is well-written software, paired with functional hardware, all integrated into a larger environment. The iPad as is does not come with such software. It has to be written for it.

I'm sure you're aware that proper iPad implementation for data collection on the iPad in the health-care environment isn't necessarily cheap and easy. It's not as if you go to iTunes and download a $2.99 iPad application that will suddenly integrate with a hospital laboratory information system, patient records database, and radiology records system, all three of which often being independent systems from different vendors all running in parallel in the same hospital. Much of this would need to be custom written/configured, as we're now talking about institution-specific enterprise-type integration of the iPad. Do it badly and the iPad will suck. Do it well, and the iPad could do well. Indeed, to bypass this software/app integration issue, in some institutions iPads sometimes just end up being portable remote desktops for much of their functionality.

And to reiterate, this really has very little to do with an average person using an iPad at home.

[freudling]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Yes it does… except Apple doesn't write health-care software. The key to proper implementation is well-written software, paired with functional hardware, all integrated into a larger environment. The iPad as is does not come with such software. It has to be written for it.

I'm sure you're aware that proper iPad implementation for data collection on the iPad in the health-care environment isn't necessarily cheap and easy. It's not as if you go to iTunes and download a $2.99 iPad application that will suddenly integrate with a hospital laboratory information system, patient records database, and radiology records system, all three of which often being independent systems from different vendors all running in parallel in the same hospital. Much of this would need to be custom written/configured, as we're now talking about institution-specific enterprise-type integration of the iPad. Do it badly and the iPad will suck. Do it well, and the iPad could do well. Indeed, to bypass this software/app integration issue, in some institutions iPads sometimes just end up being portable remote desktops for much of their functionality.

And to reiterate, this really has very little to do with an average person using an iPad at home.

Nope, wrong.

There's MacPractice... the Nimble EMR App for instance. Off the shelf turn-key solution for Doctors. Enterprise solution with secure VNC connection to mobile devices like the iPad.

Now, if one wants to turn to development... wow, at least iOS is a well fleshed out, straight forward development platform.

Ottawa hospital has 2300 iPads on staff.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by freudling 

Nope, wrong.

There's MacPractice... the Nimble EMR App for instance. Off the shelf turn-key solution for Doctors. Enterprise solution with secure VNC connection to mobile devices like the iPad.

So I just checked it out. It doesn't even come close to doing what I was talking about.

It seems most appropriate for smaller practices esp. those ones starting over new (new because the desktops required are Macs - it doesn't support Windows at all), not existing large hospitals with multiple different database systems already running. It seems like a nice system, but if you're trying to use this as an example of an enterprise system for big hospitals, I really don't know what to say. Hell, even their own president says the software maxes out at 50 simultaneous users. He even denies the software could support a small HMO when specifically asked that question.

Maybe give them 10 years and you might be right, but not in 2011.

[freudling]

Originally Posted by Eug 

So I just checked it out. It doesn't even come close to doing what I was talking about.

It seems most appropriate for smaller practices esp. those ones starting over new (new because the desktops required are Macs - it doesn't support Windows at all), not existing large hospitals with multiple different database systems already running. It seems like a nice system, but if you're trying to use this as an example of an enterprise system for big hospitals, I really don't know what to say. Hell, even their own president says the software maxes out at 50 simultaneous users. He even denies the software could support a small HMO when specifically asked that question.

Maybe give them 10 years and you might be right, but not in 2011.

Nice strawman. Yes, in 2011, and in 2010 too.

The iPad has both a well fleshed out development platform and an excellent, easy to use, multi-touch operating system. It's these two points, to a large degree, where other tablets have fallen short.

In the real world, not the imaginary world of MacNN forums... the iPad is penetrating small, medium, and large sized medical practices and institutions, in addition to other segments. It's doing that right now. In fact, it's penetrating enterprise more than any other tablet computer in the world, period.

