It’s not often Apple and the corporate boardroom are mentioned in the same sentence, but an increasing number of analysts say the Cupertino, Calif. company’s iPad is a big hit with business. As CEO Steve Jobs puts it: “We’ve got a tiger by the tail…”
Apple’s secret weapon in what Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes calls “the consumerization of IT” is the infiltration of the iPad, iPhone and other products not originally aimed at the enterprise. And as for the iPad, the tablet is “running far ahead” of competitors, making competition for corporate dollars Apple’s game to lose, according to the analyst.
Originally, brands such as Dell and RIM were seen as defacto suppliers to business, but that view has been radically altered – a move benefiting Apple. The iPad has seen a 65 percent increase in Fortune 500 use while the Apple tablet had a 64 percent jump in device activations among companies tracked by corporate service vendor Good Company.
Along with a change from original corporate buying patterns (direct sales to business is now being replaced by consumer-driven choices for laptops, tablets and smartphones), enterprises are also making purchasing decisions based on consumer appeal and customer service.
Apple, Reitzes says, “has a large lead” in this trend, while “presenting a challenge” for traditional PC companies.
