The iPad, which looks like a giant iPod touch, and will likely retail for less than A$600, or A$900 with 3G connectivity, is Apple’s latest portable web browsing device. Apple is going after consumers who want to leave the laptop at home, and is betting a bigger screen size (25 centimetres), will encourage web surfing and application use that simply wasn’t user friendly on much smaller mobile devices.
Dawson says the iPad is likely to lead to an increase in Internet banking use whilst on the move as it is a device that is more suitable for media consumption. “It’s difficult to do banking on an iPhone app. Certainly, you can do the basic stuff, but people prefer a richer experience.
“A minority of people have used mobile apps to access banking, but most of them have used Internet banking, so if you can provide the same interface as you offer for Internet banking on a mobile device, people will be far more comfortable with it and likely to use it.”
Apple chief executive officer Steve Jobs says: “There’s already 75 million people who know how to use this because of how many iPhones and iPod touches we’ve shipped”.
User experience specialist Oliver Weidlich argues it’s new users that will represent the more interesting market for the iPad. “I think it will be a first device for a lot of people. There will be a ‘My First Computer’ or Fisher Price type approach taken”. He says this means more mums and dads using the device in a non-traditional way, which could help people become more aware of their financial situation. “So we might have a family sitting at the kitchen table using it to look at their finances, looking at where they are spending their money, rather than sitting in an office where the computer might be located.”
Weidlich says the device is also likely to lead to the development of more interactive apps than those currently offered on the iPhone. “From a banking perspective, there’s an opportunity to see it as a different interface that’s got similarities with the ATM in terms of general size and touch interaction, but the mobility of an iPhone and the power of a PC.”
Dawson says with a range of similar devices likely to follow the iPad, consumers will become more familiar with the concept of a third device alongside the smartphone or notebook, with ongoing pressure on more widespread availability of affordable data plans from telecommunications companies. But he says the providers of such devices face the challenge of meeting the multi-tasking needs of consumers used to using Windows on PCs.
Security guards
Weidlich says one of the key barriers to uptake of banking on iPad like devices will be security, with banks being forced to rethink when user names and passwords are really required. “The personal nature of portable devices like the iPad makes that more of an issue.” He says customers will continue to seek easy access to simple information like account balances, without being forced to login. “So we might see more widgets that give you a quick view of your account balances, but don’t require you to enter a user name and password.”
While most agree the increased use of tablet type devices will help increase online banking use, the jury is still out on the return of such devices in branches.
Tablet PCs have been trialled in branches and by mobile workers in the past, but the concept has never achieved widespread adoption. Weidlich says the fact the iPad allows two-handed multi-touch interaction will impact its application. “There’s more sharing with the iPad, so you can put in a number such as a repayment amount into a calculator and easily flip it around to the customer.”
Dawson says the increased uptake of tablet type devices will facilitate more personal interaction in sales environments. “Rather than having a physical folder of paper, you can easily carry something like this around and show people very quickly.”
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