Hospitals Embrace iPads so Patients Have Results at their Fingertips | Illinois Technology Partnership

Why iPads are taking off in hospitals - SmartPlanet

Victorian hospitals score 500 iPads - Hardware - News

How Hospitals are Using the iPad | Cult of Mac

Here's the data:

iPads and iPhones exploding in the enterprise, survey shows | 9 to 5 Mac iPads and iPhones exploding in the enterprise, survey shows | Apple Intelligence

Apple's iPad is winning the enterprise tablet race without even trying | ZDNet

Enterprise iPad adoption up to 80 percent in Fortune 100

1,800 iPads on the way to Ottawa Hospital

[Eug]

Originally Posted by freudling 

Nice strawman. Yes, in 2011, and in 2010 too.

I'm not sure you know what strawman means.

You mentioned an app and said it's a turnkey enterprise solution. I said you were completely wrong, as it is not even close to being an enterprise solution. So now you've moved the goalposts and linked a bunch of articles describing enterprise implementation, NOT using that software, which is what I said in the first place.

PS. One of your links describes what I was talking about a few posts ago.

"The secret for the ideal clinical device…is it has to weigh a pound, it has to last 10 hours, because that’s their shift, you have to be able to disinfect it so there’s no risk of contamination, and you have to be able to drop it 5 feet onto carpet without damage."

In this context I would expect Windows tablets not to do so well going forward. I expect the fight to be between the iPad and Android devices, with the latter having custom OS tweaks and custom form factors.

Why locked Android tablets will beat the iPad for hospital use

Why Apple's iPad will beat Android tablets for hospital use

[freudling]

Originally Posted by Eug 

I'm not sure you know what strawman means.

You mentioned an app and said it's a turnkey enterprise solution. I said you were completely wrong, as it is not even close to being an enterprise solution. So now you've moved the goalposts and linked a bunch of articles describing enterprise implementation, NOT using that software, which is what I said in the first place.

PS. One of your links describes what I was talking about a few posts ago.

"The secret for the ideal clinical device…is it has to weigh a pound, it has to last 10 hours, because that’s their shift, you have to be able to disinfect it so there’s no risk of contamination, and you have to be able to drop it 5 feet onto carpet without damage."

In this context I would expect Windows tablets not to do so well going forward. I expect the fight to be between the iPad and Android devices, with the latter having custom OS tweaks and custom form factors.

Why locked Android tablets will beat the iPad for hospital use

Why Apple's iPad will beat Android tablets for hospital use

You ever see that kid bend the spoon in the Matrix, like how some people bend facts and reality?

First, no, I was not completely wrong about MacPractice/Nimble not being an enterprise solution. Maybe we're equivocating enterprise differently. It's a server based solution where you can run your entire practice from it, and it'll kick out data to mobile devices, including the iPad.

Now... if you really read those articles, you'd notice that there is an off the shelf solution now, and the firm who did it is advertising to other hospitals.

Reality check: iPad is owning the enterprise. Period. And for hospital use, based on the data out there, it's number 1.

[Eug]

Like I said, changing the goalposts again.

I suggest you read the two imedicalapps.com editorials, one pro iPad and one pro Android. They actually discuss the real issues involved, and outline the advantages and disadvantages of the iPad vs. Android devices.

[freudling]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Like I said, changing the goalposts again.

I suggest you read the two imedicalapps.com editorials, one pro iPad and one pro Android. They actually discuss the real issues involved, and outline the advantages and disadvantages of the iPad vs. Android devices.

Reality is reality. Don't care about speculation, theories, suppositions. iPad is cleaning up in healthcare. Period. The market speaks.

[Spheric Harlot]

I was going to say that 3500 units in a hospital isn't really all that much, but a quick Google for "healthcare handheld market" ( healthcare handheld market - Google-Suche ) shows a different picture:

Handhelds in healthcare market to top $8.8B | mobihealthnews for 2010

By the end of this year, the total market for handheld devices in healthcare will reach $8.8 billion, according to a new report from Kalorama Information. The market is expected to grow 7 percent , the firm’s recent report: ”Handhelds in Healthcare: The World Market for PDAs, Tablet PCs, Handheld Monitors, & Scanners” predicts.

