The iPad Problem for Recruiters

The iPad Problem for Recruiters:  Because the iPad does not play Flash video, 99 % of today’s recruitment-oriented videos will not play on it.  Gulp.  Fortunately, Online Job Tour and our clients are already prepared for it. What the iPad is:  For what 90% of computer users use the Internet for – surfing the web, email, basic document creation – the iPad lets you do all those things totally portably and with no mouse or keypad, on a “tablet” device with a 9.5” screen that weighs 1.5 pounds.  You can purchase books, movies, and music for it.  There are thousands of apps for it, which are like “little softwares,” (and of course many more to come) for utilizing the Internet in a whole new way. I strongly encouraged all of my clients to buy the iPhone at its release in 2007 because of these “apps,” which in concert with Apple’s “i-technology” have become world changers.    ·         For most users, the iPad can/should replace their laptop computers.      What it does:  For video/movie watching, the stunning HD display is a sight to behold, its interface for gaming grades off the charts, for touch-screen Internet browsing, it is special. And the size of the iPad screams down to the iPhone.  If the iPad was just for books, it would be revolutionary. And it is. While I don't own a Kindle, I've played with one before, I've even tried Barnes and Nobles' Nook, I've read books on my iPhone, and I've read books the traditional way. It's a whole new reading experience that nothing else comes close to. Limitations:  As you have likely read, discerning consumers to “Apple-Geeks” have pointed out what they think are flaws that later generations of the product will correct; for instance, there is no USB port (to me the biggest shortcoming), many are unhappy there is no camera or phone, but I think these are coming in future generations.  Soon we will have 10G wireless networks and be walking and talking on portable mini computers – I don’t want to write about what features the iPad currently has or may have, but why it is important. The Future:  Tablet computers like the iPad are going to be huge.  They’re going to sell in the tens of millions and change the standards of how we interact with each other and with digital media.  They will change written and broadcast journalism, and the way we tell stories, present ourselves, and communicate.  In future forms they will ultimately will replace our computers. How this will affect recruiting professionals:  While many manufacturers will produce a tablet product, certain target jobseeker demographics – including higher professionals such as physicians and high-end practitioners, and a large majority of the +$100,000 career professionals, because Apple has a growing market in certain areas (like medical imaging, for instance) that impact their careers, will buy the iPad.  ·         This poses a compelling problem for almost all corporate and private recruiters of these higher-end jobseekers: because the iPad does not play Flash video, 99 % of the recruitment-oriented videos will not play on the iPad.  Although MAC users represent only 12-15% of computer users, iPhone (emphasis on “phone”) users comprise 44% of smart phone users (physicians with an iPhone over 50%).   Due to their preference for the iPhone, higher end jobseeker targets who do not have a MAC will likely buy the iPad in much larger numbers as a “bridge” to Apple.  [This may end up being a truly masterful move by Apple to penetrate the PC market through a “side door” that costs $499 instead of a relatively expense MAC vs. the PC.] Online Job Tour™’s position has been to build our product to accommodate all browser platforms and for the widest audience possible. As a result, rather than a video platform that uses Adobe/Flash only, our work involves Java Scripting instead, which can host a larger number of video formats and stays away from total reliance on Flash video (a Microsoft-favored tool, which are in PCs, which dominate corporate America).  Right now, “Corporate America” is about to get caught with its pants down as their recruitment videos will not be viewable on the iPad.  This is not an issue for our clients.  A revolutionary product, to learn more about patent-pending Online Job Tour ™ check out our website at www.onlinejobtour.com.  Contact me if you would like to learn more about it, or about how will help our clients exceed their recruiting goals and challenges. Sources: http://seekingalpha.com/article/147523-apple-palm-lead-soaring-smart-phone-de... http://gadgetcrave.com/mac-use-up-to-12-percent-users-are-more-wealthy-tech-oriented/3669/

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