For some observers, it’s not so much a question of whether tablet computers like the iPad and other consumer-oriented gear will make it into the enterprise, but when, and what company will reap the windfall.
Certainly Apple has staked out pole position in the tablet market with its iPad, and AT&T, the exclusive carrier, is looking to cash in on the enterprise market, announcing that it will begin selling the device directly to business customers at a discounted rate.
AT&T’s exclusive carrier status, of course, is now accompanied by an asterisk following word from Verizon Wireless that it will begin selling the iPad in its retail stores. AT&T made a similar announcement the same day, but is now going a step beyond with its enterprise strategy. Enterprise Mobile Today has the story on AT&T’s iPad enterprise play.
A day after announcing that it will offer Apple’s iPad in retail stores later this month, AT&T is now outlining the next stage of its strategy for promoting the popular device, saying that it plans to sell the tablet directly to its enterprise customers.
On Friday, the carrier announced that it will promote all three iPad models that include both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity to its business customers, billing the strategy as a natural extension of the increasing use of consumer-oriented technology behind the corporate firewall.
