Travellers likely to be disappointed by iPad

In true Apple style, the release of the new iPad has been at the top of the technology websites, magazines and newspapers over the past week, in what boss of the company Steve Jobs has billed as the next big thing for mobile computing, describing the new piece of technology as ‘magical’ and ‘revolutionary’.

With many tech-heads agreeing with the words of Jobs, some remain sceptical of whether the iPad can truly offer the same level of brilliance as described by the boss of Appel.

Many business travellers rely on technology to stay abreast of emails, edit reports or even to do some research, but can they really match the power of notebooks? Unfortunately, for the business traveller, and those frequently find themselves seated in departure lounges, the answer is no.

One thing the business traveller ultimately requires is connectivity when they are away from their PC.  The iPad lacks USB slots or SD slots, along with the lack of a built in camera or the ability to use Photoshop, or any other third-party content creation programmes, and what is ultimately left is an iPhone on steroids.   Despite the iPad’s size, the on board memory is a mere 32 gigabytes.

Business travellers often require editing documents on the run, and cutting and pasting between emails or MS word, which spells another fail for the iPad which can only run one application at a time.  A standard netbook can have 10 tabs open on Internet Explorer, Facebook, Outlook, and Word all running at the same time.

Overall, the iPad is a lovely looking device which would be better than nothing on a long-haul flight, with its ability to play HD movies and battery life of 10 hours, for the business traveller and for those who like to be connected, there are definitely better alternatives out there.