I want an iPad!

....I actually don't. I'm a Windows/Android user to the core
(unless someone offers me something for free, which has happened). But there is a trend right now in some enterprise towards the mobile world. Executives want to get their documents on an iPad, they want a company iPhone, and they think it would be a cool/trendy/effective idea for everyone else to move in that direction.

There are a couple of topics here:

1. Are tablets a good idea for execs?
2. Are iPads the right choice?
3. Are tablets right for every job?

I'll hit the first one for now. Spoiler alert: this article won't be useful if you're trying to convince your boss to buy you an iPad.

Are tablets a good idea for an exec? I honestly think this is one of the few jobs they make sense. The execs at my company are highly mobile. My desk of the last year has been outside of the office of one of our VPs. I've gone weeks without seeing her sit at her desk, not because she's lazy or on vacation, but because she has time to run into her office, grab the papers she needs for her next meeting, and walk back out.

For that kind of job, a laptop just doesn't cut it. Most laptops won't have enough battery power to last through an 8 hour day, they'll die halfway through. They're also very heavy (at least heavier than most tablets). If you have to carry around a charger, that adds to the weight.

If you can have a tablet or a slate that provides you with all of your papers, emails, documents, and schedules, it adds to your mobility and reduces the load you have to carry.

Add to that if you go to a lot of conferences or travel a lot, a tablet can easily have a cell data connection when wifi isn't available.

Long story short, tablets make sense for execs and VPs. The kinds of jobs that are mostly in meetings, sending emails, and reading reports.