The Formula for an Apple Tablet to Succeed in the Enterprise

By Don Reisinger  |  Posted 2009-10-27 Email Print this article Print

4. Tablets are useful

Say what you will about some of the tablets of the past, but for many companies (especially health organizations), tablets are really useful. They make gaining access to important information intuitive. And they are generally simple to get up and running. If Apple follows those trends with its own tablet, I think many companies will see it for what it is: a device that makes simple computing more intuitive.

5. The enterprise doesn't hate Apple

Although most companies are currently running Windows, Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system changed the perception of Apple in the enterprise. Gone are the days of organizations not even considering Apple when they made software or hardware decisions. Today, more companies than ever are wondering if a move to the Apple ecosystem is a good one. Trying out its tablet to test the waters might be a good first step.

6. The portability factor

Fewer employees are spending their days in the office. They typically find themselves in the car on the way to a client's office or on yet another plane ride. Rather than lugging around a notebook, an Apple tablet might be a viable alternative for those employees seeking more portability.

7. Great for meetings

One of the key considerations many companies might overlook is the value of a tablet in a meeting. As more employees bring notebooks to meetings, there's a wall between the members of that meeting. It might sound simplistic, but notebooks have changed the way meetings are conducted. An Apple tablet could change all that. It would sit on the table (you know, where the notepad used to go), without preventing the eye-to-eye contact that is an integral part of important meetings. Don't discount that. It's important.

8. Apple "gets" usability

One of the main reasons why so many Windows-based tablets have failed is due to their usability factor. Microsoft's software wasn't designed with the user's intentions in mind and vendor hardware just didn't get the job done-the early tablet designs were heavy and unwieldy. Say what you will about Apple, but it does understand the user. And it knows how to deliver equipment that appeals to just about anyone-including the enterprise.

9. There's no pressure

What does the enterprise lose by buying some Apple tablets? Most companies are loath to switch an entire setup from one operating system to another. Plus, there are still a slew of enterprise applications that work with Windows. That's why companies don't want to switch to Mac OS X. But an Apple tablet is different. Companies can still use Windows, while giving employees a product that could make it much easier for them to get simple tasks like Web work, document edits or e-mail messaging done. The risk to productivity just isn't there.

10. It could sell more iPhones

There is nothing Apple would like more than to see its iPhone make a mark in the enterprise. What better way to do that than to release a tablet that does almost everything the iPhone does except for making calls? A company could try out the tablet, see if it works out, and from there, possibly consider giving employees an iPhone to supplement the tablet when they need to make calls. In other words, the tablet could significantly help Apple regarding the iPhone's adoption in the enterprise. The halo effect is strong at Apple.

We shouldn't discount the Apple tablet. The device has promise in the enterprise.


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