The new iPad | The ALPHA Level view...

Wow, talk about hype! I don't recall when there was so much hype about a product launch in the tech industry for a very long time. The problem with such hype is that it can often lead to disappointment because expectations are so very high. In the case of Apple, they have in recent times launched a redesigned Mac book Pro, an amazing desktop device in the form of their new iMac with more features and design innovations than one can count. Not to be outdone by this impressive list would be what arguably the best smart phone on the market, the iPhone.

With all this great technology product out there and so much hype over the new iPad, it's easy to understand why expectations were so high and overall industry reactions were so mixed.

Well it's not my "job" to plug Apple or to sway the balance of public or professional opinion on them as a company or their product line, I think Steven Jobs' reputation and track record speaks for itself in that regard. So here's my take on the iPad.

Quite simply I love it and I can't wait to get one for myself. There are a few factors to consider here and two areas I think well seriously tip the balance in the product's favour. (Points 3 and 4).

Point 1. The true strength of the iPad will shine with its ability to deliver and display content. Since content can have such a dynamic nature, Apple will simply have to hammer out the necessary agreements with domestic and international carriers to make this product fly. This combined with affordable price points for data packages and you have a winner. Developers and other content providers are already behind the iPad 100% because it in itself could be the saving grace to the media and publishing industry. The iPad is the vehicle for these companies to really make money with their content.

Point 2. Initial pricing for the iPad looks good but what of the rest of us north of the 49th parallel. The pricing that has been put out there to date is in US dollars, so what will it cost us Canadians to take advantage of this technology? Price it right in Canadian dollars along with a reasonable data package (point 1), and you have a winner. On the down side Canada is not a large market despite our high per capita penetration of Internet usage. It will be 12 to 18 months before you'll see the product become more common place in Canada, but it will happen. Just look at how long it took the iPhone to get here, but once it did....

Point 3. This is where the product will take off and do so very quickly. One space where Apple has gained ground in recent years is the educational sector. The iPad is" iDeal" for college and university campuses for delivering lesson plans, study material and putting together and submitting essays and reports. With its eBook application, lugging heavy text book across campus will become a thing of the past. The iPad preloaded with text books and other study material will become standard issue for every freshman.

Point 4. For years Apple has fought the battle for business market share. Applications have come along to help it gain some ground but the Windows PC still has the lion's share. This will all start to change now because of the iPad. The iPad will simply make it easier for business to "work". I see it being big in the medical field where nurses and doctors will use an iPad to view patient charts, x-rays and more. Interactive applications will give real time feedback on patients who are on life support systems or simply being monitored as medication is administered intravenously. The doctor will walk into the examination room, pull his/her iPad out of their lab coat pocket and instantly have the results from your recent physical, including blood work and ultrasound images. Yes, I will even go as far as to say that it will reduce your wait time in the Emergency room!

So was there a bit of a let down when Apple announced the iPad, if you look at how high they've set the bar for themselves, maybe. However if you truly take a close look at the iPad and consider some of the potential professional applications for the product, you'll quickly see that it will become a device that will carve out its own niche in business and once again change the way we view the use of Information Technology.

I'll close by adding this comment. As highly as I think of the iPad, I do not see it as being the end of the laptop. I more so think that desktops as we know them today will start to fade out in the next 12-24 months as more people personally and professionally adapt the iPad, make better use of smart phones and laptop technology improves while their costs and the costs of data plans go down.

So there you have it, The ALPHA Level view on the iPad.

I can't wait to get my first one!


~K.

The best software for your business...

Today I received a phone call from a friend who is a Project Manager at IBM. She was calling with a possible referral for a start up company looking to get a website developed that would allow the start up to advertise their business and also sell their product online. Sounds simple enough but when I started to ask questions about eCommerce, inventory management, developing leads and managing customers, the simple idea of this potential client's new business and website started to become more complex.

This potential client had already received quotes ranging between $6,000 and $7,000 to have a site built that would still need ongoing maintenance and undetermined fees for credit card processing. With that money spent the aforementioned business needs are still not met.

So what's the answer? Well it depends on who you ask, but since you are reading my blog I'll tell you my answer, the ALPHA Level technology inc. answer. The answer is Tradepoint and it's what we use to run our business.

Tradepoint will give a start up business or even a long established organization all of the tools it needs in an integrated, functional, and secure environment. Tradepoint has been built with state of the art development tools and has the ability to adapt to any size business in any business sector.

I have worked in the information technology industry for over 23 years now, and I have seen countless software applications come and go. Many of them focus on fixing a specific problem within a business; for example sales force automation to inventory control and even accounting.

Never in my 23 years working with systems, technology and business processes have I seen a single application successfully touch all aspects of a business (regardless of the size) the way Tradepoint does, and so very well. I was so impressed by this software I began using it to run my business. The more I got to know the software the more I saw that it was the true CRM and ERP solution for all business that so many other systems were claiming to be for years.

ALPHA Level technology inc. is a channel partner for the software and can assist with implementation, training and customization. To find out more you can read more about the software in the Consulting section of http://www.alphaleveltech.com/ and also click on the Tradepoint image to be taken to the developer site.

If you are looking to start a business and need the right software solution to run it, look no further than Tradepoint. If you run an established company, of just about any size, Tradepoint can be intigrated into your existing workflow and show immediate improvements in efficeancy resulting possitive impacts to your bottom line. Whether you measure your business' success by reduced operating costs or better control over your inventory, Tradepoint is the answer.

~K.

Blog ONE, Website Launch, Technology Demystified

Blog entry number one for ALPHA Level technology inc. While getting the finishing touches done on the website (just launched by the way) I began to give some more serious though as to what I was going to write for my first blog entry. I can ‘t imagine how many technology related blogs there must be out there so how was I going to make mine different. The simple answer was “I don’t know”. Having said that what I do know is that I have a passion for technology and I enjoy not only working with it but also helping others to do the same.

There are those people who just seem to “get it”. In the 60s and 70s they wore pocket protectors on their shirts and lab coats and propellers on their heads, not that I ever did. I’ve only just heard about it. *smile*. For the rest of the population of planet earth, technology in its various forms can be daunting, intimidating, uninviting and down right unfriendly. Most of the population does not care if it’s s-video or HDMI, they don’t care if it’s USB or Firewire, and does it matter if it’s FTP or TCP? Well it would be just easier to sit on your SMTP and have a POP! Some of you may be reading this with a smile, other are reading and thinking WTF, the less technical acronym. My point is that with all the layers of complexity in technology, at the end of the day most people don’t understand it they just want it to work.

So back to my blog, why am I taking the time to write this stuff and more importantly why are you spending your valuable time reading it? My overall goal will be to break technology down into its simple bits and bytes components and demystify its complexities for those who care to read and gain a better understanding of what goes on behind the screen, on the wire and after the mouse click. Hopefully it will be a little light hearted and fun to read and perhaps if we are all not careful and looking the wrong way, we may all end up learning a few things.

Will this blog have a name? Well my company name may be a bit long and I’m certainly not going to name it after myself. Let’s see, Demystifying Technology, Hmmmmm. For now I think the name is less important that getting the content out there. I’m sure as this thing evolves, it will earn its appropriate name.

For now this first entry will introduce me, Hi, and my company, ALPHA Level technology inc. If you’ve come this far hopefully you’ve gone through the site www.alphaleveltech.com and already know a thing or two. If not let me sum it up by saying I have a passion for technology and I consider it a tool that I like to teach people (individuals and organizations) how to use properly to get the job done right the first time while keeping in mind preservation of our environment.

Nice to meet you and thanks for reading, come back soon for more.


~ K.