Remember when analysts and commentators dismissed Apple's iPad in late January, saying there was nothing revolutionary about the device? Some called it just a big iPod Touch, while others made jokes about the name not being so enticing to women.

But that seems like eons ago. Now, the device has gone on sale and everyone is going crazy over it--despite the drawbacks that include no Microsoft Word support, no USB, no multitasking, no webcam and no Flash support. Apple said it sold 300,000 iPad devices on Saturday, the first day it went on sale.

Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg gave the device a thumbs up, concluding that the iPad "can indeed replace a laptop for most data communication, content consumption and even limited content creation, a lot of the time," unless of course you are developing huge spread sheets or long documents.

Research firm iSuppli predicts global iPad sales are expected to reach 7.1 million units in 2010, with sales doubling to 14.4 million in 2011 and nearly triple to 20.1 million in 2012.

More interesting, however, is the fact that the iPad has been aimed squarely at the consumer market, but it's becoming clear that enterprise users are taking a significant interest. It's not a surprise given the inroads that the iPhone is already making into the enterprise through the back door.

Yesterday, Apple's App Store indicated the top four iPad paid apps are related to "productivity functions, according to Computerworld. These apps include a word-processing app, a spreadsheet app and a presentation app built by Apple developers that sell for $10 each. Another top app is GoodReader, a document reader that can handle a range of formats, including PDF files and high-resolution images. I guess those apps make up for some of the the iPad's drawbacks.

A recent survey from Sybase and Zogby, which surveyed more than 2,000 adults with mobile phones, found the top reason U.S. consumers would use a tablet device such as the iPad is to work on the go. Sybase said the findings show consumers are increasingly demanding mobile devices that blend consumer and enterprise functionality, exposing an unexpected emphasis on the iPad's suitability for work-related activities--further capitalizing on the trend of consumerization in the enterprise, which occurred with the iPhone.

I'm thinking that the iPad could actually speed up this consumerization process given the ability to facilitate collaboration and information access in a much bigger and richer way than the iPhone can. Cisco, for instance, has a WebEx app for the iPad that, via WiFi, allows participants to view share presentations, applications and desktops. There's a whole new level of productivity given the video access capabilities of the device.

Some, if not many, enterprise IT departments may poo-poo the iPad, lamenting the fact that security is lacking. But once again, they will be forced to deal with the desires of employees. - Lynnette