As people all over the US wait in line to pick up their iPads, Apple is updating its site to showcase the different usage scenarios of the device. Apple's 'iPad in Business' sites covers the business uses:
"Featuring built-in support for Microsoft Exchange, secure access to corporate data, and a powerful platform for apps, iPad is ready for work, right out of the box."
Apple's iPad has the same Email/contacts/calendar syncing support as the iPhone as well as support for LDAP, CalDAV Calendaring and IMAP Email.
Apple covers security:
iPad offers layers of security to protect your data. You can require complex passcodes to access important information securely, encrypt data over the air and at rest, and even remotely wipe everything from your iPad instantly in the event of theft or loss.Network communications are protected with built-in support for Cisco IPSec VPN, WPA2 Enterprise Wi-Fi, and SSL/TLS. IT departments can enforce complex passcodes and other policies on iPad to protect corporate data. And certificate-based authentication enables iPad to securely connect with corporate data via Exchange and VPN.
and Apps development:
Imagine being able to track key business metrics, read and edit contracts remotely, review and manage sales proposals, organize your travel plans, track flight status, and more all with the tap of a finger. With iPad, you can choose from thousands of business apps at the App Store that let you do all that and more. And if you want your business to build its own apps, simply join our iPhone Developer Enterprise Program. It provides your developers with all the tools they need to develop, design, and deploy proprietary, in-house apps to employees within your company or organization.
Perhaps the biggest wildcard is Apple's iWork applications. So far, iWork hasn't made big inroads into business, with the sector being completely dominated by Microsoft Office. However, this is a new platform and new usage scenarios exist. Also Microsoft has said it doesn't plan to compete on this platform.
The biggest application for business, however, is Safari. As most business applications are now Web Apps, Safari on the iPad is going to make this half inch thick tablet a true business device.