8,500 iPads Ordered By Barclays, Huge Hit To Microsoft Surface Tablet & Microsoft’s Corporate Initiatives ~ Discount Tablets Review

Friday, November 23, 2012

8,500 iPads Ordered By Barclays, Huge Hit To Microsoft Surface Tablet & Microsoft’s Corporate Initiatives

9:06 AM No comments

Barclays Bank in the UK ordered 8,500 plus iPads from Apple in a move that pretty much decimates Microsoft and their ambitions for tablet penetration in the enterprise.

Barclays purchased the iPad’s through a deal called Insight UK.

The purchase from Barclays was not impulsive, however, as the company surveyed employees to see what tablet would be most productive – and the verdict fell squarely on the iPad.

The purchase of 8,500 iPad’s is the biggest corporate purchase of the Apple tablet in the UK, and quite possibly the single biggest iPad purchase from a corporation to date.

The purchase also signals the overall perception of tablets in the enterprise where Microsoft, with their Windows Server line, has previously dominated the scene.

This decision is also in line with consumer sentimentalism that shows the iPad is at the top of everyone’s list for what they are most interested in purchasing over the next 6 months.

According to The Register, a UK publication, a representative from Barclays said that, “we investigated a number of different tablet options and in this instance, we concluded that iPads were the best solution for their specific needs. We are now starting to use these across Barclays branches in the UK…”.

The big motive, according to Barclays, as to why employees want to use the iPad as opposed to other tablets is because of an app called Mortgage Brain, which is a mortgage banking app designed specifically for the iPad.

Mortgage Brain is jointly owned by six banks including Barclays Woolwich, RBS, Virgin Money, Santander, Lloyds TSB and Nationwide.

Mark Lofthouse, chief exec at Mortgage Brain, told FT Adviser the app was specifically targeted at all mortgage brokers and can scan the entire market for available options.

Here’s the description of Mortgage Brain from iTunes store:

Mortgage Brain’s FREE app is a fast and simple way for you to search the UK mortgage market for a mortgage using the latest mortgage data. It also provides you with the ability to get in touch with a UK qualified mortgage broker to help answer your questions. Together with a wide array of mortgage calculators to help you work out costs associated with a mortgage, such as how much it may cost you, how much you can borrow, the effects of overpaying on your mortgage, this really is a comprehensive mortgage app to aid you with your mortgage choice.

via TNW, BI