iPads Invade the Cockpit

Apple’s iPad is making its way into some cockpits. The device won approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to display navigational charts for some charter pilots, according to a story published today by my Bloomberg colleague Sonja Elmquist. The decision covers iPads used by Executive Jet Management, a unit of Warren Buffett’s NetJets, and it paves the way for pilots at other airlines to seek authorization to use the device, reports Elmquist.

From aviation to the government, Apple’s tablet is finding a home with workers in many different sectors. Financial services, technology and the healthcare industies are seeing the greatest adoption of the iPad for business use, according to a November 2010 report from mobile enterprise vendor Good Technology.

The report found that 36.8 percent of Good’s iPad activations among 4,000 enterprise customers had come from financial services, 11.4 percent from high tech, and 10.5 percent in healthcare.

The government accounted for 10.5 percent of iPad activations by November 2010. Use in the government continues to grow. Data collectors for the United States Department of Agriculture now carry iPads when conducting surveys in the field.