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Can a Mouse Make the iPad Relevant for Business?

Despite the mostly positive financial news from Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), the one weakness that gets a lot of press is the decrease in iPad sales. For the first quarter of 2015, sales were down 16 percent from the same quarter a year earlier.

There is speculation about overlap with the iPhone 6 Plus and the 12-inch Mac, plus various Android and Surface competitors. Does this mean the iPad is going away? I don’t believe so. Despite the sales drop, Apple still sells 12 to 20 million iPads a quarter and they are very profitable. I would argue that the primary reason iPad sales are not growing is because the iPad life cycle is longer than the iPhone. I still have the same iPad 3 in the time I’ve had three different iPhones.

From a business-user perspective, the iPad has the ideal size, weight and battery life for being productive on the road – or even down the hall in a conference room. Apple CEO Tim Cook says he uses his iPad for 80 percent of his work. The problem most business users have is that many work applications are Windows-based, not touch-based iOS apps. Many organizations use Citrix Systems for centralizing the Windows work apps and remotely accessing the user interface to PCs, Macs or iPads. This works great for security and manageability. The problem with iPads has been that without a mouse, the user experience of using Windows apps is lacking.

The new Citrix X1 Mouse (developed in Fort Lauderdale) is the first mouse to support iPads and iPhones. The initial feedback has been very positive. Many business users say this will dramatically improve their productivity and allow them to leave the laptop at home. The X1 Mouse does not work with every app, but it does provide a great experience by accessing over a million Windows apps via XenApp, XenDesktop, GoToMyPC and ShareConnect. 

Is a mouse for the iPad enough to turn the iPad’s sales decline around? Not likely. But will it make millions of business users happy and more productive? So far, the results are promising. ?

Chris Fleck is on the board of the South Florida Technology Alliance and vice president of mobility systems and alliances for Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: CTXS), a Fort Lauderdale company that provides secure remote access to data and applications.

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Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.