The Apple iPad 2 – A Real Game-Changer
Reviewed* by Marc Mintz, CPA, Marc Mintz & Associates, LLC
marc@marcmintz.com
Apple’s iPad has single-handedly legitimized a new class of mobile technology, namely tablet devices. For the majority of you perusing this review, it’s not a matter of if you will purchase a tablet, but when. Touch-screen tablet computer shipments are expected to increase from 17 million in 2010 to 61 million in 2011. With a 70-percent market share, Apple’s iPad 2 is the standard by which all tablets are now measured.
The iPad is an elegant electronic gateway to the entire world’s digital content with one significant improvement. Hundreds of thousands of applications, or apps, have been published, which make a user’s experience far superior in locating, obtaining, absorbing, managing and analyzing the ever-growing library of Internet content.
You probably are interested in an iPad 2 as a personal entertainment and/or productivity tool, but it soon becomes indispensable as to how you grasp information. The device forces you to seek alternatives in helping manage your professional endeavors. Right out of the box, the iPad 2 includes apps to improve your handling of music, photos, movies, videos, books, magazines, games, contacts, notes, calendars and more. Adding leverage to this convenience, Apple’s iCloud software seamlessly transfers your apps and data to all your electronic devices, both MAC and PC. Dramatically improving on the convenience and performance of a laptop computer, the iPad 2 frees you from your desktop and allows you to enjoy the benefits of your apps while sitting on your couch, waiting in the doctor’s office, relaxing at the beach and practically anywhere else.
So, why do you need an iPad 2? Because it offers a vastly superior environment for handling email and Internet connectivity than is offered by smart phones. Its crystal-clear graphics, full-size screen, robust performance and amazingly precise touch-screen technology provide an email experience that frequently drives me to delay viewing certain electronic messages until I can view them on the iPad. Opening links and surfing the web can be frustrating on a four-inch smart phone screen. However, the iPads 2’s 9.7-inch backlit, glossy, widescreen, multi-touch display is a high-water mark comparison for any electronic device with a liquid crystal display. Interacting with your programs and data with the sophisticated hardware design and the abundance of apps that granularly enable the most unique of applications has undoubtedly made the iPad2 a game-changer.
If you purchase the iPad 2, you will need to decide on (1) the color: literally a black or white decision; (2) the size of the hard disk drive: 16GB, 32GB or 64GB, which will depend on your desire to play movies or store other digital content; and (3) the connection: standard Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi + 3G. I suggest including the 3G option as it cannot be added after the fact. Even if you don’t immediately purchase a monthly data plan, you maintain the flexibility to add a cell carrier’s service later.
Marc D. Mintz, CPA, CITP, is the managing member of Marc Mintz & Associates, LLC, a technology consulting firm that assists businesses with strategic planning and the selection and implementation of information technology systems. Mintz is currently a member of the NJSCPA Strategic Planning Committee, Technology Interest Group and Editorial Advisory Board of New Jersey CPA magazine. Contact him at marc@marcmintz.com or 973-808-9040.
*This review originally appeared in the March/April 2012 issue of New Jersey CPA.
The NJSCPA Technology Interest Group is pleased to bring Tech Product Reviews to NJSCPA members. Our goal is to provide monthly reviews of tech products/gadgets that may be useful to CPA's from both a professional and personal perspective. Look for reviews on NJSCPA Connect and in New Jersey CPA magazine.
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