The Apple Keyboard Dock Transforms Your iPad Into a Laptop-Like Device
Shelby Lee Walsh — January 28, 2010 — Tech
References: ilounge
While many people complain about the touchscreen keyboard on the iTouch, iPhone and now the iPad, Apple has released a solution: iPad docks. Apple’s Keyboard Dock will retail for merely $69 (a small price to pay for a keyboard that turns your touchscreen tablet into a pseudo laptop).
The iPad dock is attached to what looks like one of their normal keyboards on the front of it. Now all of those people complaining about the iPad’s lack of buttons will have less to talk about.
The iPad dock is attached to what looks like one of their normal keyboards on the front of it. Now all of those people complaining about the iPad’s lack of buttons will have less to talk about.
Trend Themes
1. Ipad as Laptop - The trend of iPad docks, like the Apple Keyboard dock, transforming the iPad into a laptop-like device presents opportunities in the portable computing industry for disruptive innovation, such as new and improved keyboard docks or accessory combinations that can bridge the gap between tablets and laptops.
2. Smart Accessories - The trend of iPad docks presents opportunities for the smart accessory industry, specifically in developing other accessories that pair with iPads to enhance user experience, opening up potential for disruptive innovation by finding solutions for multiple function needs, such as integrating phone and tablet docks or developing multi-functional accessorization.
3. Touchscreen Enhancement - The trend of iPad docks that replace or enhance the touchscreen interface creates opportunities for the touchscreen technology industry to develop new and improved interfaces that disrupt the existing iPad dock market, like new types of digital styluses for markup or handwriting and other touch-related enhancements.
Industry Implications
1. Portable Computing - The trend of iPad docks like the Apple Keyboard Dock presents an opportunity in the portable computing industry for disruptive innovation by developing new ways of incorporating practical and efficient physical input for touchscreen tablets as well as combing the two conveniences of a laptop and a tablet.
2. Smart Accessories - The rise of iPad docks presents an opportunity for the smart accessory industry to further improve the tablet use experience, offering solutions for total device functionality, while simultaneously adding a convenient and complementary dimension to the world of technology. The disruption here includes innovation that combines multiple uses in one accessory or finding ways to make upgrading and replacing these add-ons easier and less expensive.
3. Touchscreen Technology - The trend of iPad docks like the Apple Keyboard Dock that replace or enhance the touchscreen interface represents an opportunity for the touchscreen technology industry to disrupt the existing iPad dock market through developing new and innovative interfaces like digital styluses for markup or handwriting, haptic feedback interface advancements, and more.
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