Dozens of companies have already adopted it

The iPad, new computer terminal in fashion in American companies This is clearly, if one believes Tim Cook, the number two Apple, who testified last July, that half of the companies Uncle Sam were testing the new tablet or used it already.

But for what First field of applications: commercial activities. The launch of the iPad in the US, last April, Mercedes-Benz began to equip its 350 dealers. With a specifically developed application, they can perform simulations of funding, with future clients, as they try to model their dreams.

The Tablet also quite satisfy the expectations of health professionals. Is Kaiser Permanente - which provides health insurance to millions of Californians-a was one of the first companies to test the iPad in its laboratories. A first pilot application allows physicians to access medical records while they perform their visits. Others should follow. The industry is also interested in the tablet. The SAP editor has thus developed a version for the iPad application Business By Design, to monitor, remotely, production or delivery States curves. Dozens of companies have already adopted it.

Meanwhile, Citrix Systems, a specialist of the "cloud computing", also adapted its applications to allow users to access via the iPad applications to companies available on the Saas model (Software as a service). Cisco, for its part, has created an iPad application to work in groups and do video conferencing.

Generally, all major publishers of software company, such as Oracle, Microsoft or IBM, are preparing applications for the Apple tablet. Which to count already 500 specifically intended for large companies.

Many of these applications are developed at the request of the users themselves. Thus, a survey conducted last July by iPass, a large operator of wireless worldwide communication networks, shows that 26 of the "mobile" professionals surveyed as well in the US, Asia and Europe, wish to use an iPad within six months. They are less than 7 to express such an opinion when it comes to a Tablet PC. "The association between applications available and its technical characteristics make the iPad very attractive", should be Ted Schadler, Forrester Research analyst.

Not yet a PC

However, the iPad is not yet a weapon able to outperform the portable microcomputer, absolute. It lacks critical functionality for companies, noted experts, such as for example the ability to print or to centralize the management of electronic mail. A view apparently shared by Apple. In introducing its new line of iPod recently in San Francisco, Steve Jobs announced the new version of the operating system of the iPad, iOS. New features of this version 4.2 are a real "wish list" of companies: printing operation in multitasking, wireless, centralized management of electronic messaging, increased security of data, etc.

While the market of applications for the iPad could reach $ 6 billion next year (Apple empochera the third), professional applications could become the most lucrative, related services and complementary sales that it induces. To take advantage of the bargain, the large firm of venture capital in Silicon Valley, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, comes to $ 200 million fund that finances the start-up developing applications for iPad. It is only to the rich.