by Stewart Mader
Ben Worthen of the Wall Street Journal reports on robust interest in the iPad from the business world, which was initially reluctant to consider the iPhone when it debuted three years ago:
Businesses are behaving differently with the iPad, in large part because the new device is starting out as more of a known quantity from a technical standpoint. The iPad runs the same operating software as the iPhone, which has been enhanced with a number of business-friendly features.
In addition to using the familiar and business-friendly iOS, the iPad has two big advantages that businesses can’t ignore. It is less expensive than a laptop, and better suited to certain tasks:
iPads, with list prices ranging from $499 to $829, are also less expensive than the laptop computers most companies buy. They also have advantages over laptops for certain chores, such as when employees work standing up or give demonstrations.
Worthen’s article looks at the current state of iPad use in four companies: Bausch & Lomb, Kaiser Permanente, Daimler (parent of Mercedes-Benz), and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal.
Bausch & Lomb:
Bausch & Lomb Inc., which makes eye-care products, built its own iPad app for its salespeople. The company said it had about 50 employees using iPads in the field within a week and a half of the device’s release.
Kaiser Permanente:
But when the iPad was announced, Kaiser preordered a pair, and it has since been testing them in a 37,000-square-foot technology lab. Among the uses so far are viewing medical images such as X-rays and CT scans, and accessing medical records through a trial version of an iPad app developed by the electronic-record system’s maker.
Mercedes-Benz:
For example, Mercedes-Benz Financial, which provides loans and leases for Daimler AG, has equipped some dealerships with an iPad loaded with its app. The goal is to begin the credit-application process while customers are standing near a vehicle.
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal:
“We made sure that we knew as much about these devices as possible,” said Michael Barnas, the firm’s director of application services. The technology department now offers access to its internal systems for more than 50 iPad-toting attorneys, and anticipates issuing iPads as an alternative to laptops as soon as next year.
Besides business, the iPad is popular with Senior Citizens. Which market will it win over next? Apple’s 4th Quarter earnings report, due out in October after back-to-school, should tell us a lot about the device’s reception in the education market.