Businesses showing interest in iPad

Demand for the iPad among businesses may be higher than expected, according to a BusinessWeek report. Citing a recent survey of 2,443 adult cell phone users carried out by Zogby International, the report states that more than half of those surveyed said they would use a tablet device such as the iPad for work. “It’s for business,” said Jim Turner, an information technology professional who recently ordered 15 iPads for his business, and plans to use the device for checking e-mail and taking notes while working on client computer systems. Although Apple itself demonstrated iPad versions of its iWork productivity applications at the device’s unveiling in January, it has mainly downplayed the iPad’s potential business appeal, instead focusing on features such as browsing, gaming, media playback, and reading. “Clearly, the iPad has a role to play in the business market,” said Charlie Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Co. “The demand appears to be far more diverse than I originally expected.”