“Companies as diverse as General Electric, Wells Fargo, Mercedes-Benz and Medtronic are putting Apple’s iPad to work in their offices,” Miguel Helft reports for The New York Times. “New tablets are also expected to give the iPad, which has had the market largely to itself, a run for its money. R.I.M., which makes BlackBerry phones, and H.P. have long relationships with corporate technology buyers.”
MacDailyNews Take: A dead-on-its-feet maker of mechanical-button messaging phones and a long-ago innovator long since withered into an overpriced printer ink peddler? Shiver.
Helft continues, “For its part, Apple is hoping to stay ahead of competitors with a new version of the iPad, which may be unveiled as soon as next month. The company, which sold nearly 15 million iPads in the nine months after the release of the device, won’t say how many were bought by businesses. But during a conference call with investors and analysts in January, the company said more than 80 percent of Fortune 100 companies were using or testing the iPad, an increase from 65 percent three months earlier. Among those companies, said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s chief financial officer, are JPMorgan Chase, Sears Holdings and DuPont.”
“For all its inroads in the workplace, neither the iPad nor any other tablet has displaced the PC, the workhorse of information workers for three decades — at least not yet. But that hasn’t stopped Apple’s perennial rival, Microsoft, from fretting over the tablet’s intrusion into the world of business computing, which it has dominated,” Helft reports. “In a series of PowerPoint slides for its marketing partners, Microsoft recently raised questions about the viability of the iPad as a business tool.”
MacDailyNews Take: As always, we love the smell of Microsoft’s fear in the morning, afternoon, and night.
Helft continues, “To a large extent the iPad’s entry into the business world was paved by the iPhone. When Apple first released the iPhone, it lacked capabilities to link up securely with corporate e-mail systems. But as executives tried the device, they often preferred it to their BlackBerrys and other smartphones, and soon began demanding support for them. Apple gradually added capabilities, and the iPhone became standard issue in scores of large businesses. Companies that waited two or three years to support the iPhone began adopting the iPad just weeks after its release.”
“General Electric has distributed approximately 2,000 iPads internally, and it developed a series of applications both for its employees and for its customers,” Helft reports. “Mr. Edling of NBC Universal also said that the 750 or so of the company’s employees who have been issued iPads still have PCs. But during a recent trip by several dozen executives to a technology trade show in Las Vegas, most brought only their iPads. As a result, Mr. Edling said he was able to dispatch just one technology person to support them, rather than two or three.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Today is Washington’s Birthday in the U.S.A., a federal holiday and, as such, the U.S. markets are closed for the day. We expect to be posting throughout the day, but lighter than usual.
Washington’s Farewell Address, September 19, 1796
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
If nobody is going to say it then I will, “Bloodbath!”
This is the third time I’ve heard it referred to as “Washington’s Birthday.” Is it no longer called “President’s Day,” or is is “Washington’s Birthday” (which is actually tomorrow), just another name for the holiday that I’ve never hear before?
Yes, it is officially President’s Day. Don’t know why MDN is using the wrong name. And tomorrow is Washington’s birthday. While we’re at it, let’s give some love to Abe Lincoln (Feb 12th) who is also to be remembered today.
How about Millard Fillmore, his birthday was January 7, 1800.
It is NOT officially Presidents’ Day. It is officially George Washington’s birthday.
http://articles.mcall.com/2011-02-15/opinion/mc-presidents-day-explain-it-20110215_1_presidents-day-federal-holiday-national-holiday
You must be young. 🙂 It was called “Washington’s Birthday” as the Federal holiday long before it was “President’s Day.” Lincoln’s birthday (Feb. 12) was also a holiday in many states. The two holidays were combined, always on third Monday in February which is between the two actual birthdays. The celebration for the “Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.” (third Monday in January) was added as a Federal holiday at about the same time.
The level of education in the US has dropped really far in the last 15 years or so.
As i pointed out in another thread these same guys attacked mdn…
MDN actualy has it right, these brainless folks have it wrong. Except the 22nd part…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington's_Birthday
And for those that care to read..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Monday_Holiday_Act
“Contrary to popular perception, the Act did not officially establish “Presidents’ Day”, nor did it combine the observance of Lincoln’s Birthday with Washington’s Birthday. The perception stems from the fact that the act placed Washington’s “birthday” in the week of February 15 to 21 and, since that week always falls between Lincoln’s birthday (February 12) and Washington’s (February 22), but never including either date, popular (but unofficial) references have given rise to the title, which recognizes both Presidents.”
And if you click on the Washington birthday link in the wiki link above, you’ll see that STATES have different names for today cause “presidents day” is not official, but Washington’s birthday STILL is the official term.
There, now those that only have the equivalent of a 5th grade education, can learn what us older folks know. Don’t you just love how the school system just doesn’t teach anymore…
Look who’s acting like a “5th grader.” 🙂
Never said I didn’t act like one… But I am smarter than them.
I’m pretty sure most 5th graders can reference Wikipedia
Actually, I’m more amused by your use of this “holiday” sub-topic for your “rant” on the state of education. You just read that Wikipedia article a few minutes before posting your comment, right? You did NOT remember those “holiday factoids” from some decades-old class in grade school; so what does it have to do with any changes in the “level of education in the US”? People who are old enough will just recall that the holiday was called “Washington’s Birthday” before (because there was no school that day), and now it is usually called “President’s Day.”
Your post is more indicative of a different change… the 21st Century ability for anyone with Internet access to look up just about any obscure fact, INSTEAD OF relying on their personal education or experience. That ability does not make people “smarter.”