Total sales for patient monitoring tools hit $5.3 billion last year, while administrative devices like PDAs, smartphones, tablet PCs and handheld scanners generated about $3 billion in sales during 2009. The stimulus package will drive sales of some handheld devices in healthcare, the report found.

That's quite the market, there.

Note that the market for the enterprise back-end that Eug is talking about is probably quite a bit larger, but the front-end patient-interfacing is certainly not bad.

Having looked around for blood sugar testing and diabetes tools for the iPhone a little while back, it seems that iPad with custom Dock-connector add-ons and apps could easily be the one-size-fits-all for anything but administrative tasks.

[freudling]

Looks like Apple's pretty aware of the traction too:

Apple - iPad in Business - Profiles - Medtronic

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by freudling 

Looks like Apple's pretty aware of the traction too:

Apple - iPad in Business - Profiles - Medtronic

Interesting, but this is more an example how the iPad is used in the Sales function of business, rather than strictly in a medical setting (like hospital).

-t

[freudling]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Interesting, but this is more an example how the iPad is used in the Sales function of business, rather than strictly in a medical setting (like hospital).

-t

It's an example of the iPad being rooted into the healthcare industry, and how staff are using it directly with patients too.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by freudling 

It's an example of the iPad being rooted into the healthcare industry, and how staff are using it directly with patients too.

I didn't see that "staff with patients". The Medtronic video spoke about using it for Medtronic Sales and Operations. Medtronic is a manufacturer of health care devices, not a health care provider.

-t

[Spheric Harlot]

True. There's still that 9-billion-dollar market mentioned in my links above, though.

[freudling]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

I didn't see that "staff with patients". The Medtronic video spoke about using it for Medtronic Sales and Operations. Medtronic is a manufacturer of health care devices, not a health care provider.

-t

First off who cares if Medtronic doesn't use it directly with patients, it doesn't detract away from this being an example of the iPad being rooted into the healthcare industry.

Secondly, if you actually read it, you'd find this:

Putting iPad in the hands of thousands of employees gives Medtronic the ideal platform to present and explain its visionary medical technologies to health care professionals, individual patients, and patient advocacy groups.

[Spheric Harlot]

That's still just a sales tool, though.

Explaining the latest $40,000 procedure to your prospective customers isn't the same thing as tracking their vitals and medical history.

[freudling]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

That's still just a sales tool, though.

Explaining the latest $40,000 procedure to your prospective customers isn't the same thing as tracking their vitals and medical history.

Spheric... shut up:

Ottawa Hospital Orders 1,800 iPads To Replace Medical Charts | iPad in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPad Resource

Life as a Healthcare CIO: The iPad goes live at BIDMC

iPad used to treat hospital patients | Stuff.co.nz

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

Ebooks are not an emerging technology, btw, unless you never use anything but Apple sanctioned products. "Oh, but they're the only ones who are doing it right!"

Amazon's Kindle Book Sales Bigger Than Print Book Sales

[Phileas]

[Shaddim]

Yeah, in 3-5 years, people will use tablets for almost everything. The other 1% of tasks, like designing fusion reactors and that type of thing, will be done on desktops. I stopped by the Uni coffee shop today to see a friend, the whole place was packed with tablet owners browsing the web, checking email, and such. Most of them were iPads but there were a few Android users too. I saw two notebooks out of 30+ "computer" users.

[Doofy]

^ It's a uni though, ain't it? ...full of people who require educating (if they didn't, they wouldn't be there. ).

Tablets may take over for casual leisure activities (i.e. surfing on the couch, reading on the beach, being at uni), but no way they're going to take over in the workplace. Not a chance...

1) Security risk (i.e. pads being left in odd places or stolen).
2) RSI lawsuit risk.
3) Try typing the day's accounts in on a touch screen. No. Just no.

It's a fad.

[Eug]

What's a uni coffee shop? University?

Anyways, around here the coffee shop machines are 10:1 laptops:tablets.

All I want is iOS 5 to give us multi-user support. There's no way I'm buying another iPad just to get multi-user support.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

^ It's a uni though, ain't it? ...full of people who require educating (if they didn't, they wouldn't be there. ).

