What is nine inches tall, seven inches wide, and makes a glamorous platform for enterprise technology? Apple’s iPad, of course. The new tablet, slated to hit stores this Saturday, April 3, will not only be popular with consumers but will also provide business software providers with a sleek new display for their wares.
Enterprise applications don’t always shine in the limelight of mainstream press as often as their beautiful cousin, consumer electronics, which are so often covered by the formidable New York Times columnist David Pogue, among many others. The iPad has the potential to change the way people view enterprise software not just because it gives it a new look – but because it has the potential to change the way professionals do business.
As Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal pointed out in his recent review of the new product, the iPad “can indeed replace a laptop for most data communication, content consumption and even limited content creation.” At 1.5 pounds, this so-called “laptop killer” becomes a useful and attractive alternative for a travel-weary salesperson or global exec.
As new business-to-business applications from enterprise software providers launch on the iPad, today’s professionals will finally have the best of both worlds: a pretty little package with the brains to deliver both business and pleasure.
So thank you, iPad, for bringing sexy back to the enterprise—we won’t even charge you a restocking fee.
By Isa Loundon