It doesn’t take a huge stretch of imagination to picture some of the ways that the iPad can be used in the workplace. The idea of it as a sales tool, an electronic medical chart, and as a digital textbook device all come immediately to mind as common on-the-job iPad uses. But the iPad’s versatility lends itself to a variety of industries and jobs that you’ve probably never considered.

One example is agriculture management from the cab of a farm combine – one of the unexpected places to find the iPad that Hard Candy Cases CEO Tim Hickman mentioned to me during a recent conversation. His company, which also produces the ruggedized Gumdrop Cases, has received bulk orders for iPad from some surprising sources and has led to iPad adoption  in places beyond where most of us would expect. I decided to follow up on that conversation with some research of my own.

To businesses that continue to run Windows XP on PCs hooked up to CRT monitors, and those still issuing their employees with the Nokia 3310, take note: As part of a new pilot scheme due to run until December, The Vatican is issuing each of its visitors with an iPod Touch, pre-loaded with a special app that promises to make their visit even more enriching.

Touching the divine has never been so easy!