The iPad in the laboratory?

A month ago I wrote a small piece entitled Will the iPad Replace Your Paper Lab Notebook?, basically just a comment on an article in Bitesize Bio which asked the same question, following the release of the Apple iPad. More recently there has been a discussion in one of the LinkedIn groups on What is your opinion on the use of ELN’s with devices such as Apple’s new iPad?’.

Well, last week I managed to lay hands on an iPad for the first time, albeit only for a few minutes, but it was enough to create some initial thoughts about the potential (or otherwise) of the device in the laboratory. My initial reaction was one of familiarity; as an iPhone user the interface and interactions were very familiar, although seeing Apple software such as iWorks installed was a reminder that this is a different device. By and large the experience was very similar to using an iPhone, but on a grander scale. The success of the iPhone, and the iPod, have been dependent on a couple of key factors; firstly they just look cool (but acknowledging that beauty is in the eye of the beholder!), and secondly they offer a ‘solution’ rather than just a device. The nature of the dedicated ‘Apps’ approach, and the associated service through iTunes just makes life easy when it comes to finding and installing applications. In order to make the iPad a success in the laboratory, just porting an application or running it in a browser will probably not be enough; it will need a tailored application that takes full advantage of the specific features of the device.

The other thing that struck me was the form factor. Falling between a laptop and a mobile phone in size, it is quite portable, but with Apple’s characteristic smooth finish, it feels a bit slippery and needs to be handled carefully. Furthermore, it falls somewhere between a laptop and a mobile phone in ease of use. A laptop needs to be placed on a reasonably firm surface (a lap?) to making typing manageable. An iPhone can be held comfortably in one hand, while you swipe and prod with the other. In principle, it is the same with an iPad, but the size of the device makes it a bit of a handful, and I would imagine that any serious typing would require the iPad to be laid on a surface. However, in the world of pens and paper we learned to handle clipboards, so I suppose we’ll figure a way to cope with an iPad for some rudimentary input. What did strike me was the convenience of the device for reading, and here it was rather like carrying/holding a thin book, somewhat less intrusive than a laptop, but with a decent size screen, a far more convenient size for reading than a phone. I suspect the accessories market will be looking to exploit opportunities around handling and protecting the iPad to get around some of the minor inconveniences.

So overall, does that make the iPad a potential replacement for a paper lab notebook? Time will tell; if suitable applications are tailored for the device; if the form factor is not a restriction; if the ‘closed’ or controlling nature of Apple’s approach to applications is not a hinderance, and if corporate IT policies will accommodate this type of device, well then, maybe…….