Tablets may take over for casual leisure activities (i.e. surfing on the couch, reading on the beach, being at uni), but no way they're going to take over in the workplace. Not a chance...

1) Security risk (i.e. pads being left in odd places or stolen).
2) RSI lawsuit risk.
3) Try typing the day's accounts in on a touch screen. No. Just no.

It's a fad.

I agree with everything except the part about tablets being a fad. They are actually a step in the evolution of portable coputing devices, and today's tablets, along with how they are used, will drive the next generation of portable computing devices in their form and function.

Each new generation of computing devices has moved closer to ubiquitous, always available computer and data access. Tablets and ultra-smart phones are. Yet another step along that path.

[Phileas]

Every single biz meeting I've attended in the last three month, there's been at least one iPad at the table, in addition to mine. And that wasn't just the creative industries, we're talking investment firms, corporate governance, banking, the more conservative end of business.

I chatted with an exec from Scotia Bank via FaceTime a couple of weeks back. He was giddy with excitement about his new iPad.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

I chatted with an exec from Scotia Bank via FaceTime a couple of weeks back. He was giddy with excitement about his new iPad.

Fads tend to do that to people.

I don't get "giddy with excitement" over any new tools I use in my business. They're just tools.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

I don't get "giddy with excitement" over any new tools I use in my business. They're just tools.

I'm gonna stop being "giddy with excitement" once I start using my toys as tools for business

-t

[Waragainstsleep]

Enterprise fads tend to last a bit longer than most though. Possibly because there is an underlying practicality to them. Look at the Blackberry FFS. Every exec in the world had one not so long ago. They became a golf course business meeting fashion accessory. iPad is that now. It turns out that smart phones are actually useful business tools and the iPad will be the same.

[freudling]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

^ It's a uni though, ain't it? ...full of people who require educating (if they didn't, they wouldn't be there. ).

Tablets may take over for casual leisure activities (i.e. surfing on the couch, reading on the beach, being at uni), but no way they're going to take over in the workplace. Not a chance...

1) Security risk (i.e. pads being left in odd places or stolen).
2) RSI lawsuit risk.
3) Try typing the day's accounts in on a touch screen. No. Just no.

It's a fad.

Yes, it is a fad. The iPad is merely a toy. Let's ignore all data and market indicators.

By the way, my entire business database is now on the iPad. No more laptop or desktop to manage the CRM, invoices, and purchase orders.

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Fads tend to do that to people.

I don't get "giddy with excitement" over any new tools I use in my business. They're just tools.

Maybe you don't get the right tools. Or maybe you're getting old and jaded. Or maybe you're just not the excitable kind.

We're currently working on a project, using a new set of tools that had the entire crew go "shit, that's cool".

Wasn't a tablet.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

Maybe you don't get the right tools. Or maybe you're getting old and jaded. Or maybe you're just not the excitable kind.

We're currently working on a project, using a new set of tools that had the entire crew go "shit, that's cool".

Fire them all. Get a bunch of people who say "shit, that's efficient and will make loads of wad for the boss".

You said it yourself here Phil - "cool".
"Cool" is the very definition of "faddish".
And that's why most people are using tablets at the moment - to be "cool".

[sek929]

I get plenty excited when I buy a new drill/driver set, or if we get a new compressor or something.

You telling me table saws are a fad because I get excited at the prospect of a new one?

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

"Cool" is the very definition of "faddish".
And that's why most people are using tablets at the moment - to be "cool".

Language disconnect, methinks. I want my staff to be excited. Excited about ideas, about possibilities, about new stuff. Their job is to do cool shit, my jobs how to make money from it.

Look at Apple. The only person with P&L responsibility is the CFO. Seems to be working for them.

[freudling]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I get plenty excited when I buy a new drill/driver set, or if we get a new compressor or something.

You telling me table saws are a fad because I get excited at the prospect of a new one?

Just curious: you're actually serious about your analogy?

[Spheric Harlot]

What's wrong with it?

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

What's wrong with it?

Students don't sit around in coffee shops with new table saws in order to look cool to their peer group and attract members of their preferred sex.