Businesses Attracted To iPad

AT&T revealed that many US companies are showing a great deal of interest in Apple's iPad. According to the wireless carrier, some businesses are even considering replacing employee laptops with the tablet computer.

When the iPhone debuted three years ago, many businesses were reluctant to adopt the phone. Today however, businesses seem to be showing no hesitation when it comes to the iPad said AT&T chief financial officer Richard Lindner. As with the iPhone, AT&T is the exclusive 3G carrier for the iPad in the United States.

In a conference call with analysts, Lindner said, "When we first introduced the iPhone, businesses and CIOs of our business customers were reluctant….They kind of pushed back on bringing the iPhone into their infrastructure." He continued, "Over time, that has changed dramatically."

"One thing that's been encouraging and a bit surprising is the level of interest from business customers," Lindner said. "Right from the beginning with the iPad we've had a number of our business customers express interest."

Not only are businesses expressing interest, but they are also testing the device for themselves: "A number of them have trials going on," Lindner said. "They see a lot of opportunities to use the iPad within their business."

During Apple's earnings call, Apple's chief operating officer Tim Cook said more than 80 percent of the Fortune 100 companies were either deploying or piloting the iPhone. He also noted that 50 percent of the Fortune 100 companies were deploying or testing the iPad.

Apple recently disclosed sales of 3.27 million iPads in the third quarter of its fiscal year.