This afternoon brings yet another set of Apple announcements--definitely new iPads, a specific release date for the new Mac operating system, and apparently retina displays for the iMac. And whenever Apple releases a product, other folks do also, with Google announcing the Nexus 9 that runs the new Android Lollipop OS..
The run of tablet announcements always makes me a bit curious: Are academics using them for work? In what ways? Obviously, we’ve covered tons of different ways people might use tablets at work, including grading, note taking, screencast creation, and even citation management. I’m interested in what sticks, and what ways the technology has become a daily part of one’s workflow, instead of just a neat toy. While tablets are certainly increasingly common, it isn’t my impression that they are anything like ubiquitous.
As for me, my main work uses for the iPad have been: reading; preparing for and taking notes in meetings; making quick presentations; drafting posts or articles to edit later; and working with my to-do lists in Omnifocus.
These sorts of uses are always likely to shift, even dramatically: iOS’s newfound ability (long-present in Android of course) to share information fairly easily between applications will open up possibilities that seem too annoying to bother with today.
So, do you use a tablet for work today? What tasks, especially? Let us know in comments!
Photo “Tablets” by Flickr user Martin Voltri / Creative Commons licensed BY-2.0.
