iPad 3 Predictions: What Will Apple’s New Tablet Mean for Local?

On Wednesday Apple is set to unveil the iPad 3. There are a plethora of rumors about different features we can expect from the new tablet; better camera, new apps, 4G connectivity. But how will the new tablet affect location-based services? It’s always hard to foresee the effects new technology will have, but here are five predictions from the people in the industry about how the iPad 3 could impact location technology.

1) More Content: “What this means is they are going to tap into the huge potential of LBS in a similar way that smart phones do — people will use them to search and consume local focused content, will use them for directions and navigation etc…” (Duncan McCall, PlaceIQ)

2) More Local Purchases: “Already tablet owners are proficient local searchers — 64% conduct local searches on the device daily and 86% of local tablet searches result in a purchase, according to our 2012 Local Search Usage Study. With SIRI hopefully to be one of the new iPad 3 features, these rates will continue to grow.” (Gib Olander, Localeze)

3) Augmented Reality: “I’ve seen a number of cool experiments where people display layers of local information using augmented reality. That said, the display can be a little hit and miss. It would be interesting if Apple took a crack at improving augmented reality. AR is here to stay, and I think we’re going to see a lot more AR in SoLoMo apps over the next 5 years.” (Luke Stangel, Tackable)

4) Local Advertising Opportunities: “As they become more ubiquitous, the opportunity to personalize messaging and advertising to users on tablets opens up a huge opportunity similar to location-aware smartphones.” (Duncan McCall, PlaceIQ)

5) New Wave of Search Apps:  “The latest iPad, with its ability to capture and use context like where we are, who we know, where we’ve been, will unleash a new set of opportunities for app developers to change the way we think about local search.” (Gib Olander, Localeze)

Isa Jones is an intern at Street Fight.