Seybold's Take: iPad business applications still lacking

I bought an iPad with several uses in mind. I am using it to replace my Amazon Kindle (which I loved) since the iPad has a better screen for reading. I am using it for email and while the email client is acceptable when integrated with our Exchange Server, it is nowhere near a world-class email client. And I want to be able to leave my laptop at home more of the time when I travel.

So I installed the Apple apps for spreadsheets, word processing and slide presentations. I immediately found a number of problems with compatibility between these applications and the Microsoft versions, but I have been learning to deal with the issues as they present themselves. But my biggest disappointment so far is the lack of really well thought-out software for the business traveler. I do use WorldMate Live, which is a great program to track flights, appointments, hotels, and other travel-related issues, but it turns out that the folks at WorldMate don't support my iPad and BlackBerry at the same time. There is an either one or the other solution, but that makes it much less usable for me since I want to use my BlackBerry for daily reference but want to check the information when using my iPad.

Next up was my search for a good expense report program. Here is where I still have a problem with a lot of the software I find in the Apple App Store. First, there is no way to see it run through a demo on my computer screen; I have to download it and try it on the iPad, which is time-consuming. Yes, I can see screen shots of a program but I cannot run it through a quick demo. The last expense program I purchased was written by a small company and does not reflect the real world when it comes to travel. For example, when entering hotel information, this program requires me to enter the room price for each day separately so a three-day stay takes three entries. Next, the hotels break out one, two or even three taxes that are applied to the room and this program only lets me enter one price for the room. There is no way to enter the taxes separately and then add them to the total, which is important for many companies that have fixed acceptable hotel rates in various cities and the tax does not count in the limit. If all I can show is the one price I paid for the hotel room and the taxes, my daily total usually exceeds the allotted amount and creates problems.

There are also other issues with this program including the inability to email the expense report to myself or the company as an Excel spreadsheet or some other readable format and the inability to export data from it to other programs. I realize this is an Apple issue, not a program-specific issue, but it still makes it difficult to use the iPad on a more regular basis.

Even the Amazon Kindle app for the iPad is not well written in my estimation. When in read-a-book mode, you have to hunt around in the upper left-hand corner for a non-existent symbol to get back to the home screen so you can visit the Amazon store and order a new book, and as you poke around looking for it, the pages fly backward so you lose your place in the book. So far, I have found no way to manage the books on my screen. I cannot figure out, either on the Amazon site or on the iPad, how to throw away books I have read (that take up storage) and in one case, for some unknown reason, I have two copies of the same book sitting on my iPad.

I know that the iPad has not been on the market long. However, there are millions of them out there and millions more will be sold. I have seen more and more people on planes who want to use their iPad for routine tasks when traveling and leave their laptop at home, but as I engage each one, I hear the same type of stories and have concluded that neither Apple nor the developer community has taken a real interest in business travelers who want to wean themselves from their notebook and the hassle that entails.

The iPad can stay in a briefcase when going through security at the airport, a laptop cannot unless it is in a special type of briefcase. An iPad can be pulled out and turned on and used for reference or note-taking during a meeting without having to find an AC plug and "booting up." It is less obtrusive than a laptop in a meeting, and I am seeing iPads show up in many different business settings. Again when I talk with iPad owners, I find they are all making do with the iPad and see its potential and power for the business traveler, but none are happy with the current capabilities and lack of available business software. We all hope this situation will improve over time.

The iPad is a traveler's new best friend, but at the moment it is a flawed friend. Those of us who have been using portable computers and smartphones on the road for many years see its potential to be a valuable tool for us and we all hope to soon be carrying an iPad instead of a four or five-pound notebook and power supply.

Andrew M. Seybold is an authority on technology and trends shaping the world of wireless mobility. A respected analyst, consultant, commentator, author and active participant in industry trade organizations, his views have influenced strategies and shaped initiatives for telecom, mobile computing and wireless industry leaders worldwide. www.andrewseybold.com.