02 Aug 2010
Apple's iPad, which sold three million units in its first 80 days on the market, is set to be further boosted by its selection by the BBC and the British Army.
The BBC is trialling the device at various levels of the organisation. John Linwood, the BBC's chief technology officer, said: "We're seeding the organisation [with the devices]. We put some iPads into production and some into management and other roles to see if people would be able to give up their desktops.
"Staff out on location a lot may be better off with a handheld device," he added.
Linwood also expects that it would help technical staff. "If a support engineer gets called into a studio, it would be handy to have a device where you could look up circuit diagrams or software help files," he said.
The broadcaster hopes Apple's device will enable more paperless meetings. " On the west coast of the US, paperless meetings are the norm," Linwood continued. "If you brought paper to a meeting, they'd look at you strangely. If you actually handed out paper they'd get upset."
Android devices, among others, are also being tested as part of this organisation-wide trial.
Meanwhile, the Army is also using the iPad. UK troops have started using the device to help with artillery training, replacing the more traditional meeting room and presenter approach.
"A lot of our training is directed at young soldiers who don't respond well to the traditional PowerPoint lecture," said Major Richard Gill of the training development branch. "Our solutions are developed very much with the iPod generation in mind."
The early indications are that troops are getting to grips with tasks more quickly than before. The Army has said that being able to shorten training times would lead to increased availability of troops for operations, such as ongoing actions in Afghanistan.
The Army Aviation Centre also aims to provide vehicle recognition training for Army pilots using a 3D recognition application on the Apple iTouch. The application will be incorporated into the helicopter pilots' course.
haha! yeah and in the deep south they still scribe on slate! I totally agree with Chris; Its very narrow minded to think about this situation solely in terms of cost.
The BBC for years have always delivered and continue to do so, its totally irrelevant and not a reflection on their excellent services to the broadcasting industry, if they wish to look further into modern technology let them do so, especially if the cost is initially minimal they are well within their rights to do so! At the end of the day ITV have the financial power and backing, obviously proved by their ability to poach front people from BBC to head their next venture. They bombard us with adverts either way, some of which come on during football matches when they're not supposed to!
Anyway, I hope to see Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer with an Ipad soon!
Posted by: Liam 08 Sep 2010
I think the BBC have shown time and again that they can evolve and ensure they remain one of the leading and most respected broadcasters in the world. Lack of quality programming, don't make me laugh - Survivors, Misfits, Sherlock, Formula 1, Golf, MOTD, Antiques Roadshow, CBBC, Cbeebies, Dr Who, Dragons Den, Questiontime, News night, etc, etc too many to list.
I can't stand people who knock the BBC, when you look at the volume of quality entertainment they produce. I won't thank Colin for his comment. Just look at the BBC website for example - industry-leading and always inspiring - this shows the kind of commitment and progressive thinking that the BBC put into everything they do.
It's fashionable non-thinking whingers like Colin and Paul below that cause the BBC to be pressured into letting its big name stars go to other channels, where the programmes are never as good and you have to suffer crappy adverts every 10 minutes.
Give the BBC a break and the respect it deserves.
I did laugh at the west coast of the US thing though!! Hilarious.
They all fly around with personal jet packs too. powered with hydrogen fuel cells of course!
Posted by: Chris 02 Sep 2010
I'm on the West Coast of the US, and laughed so much reading this quote. What a load of rubbish!
"On the west coast of the US, paperless meetings are the norm. If you brought paper to a meeting, they'd look at you strangely. If you actually handed out paper they'd get upset."
Posted by: David 05 Aug 2010
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