What are some of the differences between the Apple IPad® and Ruggedized Tablet PC's?

While the iPad is truly a technology advancement in personalized tablets, does that, in reality, make it a true business tool that can stand the rigors of the work environment?

The answer is a resounding NO!

Of course, the iPad has a nice sized screen and it has Internet access through Wi-Fi. But that is only a fraction of the capabilities required in most work environments.

From our experience, the following is vital when utilizing tablet PCs in applications for First Responders (rescue, police, fire, and ambulance workers), for mobile workers using tablets in sales force automation, in field service repair, for utility workers, in manufacturing and distribution centers, in delivery trucks, and any other areas in which the Tablet is being used in business environments.


• Ruggedness: Most tablet PCs are rated for at least multiple four-foot drops to concrete. Additionally, Rugged Tablet PC manufacturers have designed their products from the inside out with special components and manufacturing processes that insure that circuit cards, connections, and chips will not become dislodged from extreme vibration or from being dropped. The iPad is not made for this type of “abuse”.

• Protection against water, snow, and dust: Ruggedized Tablet PCs are typically rated from an industry rating of IP54 to an IP67 rating. This means that they can take water spray and in some cases can be fully submerged in water. These environmental factors are found whenever a worker leaves their office. The iPad is not designed for these types of environments.

• A full operating system that allows sophisticated business applications to be loaded in the Tablet PC. Typically, the OS found on a Rugged Tablet PCs are Windows 7, XP Embedded, or Linux. The OS found on the Apple iPad is a proprietary operating system and not open to business applications that are Windows based.

• Access to fast and responsive support by computer technicians located in the U.S. is almost guaranteed by the manufactures of Rugged Tablet PC. They realize that when support is needed, they must be responsive as it is costing their customers money when they have an issue that takes them off-line.

• Fast Processor speeds: Due to the fact that most Rugged Tablet PCs are running Windows® programs, most every manufacturer of these Tablet PCs now offer higher speed processors. It is not uncommon to see 1.6GHz or faster processors. The iPad is also designed to run numerous applications, but it has not been designed to run Microsoft® Windows® business applications.

• Rugged Tablet PCs today have the ability to add more memory, solid state storage and hard disk drives as well as peripheral devices such as barcode scanners, magnetic stripe readers, cameras, digital video, smart cards, etc. The Apple’s iPad does not have any of these capabilities.

• Rugged Tablet PCs offer long-life batteries with the capability to “hot-swap” batteries on the spot without any loss of data.

• Mounting any type of tablet in a vehicle is often a challenge due to the many different types of vehicles on the road. Today, the major manufacturers of Rugged Tablet PCs have designed special mounts for most all vehicles. Additionally, these mounts allow for their Rugged Tablet PCs to be secured safely within the vehicles. In case of an accident, the worst thing that could happen is for someone to be injured because the tablet broke loose from its mounting and became a flying missile.

Here is an example of iPads ruggedness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAl28d6tbko