Age of the iPad for Business

I took a day trip from Boston to Atlanta this week, 6:00am flight, never fun! However, I made things a little easier on myself this trip. Instead of bringing my laptop, I brought my iPad.

iPads are lighter and smaller than laptops, yet big enough to get more work done in comparison to my Blackberry. I was able to check all my emails, view email attachments without a microscope, review the website of the companies I was meeting with, and provide some feedback on a marketing video. And when I was ready to sleep on the plane, I listened to my music (“Lost Boys” soundtrack).

iPads, like most Apple devices, are generally marketed to general consumers for “personal use” instead of business people for “business use”. One of the original knocks on the iPad from a business perspective was security, just like the iPhone when it was first introduced. But the security features have improved, thus making IT professionals more comfortable with iPad deployment within their environments.

In 2011, I predict more and more business people will start using iPads. I have even heard of some businesses giving their employees iPads, giving them an even easier way to stay “connected. With their ease of use and now higher security features, iPads could be the new best friend to the road warrior.

What do you think? Do you have an iPad or thinking of getting one? If you own one already, how do you use it?