This week saw the much anticipated announcement about the release of the Apple iPad. Almost immediately, technology watchers began discussing the implications for the thousands of applications currently available for the iPhone. Apps makers also weighed in on whether they would work to port their offerings to the iPad. Netflix is currently not planning to develop an app for the iPad. Makers of Pandora, most visibly affected by the iPad’s inability to have background tasks, say they view this as a challenge but hope to adapt. The reaction is obviously mixed. One thing is certain – Apple i-technologies definitely create a lot of buzz.

QUESTIONS:

1. The Working Today section of your text lists technology as one of the major forces shaping the way we interact into today’s global economy. Are Apple’s i-technologies changing the way people interact? How is the iPad creating opportunities for business? What type/size businesses do you believe are most affected? Flexibility was listed in the text as a benefit of technology.  Does the iPad create flexibility?
2. Consider the number and range of applications now available for Apple i-technologies. Single digital identity is identified as one of the prevailing technological conditions in the general environment of business. What are the pros and cons of mobile technologies and the proliferation of applications that run on these?
3. Imagine that you are a developer of applications for mobile technologies. Does technology drive apps or do apps drive technology? Consider what apps makers are saying about the introduction of the i-Pad. In what ways does this represent improvisational change?

SOURCE: Y. I. Kane, “Apple’s iPad Changes the Landscape for App Makers,” Wall Street Journal (Retrievable online at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704194504575031561969855580.html)

Related video clip: