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Very good break down. I would say, though, that the difference in cost between the 32 and the 64 should absolutely not be prohibitive for doctors, considering this is your work tool as well as a million other things. When you are buying a device like this, especially if you are peevish about the costs, it is very important not to cheap out. It is likely you will use this device almost every day for the next 3 years! Don’t assume you know what the storage space requirements are going to be 2 years from now…you will hate yourself if an amazing application comes out that requires 10 more G’s of space than you have. I say this all assuming this is going to be a work horse for you. If you are planning on just using it for blogging and netflix…get the absolute cheapest one! If you want it for work for the next 3 years in addition to all the other wonderful things it can do…go big.
Great point Joel. I think the problem people are having is trying to figure out how much “on the cloud” their data will be. For example, I recently switched to Spotify, clearing up about 10gb on my iPad. The bigger question is textbooks. I’m surprised that the new iBook platform doesn’t include a place for “cloud” e-books — as these e-books are certain to take up massive amounts of data.
The cloud issue is definitely a moving target. I just subscribed to iTunes Match, which freed up about 5 GB of space on my iPad 2. I also make extensive use of Dropbox and now iCloud (for books and movies). I have a 16 GB iPad 2, and still have about 7 GB free.
I used to think, like Joel, that buying the biggest capacity was the best move. After all, you can’t upgrade the thing later. But now I prefer to buy a device that fits well, then sell it when it no longer fits well. For now, the iPad 2 16 GB fits me great, but when the waistline starts digging in it’s going straight to eBay in favor of the next model.
I have a 16 gb AT&T 3G. I think the 16 is fine for medical use. Most all ‘medical data’ is in the cloud and 16 leaves plenty of room for Apps.
You’ll only need more if you want to store video or lots of music.
I’m going to hold off until late spring before I purchase and iPad. The iPad 3 should be out by then (scheduled Feb or so) and my iTouch4 is working fine. It took a fair amount of convincing for me to go from iTouch4 + MacBook Air to an iPad but I am keeping my options open for now. I will be there but not at this moment.
I just want to echo and reiterate the point made by Joe and Dr. Husain. While 16 GBs may be sufficient for apps today, it may not be tomorrow. As the iPad’s processor and other hardware elements improve, it is my guess that apps will grow in size to take advantage of that increased technical capacity.
That said, it is tough to know how much of this increase in size will be offset by improvements in cloud technology which could allow app developers to host certain elements of their apps in the cloud thereby freeing up space (as Dr Husain and others have done with Spotify & iTunes Match) on their iPads.
Indeed, this is one of the things we at Orca Health are attempting to do–that is, reduce the size of our apps by streaming and cloud hosting certain elements.
Tom’s review is a good one and if you can’t wait, I endorse his recommendation to purchase the 32GB iPad. However, I would hedge that recommendation with the suggestion that if you can wait just a month or two, I expect that Apple will shortly release the iPad 3 which I expect to be a significant improvement to the tablet (iPad 2) that is already the clear industry leader.
Jake Lybbert
Orca Health CoS
http://www.orcahealth.com/I have a 32 go and it’s getting full from all the textbooks, flashcards, notes(PDF are just chomping my memory). I’m pretty content with the space but when I upgrade I’ll probably be switching to the 64gb just so I don’t have to worry about space. Some of the really nice reference textbooks are getting bigger and bigger due to the extra features.
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Which version iPad should doctors buy?
A number of recent surveys have indicated that the Apple iPad is the number one choice for healthcare professionals when it comes to choosing a tablet.
This is hardly surprising given the head start the iPad has had compared to its competitors (read more here) and the significant development that has gone into medical apps for the iOS platform.
This article will attempt to help decide which particular iPad is the best choice for a healthcare professional who wants to use it as part of their daily workflow.
The choices available from the Apple Store at the time of writing are as follows:
This article will not consider the color of each device as that is a purely aesthetic choice. When it comes to purchasing an iPad, there are three main considerations, each of which will be addressed in turn:
Processing hardware
As tablets become more powerful, they gain the ability to run more demanding applications. This means that they are generally faster, better at multitasking and will be suitable for future software developments. The iPad 2 was a large hardware upgrade from the original iPad with an enhanced processor, more memory and two cameras amongst other features.
Due to this, the iPad 2 is recommended over the original iPad.
Storage space
The iPad 2 is available in three different sizes, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. The average app size for iPad apps is often larger than that of iPhone apps. One of the main functions of the iPad for medical professionals is storage and reading of medical literature. It is very easy to store large numbers of PDFs and presentations using apps such as PDF Expert/GoodReader. Apps such as Dropbox store the majority of documents online, however, they still require some local storage in order to display the files.
Another storage aspect worth considering is the rise of eTextbooks. Companies such as Inkling release excellent versions of core texts, though these can take up significant amounts of space– e.g. Inkling’s version of Harissons Principles of Internal Medicine is an amazing resource however it does take 3.4GB of space.
One final consideration when it comes to storage is accessibility. This will be discussed in greater detail below. Essentially, if your hospital or workplace has excellent connectivity, the greater you will be able to rely on cloud based storage services such as Dropbox.
If your hospital has a number of deadspots or you are based in the community then chances are you will want to make greater use of local storage to ensure you have access to all your documents regardless of internet connectivity.
On the basis of this, the 32GB model is regarded as the minimum size for healthcare professionals. The 16GB model does not have enough local storage on it for it to function effectively and users with this model are likely to find themselves running out of space in the future. In an ideal world, the 64GB model with its significant amount of storage would be the ideal choice, however, this does come at a cost. Users who are keen to store lots of documents locally and other media such as videos and photos may find that this model suits their needs better.
Although not strictly medical, this info graphic from gizmodo helps illustrate the different storage sizes available.
Connectivity
The final consideration when purchasing a new iPad is connectivity. All iPads are supplied with Wi-Fi as standard but a Wi-Fi + 3G model is also available. 3G keeps you connected to the internet even when Wi-Fi isn’t available and uses the same signals your mobile phone uses. It’s available without a contract and service is sold separately. Interestingly, Wi-Fi + 3G iPads include a GPS locator which the Wi-Fi only iPads do not.
Connectivity is an integral part of many medical apps which often store information online and download it as and when required. Similarly many iPads are used to input data into EMRs which also require internet connectivity. This is vital and therefore the Wi-Fi + 3G model is recommended for healthcare professionals. There is no need to purchase a contract for 3G data if there is Wi-Fi available, though it is useful to be able to access 3G if required.
Overall Rating
Having considered each of these three main points, it is clear that the iPad recommended for healthcare professionals is the 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G model. The 16GB model is not recommended on the basis of storage whilst the 64GB is not recommended on the basis of cost. 3G connectivity is essential to ensure that internet access is maintained in case there are deadspots in the hospital. The 32GB model should be more than adequate for the majority of users’ needs.