The future for the iPad in the business environment looks great. Better yet, it apparently won't be at the expense of the Mac.

Results from the latest CDW IT Monitor (http://www.cdwitmonitor.com) indicate that nearly six in 10 organizations use tablet computers. While more prevalent among medium and large-size businesses (62%), nearly half of small businesses reported tablet use (47%). A

mong government IT decision-makers, tablets were more commonly used at the state level (59%) than the federal level (48%). While the popularity of tablets has grown steadily, only 19% of IT decision-makers reported that tablets have replaced some of their organization’s personal computers. Among those not currently using tablets, 31% plan to do so in the next six months.

Nearly three-quarters of the IT decision-makers surveyed thought that the use of tablets and smartphones has led to an increase in productivity within their organization. Of those, 25% said there was a significant increase in productivity.

What's more, half of all IT decision-makers felt that the use of tablets and smartphones has led to cost savings in their organization. Among large businesses, 64% of IT decision-makers reported that consumer technology adoption has led to cost savings. Forty-two percent believed they experienced significant cost savings.

Organizations employing tablets reported using them in a variety of ways. The most common use is for sales or sales representatives (48%), followed by replacing printed materials (36 percent) and workgroup collaboration (32%). Overall, the Apple's iOS operating system is most preferred with 61% of IT decision-makers choosing it. The Android operating system (24% and Blackberry Tablet OS (9% followed as distant second and third preferences.

-- Dennis Sellers