Wow, with all the hype I don’t recall ever tweeting or blogging to date about the infamous iPad. True that I’ve got a collection of apple computers and gadgetry here, I’m just having a hard time getting all that excited about the iPad. I’ll not go into why because if you’re keeping up with it there are lots better to leave their opinions than I. Instead, I just wanted to mention one cool thing about the iPad and other form factors like it.

To illustrate my point we need to imagine we’re in a meeting. Maybe in a conference room sitting around a table. There’s an agenda. People are taking copious notes. Someone is facilitating and participants are interacting with comments and feedback. This sort of thing happens millions of times a day. However, imagine in those meetings you’re sitting in front of a person who has a clam-shell style computer, or laptop, and they’re taking notes…..or so we think. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I know we’re in a hyper connected society and if there’s a connection to the web (which is the case in most meetings) then you never know what that person is doing. We’ve all seen this…where the person on the computer is typing away. Maybe even giving an occasional smirk or frown. Maybe the tempo of their keyboard clacking is not moving to the tempo of the meeting. It does not take long before you wonder if they’re really part of the conversation at all. Are they on facebook? Are they chatting it up with a friend about their plans for the weekend? They could very well be doing some nifty research on the topics that are being discussed at the table. Are we really certain? No matter what’s going on, the fact that it could ever be a question is where the issue is.

What’s my point? There are times and places where laptop, or clam-shell, style computers are incredibly UN-social. Businesses now-a-days have a huge task on them. We all are moving at make-or-break speeds and our time is valuable. How connected do we feel when sitting across the table in a meeting from others who are banging away on the keyboard while participating (or seeming to) very little? My point is that there’s something, I think, remarkably valuable about breaking down that obvious social barrier. If you can see what they’re doing, similarly as if they were writing with a pen and paper, then you just feel like that person is engaged. A computer interface that lies flat on the table for everyone to see has got to be a more sociable experience. More engaging. And what’s more, doesn’t it feel right when they have the ability to just hand it to the person across the table to confer about the note? Doesn’t that feel more interactive and connected to the conversation that’s happening?

Just the other day I was in a meeting at Dell where one of our friends there was using a Latitude Tablet PC. He had the screen of the computer laid out on the table and was using the stylus. He was attentive and contributed to the meeting. And the way he was using the tablet exemplified his engagement during this four hour meeting. It supported his socially engaged body language and, I think, helped contribute to his overall level of engagement that day.

Again, while the iPad may or may not be for me, I do think that for many forums of communications, the form factor lends itself to a more desirable work experience. More socially engaging. Feels more connected. Is an extension of collaborative body language. It’s going to be fun to watch what’s happening in this market. This point about the social factor of devices like this are huge. Can they help Corporate America lead a more engaged workforce during this new decade? We’ll see… Until then, I’ll keep using my paper and pen, just in case.