What I'm thinking is: "Runs the customized business application I use daily without modification"
The iPad is a terrific personal entertainment device, but it's useless to anyone who had thousands of dollars (and in my case, thousands of hours of development time) investigated in industry-specific Windows based applications.
Different markets, and in mine cost is MUCH less important than "ruggedized" hardware and application portability.
Then they should NOT be thinking "tablet" computing. Their application is not ready to be used with a touch interface.
On the other hand, the iPad works quite well interfacing with your PC back at the office, controlling and accessing the PC's data remotely without having to modify the software at all. . . or, with proper secure interfacing, putting your data at risk.
“The iPad is a terrific personal entertainment device, but it’s useless to anyone who had thousands of dollars (and in my case, thousands of hours of development time) investigated in industry-specific Windows based applications.”
You should look into the various remote access apps that can remote a Windows screen onto the iPad. That’s a better idea then trying to run heavy Windows apps locally on an underpowered Intel pad. You can also get VPN software for the iPad for a secure connection.
You do need network connectivity, but that’s not an issue in almost any business setting.