When the dust settles on 2010 sales figures, analysts expect that Apple will have sold over 10 million iPads, and industry estimates for 2011 shipments are now running in the 45-65 million range, numbers never before imagined for a tablet computer. While it’s true that the vast majority of these iPads will be used in homes or offices, an increasing number are finding their way onto the factory floor as they can store documents and images, as well as enter test, quality and transaction data in real time.
Autodesk Drawing Displayed On iPad
Mobile devices such as iPads won’t replace industrial grade servers any time soon, as they don’t have the same processing power or data storage capacity, but they’re proving to be viable extensions to the manufacturing floor’s computing infrastructure.
Tablet computers have been on the market for some 20 years, so it’s not a totally new computing model, but since the introduction of Apple’s iPad, and recent intros from their competitors, this form factor has finally reached critical mass and new applications are arriving daily.
Due to their wireless nature and penchant for all things internet, devices such as the iPad can easily communicate with company servers that are managing process control equipment while also tapping into data sources located in the embedded cloud. The addition of cameras, both still and video, will further enhance their capability and usefulness, as will higher resolution displays and faster CPUs.
Entering the fray are Android-based tablets such as Cisco’s Cius, a portable business tablet designed to access essential business applications while maintaining security. Featuring one-click access to Cisco’s WebEx Meeting Center and high-definition video conferencing, this is a device which allows for real-time collaboration - from the production line to the customer base or supply chain – while virtual desktop integration enables highly secure access to cloud-based business applications.
In case you’re wondering, Trenton is not planning to enter the tablet market, but we do expect to see such devices communicating with our rackmount servers and shelfmount computers deployed as part of an industrial automation, test & measurement, medical or communications solution.
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