Gartner: CEOs should ensure Apple's iPad finds a place in their company

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Noting that chief executives are usually not directly involved in deploying electronics in their company, Gartner this week recommended that CEOs should treat Apple's iPad as an "exception," or risk being left behind.



"It's not usually the role of the CEO to get directly involved in specific device decisions, but Apple's iPad is an exception," said Stephen Prentice, Gartner Fellow and vice president. "It is more than just the latest consumer gadget, and CEOs and business leaders should initiate a dialogue with their CIOs if they have not already done so."



Gartner believes that the iPad will "disrupt" technology use, as well as business models, in the corporate world. It has advised CEOs to ensure that the iPad is being "seriously evaluated" within their company.



At the very least, most companies should offer iPad support for a limited number of key users, the firm has advised. Now is the time, they said, to prepare a budgeted plan for widespread iPad support by mid 2011.



"Individuals are willing to buy these devices themselves, so enterprises must be ready to support them," Prentice said. "While some IT departments will say they are a 'Windows shop' and Apple does not support the enterprise, organizations need to recognize there are soft benefits in a device of this type in the quest to improve recruitment and retention. Technology is not always about productivity."



Gartner has also recommended CEOs talk with marketing and product development teams to detail how the iPad could be used not only by the company, but also by competitors. It noted that the iPad is a "valuable companion device" to notebook PCs that is likely to disrupt the business models and markets of many enterprises.



The firm noted that competitors, such as Research in Motion and Samsung, have announced their own competitors to the iPad. But Gartner believes that Apple has a head start and a competitive advantage, and that the iPad is "well ahead of the pack," Prentice said.



"While there are no certainties, the iPad looks set to become a market-disrupting device, like the iPod before it," Prentice said. "Even if you think it is just a passing fad, the cost of early action is low, while the price of delay may well be extremely high."



In August, The Wall Street Journal noted that corporate IT departments were relaxing their rules to allow Apple's iPad to find use at their companies. IT directors said they were willing to allow the iPad because it is based on the established iOS mobile operating system, and because the touchscreen tablet is relatively cheap and increases employee productivity.



In Apple's most recent earnings report, Chief Executive Steve Jobs highlighted the growth potential for the iPad in a market that is in its infancy. He and other executives noted they have been surprised, in particular, at how fast the iPad has been adopted in the corporate sector.



The company also revealed that more than 65 percent of companies on the Fortune 100 are already deploying or trying the iPad, including Procter & Gamble, Lowes, NBC Universal and Hyatt.



"We've got a tiger by the tail here, and this is a new model of computer which we've already got tens of millions of people trained on with the iPhone," Jobs said. "And that lends itself to lots of different aspects of life, both personal and business."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    Yeah we don't officially support Apple products, but we have them around. For example we use Citrix Receiver on iPod Touchs, iPhones, and iPads. Very useful. The iPad is the most useful due to its screen size.
  • Reply 2 of 27
    zindakozindako Posts: 468member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post


    Yeah we don't officially support Apple products, but we have them around. For example we use Citrix Receiver on iPod Touchs, iPhones, and iPads. Very useful. The iPad is the most useful due to its screen size.



    Your knowledge and skills are limited to microsoft products, so in essence, anything outside of using windows software, you're totally ignorant of. I find IT departments like that to be the most incompetent of the bunch.
  • Reply 3 of 27
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zindako View Post


    Your knowledge and skills are limited to microsoft products, so in essence, anything outside of using windows software, you're totally ignorant of. I find IT departments like that to be the most incompetent of the bunch.



    No actually, I am the only one who supports Apple users. I am not limited to The Vole. I have my MacBook Pro integrated with AD, use AS/400 on it, manage Citrix via my laptop and other related things. As an official policy, we don't support Apple products. But I do support them since I am the only one who knows them in and out. Try again.
  • Reply 4 of 27
    tjwtjw Posts: 216member
    insult removed
  • Reply 5 of 27
    This is an interesting one, because it's actually reminds me of the early days of Microsoft - where the company worked around the IT department, pitching the benefits of the PC to management, and then the IT department being forced to support the PC from the top.



