There's no doubt that the invention of e-readers has greatly impacted book sales. Here are some numbers to look at:

• 51% of e-reader owners increased their purchases of e-books in the past year. ¹
• 9% of consumers increased their purchases of hardcover books in the past year. ¹

Any concerns regarding a cannibalistic impact of the iPad on Mac sales, were recently laid to rest by Apple’s Q3 2010 earnings call; the iPhone and the iPad, which run on iOS, led an impressive, best-ever, everything-but-the-iPod, sales quarter. For a closer look at who is buying two of Apple’s most popular devices, we turn to The Nielsen Company’s survey of more than 64,000 mobile subscribers, fielded April through June 2010.

Since the iPad announcement, certainly there has been a strong consumer pitch, but business users are also in the target market. Some of the clear niche uses for the iPad are areas that are strong among businesses. Is it really so surprising that business use would be high on customers’ agendas?