Gartner report tells corporations to get moving on the iPad

We are looking to begin deployment of iPads to select staff. We are looking to develop a usage policy for iPads regarding what we will allow staff to use them for beyond the work apps. For example, would we allow them to install their own paid apps on the device? What about excessive data use if using 3G.

Has anyone developed a policy around this?

I have yet to see an application where, personally or professionally, an iPad would help me in any way. The neatest app I've seen for the platform is the 37signals "Chalk" app, but I don't collaborate with anyone and have a whiteboard in my office for drawing (which I never do...)

Other than that, it is a media consumption device. I can see it being used for nurses to have medical records on hand, but would be too tedious for entering notes, and the platforms to support it are not in place in any enterprise.

The company I work for (Fortune 250) is not willing to give Apple any control of what we could or could not use. The only departments that have Macs are marketing/design/corp comm (PR).

It's a toy. One that even I, a sucker for any gadget, has failed to come up with even a passable excuse to buy. That says a lot.

Now that new MacBook Air 13" ... that's gonna be a different story.

i work in IT for a major university and we're in the process of full-on adoption of both iphones/ipod touches and ipads to use out in the field for gps location, im/text, and access to our systems when we're working on issues around this massive campus.

Our company has produced an app to manage board meetings, board papers and associated documents - I'm definitely biased here, but the response has been phenomenal.

Going into the tail end of a board meeting where we got multiple shouts of "I'm a luddite" and "it's a fad", and 10 minutes later they couldn't sing the praises highly enough!

I think that's the difference between using a computer and using one of these.. a) it's incredibly easy to understand and just 'get started' without any formal training required, and b) there's no barrier during meetings, nothing physical between you and who you're talking to.

With 150+ page board packs, having the ability to 'jump' to a given page or section is fantastic - I've seen the least technical director nearly put his finger through the glass trying to 'click' something, but even they could navigate a board pack with ease in under 10 minutes. The same couldn't be said if you handed them a laptop and they'd never used one before.

This does not make any sense. I have worked in Fortune 500 companies for the last 15 years and fail to see the benefit of an iPad. Maybe "Cisco's" upcoming offering or some other offering that is OPEN. Many companies still use "Flash" based applications, so "FAIL".

Ok.

If you work for a company that is developing applications for the iPad, how do you install them? Through iTunes? Do your company's applications have to be "Apple Approved", in order to work on your iPad? Do you have to get them through the iTunes store? Just wondering. And while your company may be "exploring iPad development", how likely is it that they will in fact purchase iPads for company use (below the upper management/executive level)? If they plan on purchasing them for use below the management level, then that is exciting. If not, one has to wonder what the point is, unless they intend to develop for employee owned iPads. That's unlikely, as that involves giving up control of information access to employees. I don't know that will happen with any company in this economy.

Gartner isn't interested in choice or competition. Blind emphasis on one platform makes it clear that "something" is inspiring blind fanboyism. Businesses don't need to over spend on content consumption devices that have no connectivity or expansion options. What are you going to use an iPad for that you can't use a netbook or laptop for and at lower purchase costs? What justifies the expense of purchase and use of a hobbled device that costs more than a full featured and fully capable mobile computer of some sort? What company that isn't in media, financial, banking, or stock brokering, do you know of that NEEDs an iPad, in particular, and not a tablet, in general?

I contract for an Insurance company and while I bring my personal iPad to work every day, the company has been exploring iPad related development for internal and external use since June at least. It's fairly exciting!

Yea. Dual cameras. That's nice for video chatting with your bird during lunch brake, or even the occasion for video conferencing, but you can already do that on a netbook at a lower price, with an actual keyboard to type on. That doesn't address security concerns and the relative ease in hacking an iPad or an iPhone. My 17 year old hacked his iPod the day he got it and has it running Flash despite Jobs blockage of it on iPhones. iToys are little more than expensive consumer toys for content consumption. For consumers, that makes sense. For price conscious businesses, it makes no sense to pay $500 or $600 for a hobbled consumption device that has no connectivity options or expansion capabilities when even lower priced netbooks have those capabilities. I can't argue the consumer use of Apple toys but Gartner is flat wrong that businesses should be stampeding to support insecure consumption toys from Apple.

Urging the adoption of post-PC technology certainly makes sense, but it seems odd for Gartner to emphasize just one platform. Emerging platforms from strong competitors will inevitably become just as viable.