The Formula for an Apple Tablet to Succeed in the Enterprise
Email
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.
