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NFL Teams Considering IPads To Replace Playbooks
bonch writes "Pete Walsh, technology head for the Dallas Cowboys, says he and other teams are considering iPads and other tablets as a replacement for paper playbooks, saving about 5,000 pages of printouts per game. Not only is it a huge savings in paper, but a lost iPad might also be remotely wiped to prevent a team's plays falling into the wrong hands. One concern is security and whether or not a tablet could be wirelessly hacked."
Players don't generally read the playbook on the sidelines unless they're on the bench, at which point they generally take their gloves off since it's equally difficult to flip through a book with gloves on. On another note, they would need to get some deal with apple to let them side load the playbook though since I'd imagine not many teams would want to submit their playbook for approval to the app store.
Kindle, on the other hand, makes total sense.
iPad is total overkill, Kindle is way way WAY cheaper and does all the same things that they need to do.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
On another note, they would need to get some deal with apple to let them side load the playbook though since I'd imagine not many teams would want to submit their playbook for approval to the app store.
I'm pretty sure the developers license will let you load your own unreleased app directly onto your ipad, without having to submit it to apple.
I didn't know they have a different playbook every week. What do they actually do with them? If the 5,000 pages is copies for half a dozen coaches, that's almost 1000 pages each, which I can't imagine they're flipping through between plays. Or is it 50 pages for each of 100 players and coaches? But that doesn't make sense, I can't imagine they're memorizing 50 pages of plays per game.
This article reminded me of the classic 1970s Xerox ad. But what would they do in weather like that? Maybe they plan to always play in domed stadiums.
They're made of lace and reach above the elbow - not really suitable for playing handegg.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
So 5,000 pages of paper. That's one case (actually 1/2 a case if you assume duplex printing). Buying high-quality paper, that's going to be $50 or less ($25 for half a case).
An entry-level business-grade B&W laser printer costs maybe $500, will handle 100,000 pages in its lifetime, and takes toner cartridges that print between 7500 and 15000 pages each at about $200 each retail. Being a little excessive and buying a new printer per season, a case of paper per game, and a new toner cart every other game, you get 500 (cost of one printer) + 1 (cases of paper per game) * 16 (games) * 50 (cost of one ream) + 0.5 (carts per game) * 16 (games) * 200 (cost of one toner cart) = $2900, or an amortized total cost of $0.36 per page. And that's being very generous on retail costs and consumables. I routinely print conference proceedings (18k total pages) for an amortized total cost for closer to $0.05 per page by shopping around even just a little. If they're printing in color, I'd expect the amortized total cost to be between 2 and 3 times higher, so, with a little work, perhaps $0.15 per page, but still well under the generous estimate of $2900.
Each iPad costs, what $500? And they need what, one per player, coach, assistant coach, owner, etc.? The so-called savings are a slight-of-hand distraction. They just want iPads.
Even if you were to say that the saved paper, not money, was really the issue, and that saving 16 cases of paper (probably 8, since if they're concerned, they'd already be printing duplex) was important, I'd point to the 10-or-so tons of recycled material per game that envionmentally conscious teams like the Ravens are capable of (http://www.mdstad.com/content/view/96/42/) that dwarf one (1/2) case of paper.
Again, they just want iPads.
As the linked article suggests, there are many things you could do with iPads that you can't do with a traditional printed playbook, like review plays, run simulations, etc., but the teams should be upfront with that and not toss the public a propaganda bone like paper savings that can be shown to be irrelevant in the bigger picture.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
Companies can get an enterprise license that allows them to distriibute app internally.
Much of the excitement in football (as in all sports) comes from watching humans with tremendous talent who spend a huge amount of time developing that talent. Like any other sport, strategy is important. But the strategy is partially built around the strengths and weaknesses of the actual humans who make up the team, as well as those of the members of the opposing team. I'm not a huge football fan, but I recognize the difference between multiplying a fairly arbitrary number representing "will" or "skill" by the random roll of a die and a team of people who are fatigued, injured, and withstanding adverse weather conditions, pushing themselves to the utmost limit not only for themselves, but for their team and the millions of people cheering them on towards victory.