I feel that one day in the future, real estate agents won’t be caught dead without some sort of tablet PC instead of 8 lbs of real estate contracts and addenda. Paper is so 20th century; let’s catch up with the times!
It’s no wonder why I’m excited at the possibility of Apple presenting a tablet device to the market.
Why Now?
I know there have been plenty of tablet PCs in the past on the market. There were some offered by HP, Lenovo, Toshiba; they were all fine and dandy. However, Apple’s products are so well done that one can’t help but be excited about them entering this market. Current tablet PCs are simply too bulky, too expensive, and feel cheap.
Apple won’t design a product unless it’s sleek, sexy, and built to perfection. If they’re going to step into the tablet PC market, you can bet your next commission check that it will be done well. Think of it as a bigger iPhone, except big enough to use comfortably as a multimedia device.
Real estate agents should be excited. This sleek device (mockup pictured above by Edwin Tofslie) would be easy to keep in a suitcase, carrying bag, and while touring homes. Your entire listing presentation could be held on it. Your clients will be impressed at how tech savvy you are, and how this plays a role in the emerging real estate market where technology is becoming much more prevalent.
This is of course purely speculation. No one has actually confirmed that Apple is working on a product like this, but boy are there rumors galore. Take this case where an analyst is said to have actually put his hands on one whose identify is held secret.
The “veteran analyst”, whom Barron’s does not name, claims to have seen a prototype of the tablet. Commenting on the device’s playback of hi-def video, the analyst is quoted as saying: “It’s better than the average movie experience, when you hold this thing in your hands”.
The analyst adds that other device manufacturers are holding off on similar products until they see the Apple machine: “It’s close enough now to a final design that in Asia, there’s no other product in the waiting room or in the bullpen”. Frustratingly, he gives no details on the device’s spec. – Mashable
Most rumors put the device to hit the market at $699 or $799; well below the entry level tablet PCs currently on the market. For real estate agents, I think this is extremely affordable. In a few months time I think you could easily recoup at least half of your investment by the sheer amount of printing you don’t have to do.
There’s a few features that real estate agents would need to see in order for it to be prefect for a real estate business.
- Integrated wireless connections – Needs to be able to connect to a wireless network, and also utilize a 3G connection (or better) built in. No annoying PCM cards please!
- Pen accessory – Please let there be a pen! This is the key ingredient. As well, it would be nice if it were housed within the device itself.
- Bright screen – Apple’s LED backlit screens are gorgeous, and I’d like to see this feature brought to this device as well. It’s absolutely essential in days where bright sunlight washes out the screen and you literally have to hide in a closet to see it legibly.
- Long battery life – Needs to last at least 3 hours on non-stop usage. A typical showing tour for me lasts around 3 hours, so we’ll need to make sure the device can have a good charge for the entire time. I say it only need 3 hours non-stop because I’m assuming putting it in standby while I’m driving saves a bit of juice.
What do you think? Do you think a tablet by Apple could be a great device for real estate agents? I’m obviously excited about it, but I’m a fan of Apple products. What about all the PC folks out there?
-SC-
8 Comments on "Apple Tablet – A Real Estate Agent’s Dream"
Has this product been officially chalked up to pure speculation? If not, I am curious if Apple has made enough changes to the table to make it a useful tool. I know working with the previous tablets from M$ was not that handy. I guess we will see.
Purely speculation at this point; Apple hasn’t let a single shred of evidence out in the public domain. There’s plenty of analysts that are speculating on it though, and it’s a pretty hot topic in the Apple world right now.
This would be a must have gadget for me. I’ve been looking for an affordable tablet PC to carry along to showings and signings for awhile now.
With a good tablet PC and ZipForms I wouldn’t have to worry about running out of blank contracts at that crucial moment.
Thanks for sharing such a nice stuff.It will surely be very beneficial for real estate agent.It will save time as well as efforts to accomplish task.
For the mean time, the tablet pc is the way to go. Priced at around $1600 they are pricey but so worth it. HP has one with a rotating moniter that is small and compact. Overall when giving a listing presentation on the computer you don’t want the moniter to small remember. I’m going with a tablet pc for the mean time and should be purchasing december 2009. My best friend already has a tablet pc by HP and it’s a no brainer. Great post.
I’d like to see the tablet come to market, if not for any reason than raising the bar for tablets like the iPhone did for smart phones. Hoping to see Microsoft’s Courier and Arrington’s CrunchPad as well.
I heard over on CNET, maybe in one of the product review videos, that Apple was indeed working on a tablet.
There are already tablets out there and RE agents are not using them en masse, so I don’t think Apple introducing one will make some huge difference.
Do you?
RM
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