    (And it must be said that a lot of the IT departments criticism of the PC were true, just like their criticisms about mobiles are. It wasn't the IT department that led us down the Windows path).



    However, I get the impression from our guys that IT people have decided to back Android - not on the basis of actual shipping products, but because the business model fits with their preference (one that is based on the long term experience that vendor lock-in causes problems). I think that's going to lead to some interesting conflicts, as people's personal experience of technology varies more and more from what is provided through work IT.
  • Reply 6 of 27
    Yeah we'll configure android phones for email. It's not an issue.
  • Reply 7 of 27
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post


    Yeah we don't officially support Apple products, but we have them around. For example we use Citrix Receiver on iPod Touchs, iPhones, and iPads. Very useful. The iPad is the most useful due to its screen size.



    From a business PoV, how do you feel the tablets with half the display real estate of the iPad are going to fare in the Enterprise?
  • Reply 8 of 27
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    From a business PoV, how do you feel the tablets with half the display real estate of the iPad are going to fare in the Enterprise?



    For our purposes, I think the iPad screen real estate is perfect. Android tablets, in their current form factors, require too much pinch to zoom when working in Citrix. I suppose email and such would be fine. Since we don't have any tablets based on Android, we can't be sure how it would work in production. To be continued.
  • Reply 9 of 27
    After reading this article, I still have no idea who/what a Gartner Fellow is, and why they are relevant. I'm sure they are important but the article fails to describe them. I guess I'll Google it.
  • Reply 10 of 27
    Sounds like someone is on Apple's payroll!!



    Nothing like a bit of free promotion is there!?!



    Next week, he'll be a VP at Apple.
  • Reply 11 of 27
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    From a business PoV, how do you feel the tablets with half the display real estate of the iPad are going to fare in the Enterprise?



    I know this questions wasn't for me but I can tell you how we are doing things at IBM. For those are us in high level system software we are using the iPad. Everyone in my group has one. We are the southeast division of IBM Global Services. Network and Third Party system software teams also use them.



    Account Execs and Sales seem to be leaning towards the Blackpad because they like how they link with their blackberry devices which is an advantage for them I guess.



    I have most of the stuff I sue daily on the iPad now which requires me to have the 64gb version, if Apple was to release one with more storage I could get away without ever needed a DVD manual again. I would just simply have all my diagnostic manuals on my iPad which I have a good bit on there now.



    I have my iPad in a otterbox now because I can't afford to drop it and have it break, I every broke it at this point I think I would cry until I got a new one because I would be screwed.
  • Reply 12 of 27
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    I played with Galaxy Tab at trade show today. I never thought it would be good but it turned out much worse. The unit I played was unresponsive as hell. I mean just a simple search on Google page with local keyboard took like a minute for it to be ready. My wife loves it sheer small size and I think it's cool but all in all she walked away sweared would never look at Android again.
  • Reply 13 of 27
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    I know this questions wasn't for me but I can tell you how we are doing things at IBM.



    Open forum. All my queries are for anyone who wishes to participate. If not, I would have made it a private message.



    Quote:

    For those are us in high level system software we are using the iPad. Everyone in my group has one. […] Account Execs and Sales seem to be leaning towards the Blackpad because they like how they link with their blackberry devices which is an advantage for them I guess.



    Is anyone interested in the Android tablets that are out or coming next year? Do those that want the Blackpad want it for reasons other than it coming from RiM?
  • Reply 14 of 27
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JulesLt View Post


    I think that's going to lead to some interesting conflicts, as people's personal experience of technology varies more and more from what is provided through work IT.



    Yeah, my work provides me with a Windows PC and option of either plain old Nokia non-smartphone or Blackberry or MS Mobile. No options for Macbooks, ipads or iphones.
  • Reply 15 of 27
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Is anyone interested in the Android tablets that are out or coming next year? Do those that want the Blackpad want it for reasons other than it coming from RiM?