Since i cant reply to ken1w below…
You don’t get it do you?
I was agreeing with you. Even though you were half right, Combined?….. with what?…. Lincoln NEVER had a holiday….. only Washington.
and for your info….. President’s day is NOT a Federal holiday.
thats what i was saying. there is NO OFFICIAL FEDERAL holiday called President’s day… there is Washington’s Birthday, which MDN has correct. I grew up in a time that this was taught in school. Obviously, the HALLMARK greeting card version is being taught today.
And no ken1w, I didn’t need to look it up to “remember”
This happens every year. someone says “Washington’s Birthday” and someone tries to correct them and say’s its NOT. “President’s day” is not a Federal Holiday….
Its the same thing as February. 99% of people under say 40ish, say FebUary. the R is not silent…
And Artist, if the people above can reference Wikipedia… why couldn’t they do it themselves and figure out they were wrong?
Nah, easier to blame MDN… God Forbid they actually look something up themselves.
I’m not saying you are wrong about the holiday. But it still has nothing to do with your “old school” education versus current education. 🙂
For most of North America, Canada is bigger than the USA and Mexico combines, today is Family Day.
F*** your dead Presidents.
Was that really called for?
Keep your necrophilia to yourself, please. We don’t do that here in the states.
With less than 11 months under its belt, the iPad has made plenty of headway into business. Let’s see now: portable, fairly secure, custom apps, inexpensive, sturdy, popular. PC ? How about you ? Then there’s that Mac vs PC thing : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5z0Ia5jDt4
Has anyone compared sales of Kindles with sales of non-iPad tablets recently? 🙂
Don’t underestimate the presence of millions of Micro$hit drones everywhere. These retards can’t live without sniffing Ballmer’s ass for one day.
The use of Macs in the workplace is also “surging.” With about 90% (depending on how you count) of the overall “PC” market available, that’s a huge growth opportunity for Apple.
So rather than respond to the iPad challenge with a viable competitive product, Microsoft used “a series of PowerPoint slides for its marketing partners” to raise “questions about the viability of the iPad as a business tool”. Yeah, that’ll do it.
“As a result, Mr. Edling said he was able to dispatch just one technology person to support them, rather than two or three.”
Why did they even need one IT support person? Are the NBC Universal executives that clueless?
@kingmel
Wasn’t there a flash just before you hit the “post comment” button where you went…..”oh…. yeah”
First of all Microsoft fears no one. They are the innovative genius creators of tablet computing and MAC is 10 years too late to the party. They haven’t figured out how to get Flash on a dumpy I-Pad and are struggling to come up with a stylus that works with one too. Once again where Microsoft leads, MAC follows.
Where I work the IT guys and I proudly hum Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” when we experience the joy of using our Archos 9 PC tablets featuring a stylus, removable battery and Windows 7 with Flash support. These things are awesome.
So suck it MAC dorks. The enterprise is now Archos’ turf. Lead, follow or get out of the way.
Don’t forget Ballmers. MS gelatinous glob of a never ending sweat box leader. As long as he’s onboard, MS is in good hands.
Welcome back! I’ve missed you…
The iPad syncs and works seamlessly in a total computing environment that ranges from a $20,000(+) MacPro desktop through all Apple computers to all iOS devices. No other company comes close to offering that to business. Apple is truly a one stop total computing solution.
I’m not saying other companies can’t sell to business. I am attempting to say that it will be difficult for Archos to make major inroads into placing tablets in the business world. They will certainly sell to some.
Harvey
Well, not just ” through all Apple computers,” but also through Windows PCs. The majority of (current) iOS devices customers are Windows PC users, not Mac users.
And at some point (probably sooner rather than later), iOS devices will no longer rely on having a “host” computer for setup, maintenance, backup, and syncing.
ZuneTang, your name cracks me up every time I see it.
Jah, Rastafari.
Lookout people. I hear their is a TRS-80 tablet in the works!
How sportsman like of Microsoft to think that people buying the iPad for their businesses is not evidence enough to show that such businesses do in fact consider iPads to be a “viable as a business tool”. If this were not the case, businesses would not be buying them. MS needs to remember it’s their job to convince potential customers to buy their products over Apple’s. The consumer/business user has spoken! Apple is only successful if enough consumers like their products and buy them. When you knock Apple for their success, you’re actually knocking the consumers… your potential customers!
I want to see the iPad crush all those bastard netbooks and make Microsoft wished they’d never put Windows OS on them. It’s a darn shame that Apple won’t work with the enterprise for pushing all their products into the workplace. It’s one of the few things that would guarantee Apple’s share price staying relatively high. Even now, Apple products are considered toys to Wall Street and Apple doesn’t get any respect from investors. Microsoft has been running the enterprise unchallenged for too long a time. If Apple could take control of even 25% to 30% of the enterprise, Apple could conceivably push Microsoft to the side or to back offices.
However, all this is just a dream. Apple won’t do a darn thing to help enterprise sales for some odd reason. With all their reserve cash, Apple could buy a company just o push Macs, iPads and iPhones into the workplace and work out all the logistics. The only problem now is that I don’t think Apple can make products fast enough to keep up with demand so more demand certainly isn’t going to help. Maybe in another year or two, Apple will be in the position to supply many more of its products.
idio(t)matic responses to ZuneTang …
group A – absence makes the heart grow fonder
group B – out of sight out of mind
group C – look before you leap
group D – mutton dressed as lamb
group E – Don’t judge a book by its cover