Success of Apple iPad Creating Demand for Business Tablet Computers

An article from Computerworld highlights the demand for tablets in enterprise environments:

The intent is there for business use. Almost 30% of iPad users say they now use their iPad as their primary computer, and one survey has shown that over half of would-be users plan to “use a new tablet device like the iPad to conduct work.” But will they really use tablets for work? And, if they do, how can IT manage all those devices?

Well, some companies have had tablets integrated into their IT infrastructure for years. Windows tablets, from companies like Fujitsu, Panasonic and Intermec, have been used in vertical markets for almost two decades. The reason most of you have never heard of them is that, as the experts at Pen Computing put it, “The Tablet PC never really caught on, in part due to technological issues and in part due to Microsoft’s inconsistent attention to the platform.”

Things have changed. Thanks to the iPad (and arguably Apple’s ability to make any technology seem cool and trend-setting), tablets and touch are no longer just for vertical markets such as healthcare, point-of-sale, field service and logistics. Now, users want them for everyday Internet and office use.