    The account execs and sales seems to want them because they can directly link to their BB and display data which in some cases are sales figures without the data being saved once they terminate the connection. That seems to be the draw that it can directly link to the BB which most of them still carry.



    On the software/tech side the BB doesn't suit our needs we all either carry and iPhone, Evo or Incredible. Which I am going back to the iPhone because the Evo just isn't doing it for me because the battery life is a deal breaker.



    Until Android actually puts something out with a larger screen and maybe 3.0 I haven't even seen one around to be honest. I don't know anyone that is interested in one and we have 500 people in my department.



    When you asked about size for us size makes a big difference. To give you an example I had a virtual storage issue the other day, I was able to load the SVC dump on my iPad and debug the problem and shoot it back to my person oncall with all my notes and details regarding the problem. When you work under a situation where some of your customers can lose 150k per min when you can trouble shoot like that and save time that can save the company millions and millions over a year.
  • Reply 16 of 27
    I don't think our CEO even knows these things existed. Allegedly, he was out on a golf course and asked if anyone knew the football (soccer) score. Someone pulled out a BB and told him. He didn't know you could get web enabled phones so suddenly all the higher managers are getting BBs.



    I have an iPad which I do use at work as well. I'm often out of the office on site, so put my drawings and manuals on it. Much easier than carrying a huge roll of A1 and A3 drawings around, as well as the accompanying manuals.
  • Reply 17 of 27
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by matrix07 View Post


    I played with Galaxy Tab at trade show today. I never thought it would be good but it turned out much worse. The unit I played was unresponsive as hell. I mean just a simple search on Google page with local keyboard took like a minute for it to be ready. My wife loves it sheer small size and I think it's cool but all in all she walked away sweared would never look at Android again.



    I'm not a big believer in the value of single data points, but I think your experience illustrates one of the inherent problems with the widespread adoption of Android in tablet computers. Some if not most of these products will just plain suck. They will have show-stopping flaws which will bleed over into other Android tablets that maybe don't suck. Apple's total control over form-factor and OS may have its downsides, but one thing Apple can do is insure that none of their products suck.
  • Reply 18 of 27
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss View Post


    I'm not a big believer in the value of single data points, but I think your experience illustrates one of the inherent problems with the widespread adoption of Android in tablet computers. Some if not most of these products will just plain suck. They will have show-stopping flaws which will bleed over into other Android tablets that maybe don't suck. Apple's total control over form-factor and OS may have its downsides, but one thing Apple can do is insure that none of their products suck.



    The biggest advantage I find to using iOS over Android is how I can manage my content. While overall I like my Android phone (Evo) its so much easier to manage my content using iOs via iTunes.



    There is a decent amount of software that will sync my Android phone with iTunes and while most of them work okay many of them are slow and buggy.



    As far as Tablets go compared to the iPad the problem right now is the hardware sucks and is slow. If someone like HTC could put out some decent hardware like they have with the smartphones and have it run 2.2 or 3.0 then I think they would at least be in the ballpark. But nothing is there yet.
  • Reply 19 of 27
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dr Millmoss View Post


    I'm not a big believer in the value of single data points,



    Indeed. Someone before me might open 20 apps for all we know. Still, the experience exceeded my expectation (that it'd be bad) and my wife walked away most disappointed and they lost a customer.
  • Reply 20 of 27
    I am an IT director of a company of 1200 employee. As standard, we have the full range of the MS product line.

    However, I have provided an iPad 3G to all the directors and top management. Very easy and cost effective setup with MS Exchange pushmail, AD, SharePoint, Citrix, Salesforce and SAP. As default we install the iWork suite and GoodReader. We have hired a developer for some in-house applications.

    They use it everywhere, in meetings, during travel, at shows... Now they leave their laptop at their desk.

    The iPad was very easy and cheap to integrate for our company. And because it is not a PC, you don't need special policies.

    Major risk factor to us is security of data. Other drawback, the iPad is very hungry in data transfer over wi-fi and 3G. We found this when comparing the data bills between our iPhones and BB....
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