Looks like the iPad may become a big hit in the small and medium business sector next year, following on from its massive success in the consumer space and major inroads in the enterprise arena.
As reported by Apple Insider, a new NPD survey of SMBs in the US (businesses with less than 1,000 employees) found that no less than 73 percent plan to buy iPads in major quantities in 2012. Here are a couple of the striking numbers and findings from the survey and the chart above:
The iPad, just as it is in the consumer market, is synonymous for ‘Tablet’ in the business market, leaving Apple poised to take advantage of the increased spending intentions of these SMBs (small and medium businesses) … Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD
– 90% of the companies polled plan to match or increase their spending on tablets in 2012.
This momentum in the SMB space follows on from the Apple’s success in establishing the iPad as the clear and dominant leader in the enterprise space. Apple announced back in October that 90% of the Fortune 500 were deploying or testing the iPad – proof that it’s a surprisingly big hit in the enterprise. And a recent survey by Good Technology – a leading provider of middleware for mobile devices in the corporate arena – showed that the iPad accounted for an astounding 96% of tablet activations tracked by the company.
If you’re a small business owner, I’d love to hear about how you use (or plan to use) the iPad in your business. Will you be upping your spending on iPads next year?
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An Australian contractor who builds shopping centres told me that sub-contractors’ re-works were killing his profits and causing him to miss early-completion bonuses.
So he got the architects and engineers for his latest project to give him their work in 3D files.
He downloaded the 3D files onto iPads, gift-wrapped them, then called a meeting with his subs. He handed the packages to each sub and asked them to use the ipads with their tradesmen to show them both the big picture and how everything fit together–where pipes fell in relation to joists and cables, etc.
Then he closed the meeting by telling them that, as long as there were no reworks at the end of the job they could keep the iPads.
The first time he tried this the job was finished 2 weeks ahead of schedule and, he said, he’d never seen a job site left so immaculate in his years as a contractor.
That’s great stuff. Thanks for sharing.