iPad 2: A boon for business?

ANALYSIS Steve Jobs returned this week to help his company introduce the iPad 2 to the world.

Apple and its leader were certainly pleased with themselves and the second iteration of the iPad, just a year after the launch of the original.

The reaction to the iPad 2 outside of the firm, however, has been more mixed. Some commentators have praised the sleeker, faster tablet, but others have claimed Apple did nothing to truly impress with the update.

There wasn't a huge amount of focus on the business attributes of the iPad 2 during the launch either, so was there anything to get excited about from the corporate point of view?

Flat reaction

To some, there was little Apple did to intrigue businesses yesterday. Critics have claimed that unlike when the initial iPad was launched, the introduction of the latest version was more evolution than revolution.

Indeed, Ovum analyst Tony Cripps said there was nothing that instantly stood out about the iPad 2 to separate it from its predecessor, at least from a business context.

Rather than the iPad 2 being a post-PC device, as Jobs repeatedly said it would be, Cripps still saw the device as a companion piece of kit to go alongside desktops and laptops. In fact, Cripps questioned whether any tablet could replace the desktop.

"If you take a step back, it's difficult at this point in time to envisage a situation arising in which a tablet can substitute for everything that you might do with a PC," Cripps told IT PRO.

"I can't imagine the day is going to arrive anytime soon when I'm using a tablet rather than a PC."

So, to Cripps, the iPad 2 has done nothing to change that situation.

"It's hard to imagine the situation in which everything that a PC does and is proven to be good at ceases to be relevant," he added. "Tablets are much more companion pieces than they are primary ones."

However, he did conceded that there are circumstances, such as where you need to be on the move, when tablets have obvious advantages.

But as far as the iPad 2 signalling the beginning of the end for the PC, Cripps doesn't see it that way. And many others would agree.