Take A Tablet
Tablets are in many ways the ideal sales aid. Brides can see engaging videos of gowns rather than having to use their imaginations. Accessories can be displayed, catalogues read and venues explored. And, at the end of the process, orders can be placed right on the device., says Chris Partridge
stylish and ergonomic keyboards, mice and styluses that enable real work to be done on their tablets, and loads of third-party keyboards and other accessories are coming out too. The choice of operating system has widened, with iPadOS, Android and Windows now all credible systems for mobile working, and the range of apps for sales has widened. Major new releases of all three operating systems are due to arrive this Autumn, and all make the tablet experience better. The three focus on making tablets easier to use, with the ability to run several apps at the same time and swap seamlessly between them. Apple’s iPadOS 15 will be automatically pushed to all suitable devices, and Microsoft’s Windows 11 will be offered as a free update to Surface users. Android 11, on the other hand, will be supplied at the whim of the tablet maker and many have not been very prompt on this front.
The arrival of the new OS versions will stimulate demand for large tablets still further. But…the latest iPad Pro is horribly expensive. The base 12.9in screen model is an eye-watering £999 and the accessories are pricey too. The Apple Pencil is £119 and the oh-sostylish Magic Keyboard, which makes the tablet seem to float above the keys, is an extra £279. It adds up pretty quickly. Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7 is a more affordable £799. It has more ports for adding an extra monitor, and a handy kickstand. If you are an Office 365 subscriber already, it will give you instant access to all your stuff, and as it runs Windows, it will be compatible with lots of sales software. The Surface Pen costs £99. Samsung’s highly regarded Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is officially priced at £869 but an S-pen is included, and prices online are considerably less, making the S7 Plus a very attractive
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he great thing about a tablet is that it can be passed from hand to hand as simply as a phone but with a much bigger screen –so much more natural than a cumbersome laptop. And there is more – the sales consultant can use a tablet for note taking, possibly with a stylus, and to edit documents such as orders. Editing on the fly makes it much easier to get everything right first time. Recently, tablets have become larger and more powerful, with 13in screens becoming the norm. All the tablet makers now offer 90 ♦ W E D D I N G T R A D E R ♦ S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1
APPLE’S IPADOS 15
