Apple unveiled its latest gadget, the iPad, this week. For months, the tech world has been buzzing about this tablet computer, which amounts to a crossover between a laptop and a smartphone. The thin, lightweight iPad looks like a large version of an iPhone, with a 9.7-inch touch screen that eliminates the need for a keyboard and provides a superior medium for viewing movies and playing games.

Consumers will like the price point: iPads start at $499 for the basic 16 gigabyte flash memory storage. More expensive models come with 32 or 64 gigs of storage, costing consumers $599 and $699 respectively. All models come with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability. Those will be available in March. Starting in April, the tablets can also be purchased with two AT&T 3G data usage plan options.

Having just wrapped up a lot of research into Generation X for the January/February cover story, technology and how it's increasingly being used by building service contractors is definitely on my mind. With BSCs using smartphone applications, cameras and messaging capabilities to do business, I wonder how the iPad might influence the continually evolving tech landscape. Surely many iPhone apps will cross over to the iPad; perhaps there will also be new ones more suited to a tablet-sized touch-screen computer. New gadgets potentially have great implications for BSCs.

Add a Comment