Caution: You probably all think I am a dullard and that I should have figured this out years ago when the iPhone / iPodTouch was released.
When the iPad and its ‘feature set’ was announced several months ago, I hated it. I proclaimed that it lacked all these features, like a front and back mount camera, stylus support, SD card slot, etc. However, I was definitely up for buying it. The reason being we are doing some travel in the near future and this will require us to pack very… very… light. With this in mind I have come to the following conclusion…
Travel and Tourism is about to change dramatically. The iPad is the harbinger of a new medium for interaction with the traveler. There are literally millions of people jaunting across the globe for either business, leisure, sex related travel, and or smuggling migrant workers over geographic borders; all of whom rely on maps, guidebooks, word of mouth, locals and other disjointed information to guide them on their journey. The iPad changes all of this. Not only does it do all the crap that the iPhone did for navigating cities and local hot spots, but it does it in a way that actually can be used on the fly and amongst a group of travelers.
First things first: Size
- Trying to show someone a map on the iPhone is great but you basically have to hand it off to them otherwise you are uncomfortably huddled together. The sheer size of the display makes looking at any detailed type of information a social effort much like sharing a computer screen.
- Usability: GoogleMaps is great because you are physically connected to the map, but how about really being able to see the big picture and also Points of Interest. What would once clutter the screen is now tremendously welcomed to a explorer.
- Not having to bring my laptop! I am going to love hopping around Europe without my beloved MacBook Pro. There are going to be some things I just cannot take with me on the iPad but that is ok, because I don’t really need these capabilities on VACATION!!!
- We will be doing a ton of train travel so having this with me will be a huge help in making the time go by quickly between destinations.
What got me here: Planning
- This whole idea struck me after spending some time thumbing thru our guidebook for Western Europe. The book is great, chronicling each step of the way thru our journey (…also dictating some of them as well). But its 4 inches thick and we will most likely not find the exact info we need in it given our personalities. Ebooks solve this problem to a degree.
- You can download purchase ebook versions of most of the guidebooks online. There are a slew of PDF versions out there as well. Today I decided to get one for each major city we were in and bring it along stored on the iPad. If the moment strikes us, or we are short on ideas of where to find that perfect local pub in Manchester, the books will be a few touches away. Reading these on an iPhone would be hideous and you know it!
- Real world maps: Yes GoogleMaps is freaking amazing, (as is Google Earth) but I am not sure we will be getting coverage or Wifi on all of our stops. Having real world maps are key to navigating railways, city landmarks, or even just trying to find our hotel. Rather than carrying paper maps from various tourist booths I have downloaded detailed PDF maps for each city and rail system we plan to navigate. Again, all in one place and zoomable / sharable / on the go.
Next Factor: A New Medium for the Travel industry
- Travel agencies are in the freaking stone ages. The iPad is a perfect opportunity for them to capture a new market that could provide them a new revenue stream other than selling you crappy travel insurance. I could easily see a motivated and tech savvy travel agency developing an iPad app that integrated your itinerary, flight plans / tickets, hotel information, mapping and transportation, rewards systems and excursions all into a single interface. This app could be part of their offering and inject additional excursion packages, local coupons, restaurant reviews and booking networks as other ways to upsell wit the application. Down the road you could even get crazy with trip booking, payment systems, social site integration, augmented reality and location aware capability.
- New revenue opportunity for the destinations: Imagine taking a tour and having an situational application on your iPad providing detailed information as you progress thru the experience. I could see this being an incredible way to enhance a art museum or open top bus tour. These could sell as an additional cost on top of the admission. The app in of itself is a souvenir, and could provide the proprietor with pretty valuable metrics and analytics on their customers. Thinking of our tour thru the King Tut exhibit in San Francisco’s de Young Museum, and their no camera policy. Maybe Steve Jobs already took this into account with the lack of camera in the iPad.
- Guidebooks need to stop working in print all together: Ebooks are a temporary transition to what must be a fully functioning application on the iPad. They can provide interactive maps, audio / video, all the classic content, integrate user driven comments and suggestions and promote their sponsored sites. Again… augmented reality!!
Being away without being away
- Some people go on vacation to detach from their home life, I am not this person. I like providing little breadcrumbs so people can follow me along the way. Maybe it is a facebook update, maybe its a flickr post… whatever. Yes, this was available on the iPhone. As a Blackberry guy I was relatively limited prior to this new device.
- Since I am going to photograph my way thru this trip, the iPad will give me a quick way to quickly post a few updates to the folks at home and more importantly I can have a backup for my pictures and free up space of my main SD card! I am always worried about a failure or misplacement of a card and loosing an entire leg of the trip. Additionally, I can do some light post processing on the iPad prior to sending them to flickr!!
- I think we need a camera in the house so I can monitor Paisley the cat. I am sure there is an app for that.
All things considered this is just one industry that will be impacted greatly if this style of computing takes off. The impacts on Government, Health care, new media, and other services will be amazing if it has the popularity the market predicts. Late April better become ‘mid’ April because I am getting impatient!!
Related links:
10 Awesome iPad Apps for Travel