Ten Apps for the iPad You Could Have Thought Of

What do you think of the iPad?
No other product has even come close to the buzz that iPad generated. We were talking about it amongst friends, family and colleagues; at dinner, home and twitter too.

Yet, many of us are spending our time wondering why anyone on earth will pay for this, while others are scratching their head with its name choice. Still, there are a select few who are very excited about this announcement. These people, who are making millions with the iPhone, told me about some of the apps that they are thinking of developing. I will list 10 of these, which should help get your own creative juices flowing.

1. Board Games

The size of the iPad brings multi-player games to the next level. Can you imagine how much better Monopoly is without needing to pick someone as the banker? No more clean ups too.

And how about using the iPad to display a Texas Holdem table while everyone has their hand shown on their own iPhone?

2. Advertising

This is a bit commercial, but no more HDTVs in the corner of the restaurant that becomes more of a wall art. With the iPad, you can have lots of them, and they can be much more interactive.

3. Digital Menus

Better yet, how about a waiter bringing over a digital menu without a taped over price because they want to make more money? Or, how about a popular menu based on actual data that changes every month, week or even day?

4. Kiosks

Did you know that the kiosks you see everyday costs $20,000 or more and it’s really nothing but a computer hiding under a chunk of metal? How about shrinking the size by ten times and just having an iPad there to do the same thing? Self serving iPad station to buy Starbucks coffee. It could actually speed up service!

5. Smart Home

It would be cool if someone came up with a software that can control the thermostat, or actually, any device in the house. Oh while we are at it, how many adding a baby monitor in there too?

6. Portable Devices

If I were any portable device maker, I’d be scared out of my minds right now. Hand held gaming devices, portable DVD players can all be replaced with one machine with a better and faster processing power.

7. In Car GPS

I still think that the commercialization of GPSs is one of the best advancement of the last decade, but $3,000 is a very steep price to pay for one inside the car. Now, with the iPad, I have a device that will naturally have the most up-to-date maps and routes.

8. Sales Professional

I see too many uses for someone who’s on the road 24/7. It’s light, easy to turn on in a rush and pretty much does most tasks of a laptop. Who can say no to less luggage?

9. Digital Picture Frames

I know what you are thinking. $500 for a picture frame? No, I’m not kidding, because if you think about it, the $50 picture frame is sort of a waste. If you already have the iPad, you can just set it there so it stays with you. Added bonus: No need to teach your parents how to get the pictures onto the memory stick!

10. Stock Trading Geeks

If geeks are labeled by those people who has no life and sits in front of computers all day, then those who are into stocks definitely fit the bill with their multiple screen setup. My friend already said he’s buying an iPad for his wife because she is always trying to carry her laptop everywhere to check stock prices, trends and stay up to date.

This is Interesting and All, But Why Does it Matter?

This site, after all, talks about personal finance. Why does this matter at all you ask? I labeled this post make money, because while we are all complaining about this new device, there are people thinking about capitalizing on this opportunity.

Luck is a huge part of life, but spotting and then acting on it is even more important.

When the iPhone came out, we were talking about its bad reception, the soft ringer, the bulkiness, its weird keyboard and its weight. Yet, two years later, we read headlines of companies who made $25 million last year with a few iPhone apps.

Most people complain and then admire, but you can seize the opportunity instead. The possibilities are limitless. But then again, when everyone is busy making fun of the name, there’s no spare time to think creatively.

Spot, Seize, Do. Train yourself to prosper.

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