iPads Becoming Increasingly Popular in the Corporate World

Although the iPad has only been available for a few months, a surprisingly high number of corporate employees currently utilize the tablet PC device, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The popularity and predicted sustainability of the iPad in the corporate and IT sectors is predominately due to the new technology’s business-friendly features, the news source reports. In fact, Apple (News - Alert) has attributed a great deal of the overall success of the product to its reputation in the business world.

Of the approximately 11,000 applications that are available through the iPad, more than 500 were specifically designed for corporate use. One such business-related app developed by Citrix Systems has been downloaded more than 145,000 times.

Unlike the first generation iPhone (News - Alert), the iPad has not been outlawed by the majority of companies. Experts suggests that this is because the tablet device is considered to be highly secure and is designed to be compatible with Microsoft’s (News - Alert) email software, which most businesses utilize.

 "Everyone in IT is jumping on this one," Ted Schadler, an analyst at Forrester Research, told the Journal. "Rather than wait for people to start complaining, they're saying why don't we get a few of them in and see what they are good for."

Corporations may also be more open to purchasing the iPad for their employees due to its $499 to $829 price tag, which is less expensive than the average laptop computer.

A recent study conducted by iPass (News - Alert), a provider of enterprise mobility services, found that nearly 17 percent of mobile employees currently own an iPad or comparable device. Of the more than 1,110 employees who were polled, only 9.4 percent said they use their iPad solely for personal use.

Beecher Tuttle is a Web Editor for TMCnet. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. He received his bachelor�s degree in English from the University of Colorado.

Edited by Beecher Tuttle