My company is looking to purchase iPad's for our sales team. We already support their laptops and smartphones so this will be an additional device. We were hoping to limit the devices by making the iPad their standard device but would be unable if there is not a docking station/port replicator that they could use while at their desks. Anyone know if this is something in the works?
iPad
What is it you'd expect this "docking station" to do? The iPad doesn't have a bunch of ports like a computer does, and except for connecting to the computer for synching and a few third-party devices and adapters doesn't really work with other hardware devices, per se, so I'm not sure what it is you're envisioning as the purpose for this adapter/replicator. Can you describe further what function you would want to provide?
Regards.
Connected a keyboard and a mouse (basically some USB ports) and possible a monitor hook up. I know nothing about Apple products and wish I didn't even to ask these questions 🙂
The iPad does not support a mouse, and while it can connect to external displays, I'm not sure I'd consider using it in regular fashion connected to another display except for presentations and such. It will support an external keyboard, but the iPad 2 uses Bluetooth keyboards so no dock would be necessary.
The iPad isn't a standard laptop computer so don't think of it in those terms. Tablet systems like the iPad are an entirely new breed of device and have much different methods of operation. If you need to think in terms of an analogy, its more useful to think of an iPad as a very large iPhone without the phone capabilities than it is to think of the iPad as a laptop computer, though I think that sells the iPad a bit short.
If you have an Apple Store near you, or have a corporate Apple account executive, I'd strongly suggest you try and get your hands on an iPad and work with it for at least a short time. That would be very helpful, I think, in helping you figure out how your staff would best use such a device. You might well want to consider purchasing one so you can spend time with it, or (if you're working for the furniture company) getting on one loan from your Apple account rep; I'd suspect they could provide one for a company your size.
Regards.
We do have one for our group and our sales team has been buying them out of pocket and love the way they can do presentations and such on them. However, it's a might expense piece of equipment to purchase just for this function. We may need to look into other tablet's that turn into a PC. Thanks for the info!
Evaluate any Windows-based tablets very carefully. There are tablets that, as with the iPad, have only touch-based inputs, and while they do work and might be the best choice, Windows isn't well suited to using solely touch input and is often rather cumbersome to use. I've worked with one here and I'd much rather just use a lightweight normal laptop. The "tablet" computers that have both keyboards and touch-input screens are expensive (relatively speaking), heavy and a bit fragile (the connection gyrations required to allow a screen to fold back to be used as a tablet aren't highly robust). A MacBook Air might be a better compromise if the iPad or other true tablets don't suit your needs.
Everything is a compromise. The challenge is to select the compromises such that the investment really pays off. That's not always easy. The iPad may well not be the best choice for your company.
Good luck in your evaluation and in whatever you end up selecting.
Regards.
Is there anyone here in an IT department that has used a deployed iPads? If so, is issuing a laptop, iPad, and smartphone really worth the cost? What are the pro's and con's of using the iPad in the work business? As stated before, I am not familiar with Apple products (I've never even owned an iPod!). I need to put together a presentation so any advice given would really be helpful.
Thanks again!
You probably would get more replies if you start a new topic with that question. The subject line of this thread isn't going to be conducive to attracting people who could give you opinions on enterprise use of the iPad. Meanwhile, Apple has some information and ideas here:
http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/
though those of course are going to be slanted somewhat.
Regards.
Is there a docking station or port replicator for the ipad
