Look for New Business Opportunities to Arise from iPad Use

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably heard that the iPad is now out. It’s captured nearly all of the buzz throughout the tech industry for the past week at least, and developers are scrambling like made to release new apps for it.

As a business, you’ve got some new things to consider if this thing is to reach the widespread usage of its predecessor, the iPhone (300,000 were sold the first day, and users downloaded over a million apps). Of course, many more would have been sold, had their been enough supply out of the box to meet demand.

Essentially, you’re going to find a lot of apps that cater to different ways you can market your business, not unlike apps on the iPhone or other smartphones. The point is, the apps are going to be pouring in, and along with them, the opportunities will be as well.

The iPad is supposed to be big for online newspapers. Some interesting advertising opportunities may come along with this.

There are real estate apps, web conference apps, etc. Look for plenty of search opportunities. Google has several apps for it, including a Maps app, and a search-by-voice app. Citysearch launched a new app for it that comes in a digital magazine format. Among its features is a business profile details feature, which includes address, phone, maps/directions, photos, hours of operation, etc. There are already a ton of apps out there.

The iPad has only been out a few days. Assuming that its popularity matches its hype, you’re going to have plenty of apps coming in the future that will make various parts of your business (and your life in general) easier. That said, don’t get too carried away yet. Don’t give into "shiny object syndrome". You’ll be seeing plenty of iPad competition coming along in the future, and you’ll always want to keep your audience in mind. Most iPad users so far are already users of other Apple products like Macs and iPhones.