Remember when you carried a DayTimer Diary everywhere? Well maybe not. It was a long time ago 80′s and 90′s. At one time it was the “corporate” thing to give to employees. The company worked on our time efficiency. The employees got some training in Time Management. There were many versions. Outlook killed this in many corporates. Outlook also often killed the fact that the data was with you all the time… at least in those days.
The most popular size was the Journal/Notebook at 8.5 inches by 5.5 inches and a 1 inch set of rings for easily changing the pages around. I’m sure this weighed more than 1.5 pounds.
Now the iPad dimensions are 9.56 by 7.47 by 0.5 inches. So somewhere between the old Journal and Desktop version of the DayTimer and a whole lot slimmer.
If the iPad organizes a whole new generation it has a lifespan of a decade. If those still hooked on Daytimers take up iPads will it revolutionize their world? Daytimer obviously isn’t blind to all of this. They’re looking for someone to help them with strategy and they have iPhone and iPod Touch apps available. The challenge. The connections between users were pens, paper, notes, phone calls, and exchange of contacts. It was the social product of the 80′s. My diary, my organizer, and contacts are fragmented today. There’s opportunity and perhaps the best thing the team at Daytimers can do… is go out and buy iPad’s tomorrow.
I bet there are a lot of other companies in their boat too. With a brand and heritage like Daytimers it is one that’s worth thinking about.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Personally, I like to write things down. I like the tactile feel of pen to paper. I like the security of knowing my appointments are not going to be lost or unavailable do to battery issues. I like the fact I don’t have to charge my paper planner. If I drop my paper planner book there isn’t the potential of data loss. I also like business cards, I think may of them are cool looking and they give me a visual reminder of a company’s brand image, style and their corporate logo.
I still use a Daytimer Journal although I own and love my iPad. I’m looking for that killer app so that I can stop with the Journal, but all have falled short. So far.
I have both but use the ipad mostly. Unfortunately Daytimer software developers cater to children as opposed to professionals. Their iPhone app, Movers and Shakers, must refer to baby rattlers because it looks like a cartoon. I would be embarrassed to open it up in front fo a customer. Unfortunately nobody seems to make a Daytimer page interface that shows calendar, tasks, notes, and expenses on the same page. I would love to have an app that duplicates the Daytimer pages and syncs to Outlook. I guess the Daytimer folks still want us to use paper.
Has anyone tried “Attain” for iPad? I too am addicted to my original Daytimer books. I use the pocket wire-bound, 2-page per day. I often refer back to notes I jotted down, sometimes years ago in order to refresh my memory regarding a past client, etc. I knew I should have typed that stuff in to the computer at some point! Anyhow, I love my iPad and would love to stop rummaging around through my old Daytimer books. The “Attain” app looks good, however I’m not sure that it actually has a Search function or a reliable backup function. Could defeat the purpose…
I just read Egreen’s note. Is Apple developing a daytimer for the apple Ipad. Or is there one that I could download and use. I just bought the Ipad and thought there was a calender that you could use for appointments and a sound to let you know that there is something to do. Would you please let me know if there is anything that I could use. Thanks Leo
The iPad has a calendar and tasks/reminders with ios5. There are also some good productivity apps. With a little work on the mail calendar settings you can also integrate it with other calendars. In my view the best system still starts with the mobile and may then be made available on other devices.