As I shared in last month’s column, one of the big trends in agri-technology this year is computer tablets. Lower prices are making them more popular for managing daily recordkeeping and invoicing, tracking harvest tickets, estimating crops, and handling time keeping and scouting. There will be more software applications and Internet connectivity options. And although new technology will make agriculture computing easier, demands for information will increase.
So, just what kind of tablets are people planning to buy? Microsoft tops the heap! A new Forrester report, 2013 Mobile Workforce Adoption Trends, found that 32 percent favored the Windows tablet. Some 200 million information workers worldwide would chose Windows as their next tablet for work. The reason is simple: They want it to be compatible with the software programs they use on a daily basis.
Meanwhile, 26 percent preferred Apple and 12 percent opted for Android. While the Forrester report doesn’t focus on agriculture, I believe the trend would hold true here as well.
Check upcoming issues of my column in Central Florida Ag News for more information about how the new tablets and devices can make your life simpler. You’ll find I don’t focus on the techy stuff; I keep it simple and easy to understand.
CREDIT
column by RICK MONTNEY
BIO: Rick Montney is vice president of ProPak Software. His extensive experience spans more than 35 years in business information systems technologies with previous employment at Exxon Office Systems, Information & Computing Services, and IBM. For the past 20 years, his focus has been on agricultural software technologies.
