Within minutes of Apple unveiling the iPad 2, media outlets
immediately began debating the next-generation tablet’s ability to hold off the
rising tide of Android-based competitors.
The general agreement seems to be that the iPad 2, equipped
with a dual-core processor and hardware upgrades such as cameras, matches
the capabilities of its highest-end rival, the Motorola Xoom. When it
finally hits shelves at Apple stores and retail partners March 11, hordes of
consumers will likely turn out to purchase one.
But for businesses considering whether to incorporate an
iPad into their lineup, the next version of Apple’s popular tablet doesn’t
include anything extra to sway their decision-making.
“Importantly, there were no real nods to business users in
manageability or security,” analyst Jack Gold wrote in a March 3 research note
forwarded to media. “This is a challenge on the current iPad and isn’t improved
on this version (or iOS 4.3), despite Apple’s drive to get large scale adoption
of iPads into businesses.”
For many enterprise workers, Gold added, the iPad 2 “will be
attractive with its increased processing power, on-board cameras (although not
all businesses see this as an advantage), and great battery life.” For IT
administrators, though, “there is a real and substantial cost to companies for
deploying and maintaining these devices that users don’t usually see or
appreciate.”
For more, read the eWEEK article: Apple iPad 2: Consumer Catnip, No Great Advance for Businesses.
