The pace at which Apple’s products are moving into the enterprise is accelerating, if the iPad is any indication. For instance, while the iPhone took two years of in-house research and testing before it was allowed into the San Francisco-based Wells Fargo Bank, the iPad became part of that corporate family within a couple of weeks of its launch.
According to Bloomberg News, other major businesses such as SAP AG, Tellabs and Mercedes-Benz are similarly utilizing the iPad for a variety of tasks, such as taking orders in a showroom or demonstrating financial products at a conference.
40 Percent of iPhones
The news service quoted Megan Minich, a Wells Fargo senior vice president, as saying that the company has already placed its second order for iPads, following an initial shipment of 15.
The steady adoption of the popular tablet device is both surprising and not. It’s surprising since the iPad has been sold largely as a media-consumption device optimized for video, audio, e-books and the web. Not surprising because a device that can be carried and used one-handedly, in all kinds of office settings, would seem to offer the portability and versatility that modern businesses need.
Since its launch in April, the iPad has sold more than three million units, and the expectation is that it will sell about two million more every month. AT&T estimates that 40 percent of iPhones are used for business. If applied to iPads, that percentage would mean about 1.2 million are in business use now.
In addition, while it’s unlikely that an employee might have two smartphones, it’s entirely likely that he or she could have a desktop or laptop computer as well as an iPad — so the actual percentage of iPads being used inside of businesses or for business purposes is possibly even higher than for the iPhone.
‘Mobile…