In the first 80 days of iPad sales, Apple sold more than 3 million of the devices. The current rate of iPad sales is on the order of a million per month. Those are impressive figures and mean that either the product is turning out to be exceptionally useful, or Apple’s marketing is exceptionally gifted. Most people see the iPad as a convenient device for watching movies, playing games, and searching the web. But is it a useful tool for business? Most experts would answer with a “Yes.” Here are some ways the iPad is making itself useful in the world of business.

Brainstorming

The iPad really comes into its own as a collector of ideas. You can find almost countless apps devoted to helping you get your ideas and inspirations recorded, whether by sketching, saving URLs, cutting out and saving pictures, or even drawing quick diagrams. iPads are perfect for capturing ideas during brainstorming sessions or recording ideas whenever and wherever they may strike. OmniGraffle for the iPad is a particularly appealing app for those who like making workflow diagrams and organizational charts.

Web Research on the Go

There is no doubt that web surfing can be an enormous time sink when workers are supposed to be doing research, but there is no going back to the old ways. Add to that the fact that a lot of today’s business applications are web based, and it becomes clear that having another device capable of web browsing can be immensely useful.

Booting up a laptop to check email, look up a quick fact, or check a document stored online while at a coffee shop or a park bench isn’t practical in many cases. But using an iPad to do these things is incredibly easy. Not only is the iPad small and lightweight, it’s all instant. You simply turn the device on and go, without booting up. While few would argue that Safari is the best browser around, it is certainly good enough in most cases, and other browser options such as Atomic Web Browser for the iPad are available.

Productivity

There is a definite learning curve when it comes to using spreadsheets or working on a document on the iPad. It is certainly not meant to take the place of a laptop or other keyboard-equipped device full time. However, the iPad does touch screen navigation very well, and once you become proficient at using it, changing a few numbers on a spreadsheet or doing a quick edit on a document are perfectly reasonable tasks. Office tasks like minding a calendar or contacts list are exceptionally well suited to the iPad.

Conclusion

Will people continue to be as enthusiastic about the iPad once the new wears off? All signs point to yes. It’s a very attractive device, to be sure, but it is the usefulness that will keep it in use in businesses such as hospitals (for recording patient data on rounds), sales (for instant ordering and order status updates), and remote sites (for teleconferencing). With thousands of apps available and more arriving every day, iPads will be an important business tool for the foreseeable future.

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