I picked up an iPad in late April when I was swinging through the States. The Anthony family has been 
experimenting with it during the last six weeks in Singapore. I have five reflections on the device:
• Magazine companies hoping that the iPad will “save” the industry could be disappointed. I downloaded the Wired magazine app, but have largely found the experience to be disappointing. Sure, there are a couple bells and whistles, but for the most part I find it to be a worse experience then reading a magazine. You never want to give consumers something they consider worse than existing solutions. What job do people “hire” a magazine to get done? I use magazines to browse, discover, relax, and unwind. A hard copy magazine gets these jobs done very well. Of course, magazine companies find it more economical to distribute content digitally, but they have to make sure that the experience doesn’t disappoint readers.
• The tablet format will transform education. It is utterly amazing to watch my kids use the simple, intuitive device. They have been reading books, playing number games, learning the alphabet, and so on. It’s pretty easy to envision next-generation interactive textbooks with ties to customized tutoring solutions (conflict alert — we are an investor in such a solution, called Guaranteach). And Apple does have a strong historical connection to education. I can also see the tablet format becoming a big deal in healthcare and for salespeople.
• The iPad is rugged. The device survived a tantrum from my two-year-old daughter Holly and an effort by my four year-old-son Charlie to use it as a surfboard!
Read the full article at Harvard business review
Scott D. Anthony is managing director of Innosight Asia-Pacific.