The iPad has changed the way we consume our information. Personally, I really find myself reading at a voracious rate compared to my pre iPad days. The reason isn’t mainly because the iPad is more portable than the laptop. I think it is largely due to the fact that there lots of 3rd party Apps [...]
The iPad has changed the way we consume our information. Personally, I really find myself reading at a voracious rate compared to my pre iPad days. The reason isn’t mainly because the iPad is more portable than the laptop. I think it is largely due to the fact that there lots of 3rd party Apps that are available. These Apps help us gather the information and present it in an easy to read format.
There has been much debate on whether the iPad can replace actual books. I don’t think that day is near, however, here’s some positive indications on how the iPad is well on its way to replace some conventional sources of information.
Pilot Manuals
I don’t know if you noticed, but Pilots have a heck of a lot of manuals to lug around. Their load consists of instruction Manuals, data and charts have long been used to help guide pilots. The full package can weight about 17 Kilograms. Well, the iPad is set to replace all that:
United Airlines said Tuesday it was replacing the hefty flight manuals and chart books its pilots have long used with 11,000 iPads carrying the same data.
The popular tablet computer will carry the Mobile FliteDeck software app from Jeppesen, a Boeing subsidiary which provides navigation tools for air, sea and land.
Not only does the iPad weigh less, referencing certain manuals can also be faster for Pilots.
There are already a bevy of flight Apps for Pilots like Foreflight Mobile HD for flight planning, or E6B Pro, a calculation and converter app that calculates everything from airspeed to fuel.
Catalogues
Catalogues are big business. They are also heavy and consume a lot of paper. It is therefore a positive sign that IKEA has decided to launch the free iPad version of their popular IKEA Catalog.
Ikea has been publishing their catalogue since 1951. The catalogue is published each summer in 55 different editions, in 27 languages for 35 countries. The catalogue prints approximately 175 million copies worldwide annually; more than 3 times as much as The Bible.
It contains over 300 pages and about 12,000 products; is distributed both in stores and by mail. Some Conservationist out there must be wishing there would be widespread adoption of the iPad catalogue and hopefully replace some of the 175 million copies printed annually.
School Books
Schools all over the world are adopting the iPad to supplement heavy textbooks. Schools from Singapore and more recently, Yale medical school has been seeing the advantages of using the iPad.
Four schools in the wealthy city-state have begun handing out Apple iPads to students, relieving them of the need to carry satchels full of bulging text books and notes.
Nanyang Girls High School has spent S$135,000 (about $100,000) to buy 150 iPads for 140 students and 10 teachers in a pilot project. Users connect to the Internet using the tablet, and download books and course material.
In Conclusion
I feel strongly on the place that tablets have in our schooling system. While most of us whine about the weight of our carry on laptops while traveling, some students have to contend with heavy bags of schoolbooks. I don’t expect the tablet to replace the traditional PC/Laptop however; it will be a dandy situation when all the kids can access books easily and quickly via the iPad (or any tablet).
Eventually, the price of hardware will decrease incrementally to make the tablet more accessible. One sticking point is the publisher’s cut, a lot of publishers are not willing to share the 30% that Apple demands and that is limiting the digital adoption of schoolbooks on the iPad. As with magazines and Printed news, I expect this to be sorted out between Apple and Publishers, hopefully sooner than later.
This article, iPad Takes the Burden Off Heavy Lifting: Pilot Manual, Catalogue and School Book, was originally published at simonblog.com.
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