“Which devices fit best in our work environment?” This is a question every company must ask itself. Besides laptops and phones, tablets are also popular. They offer a large screen, intuitive touch operation, and can be used flexibly in different locations.

Apple remains the market leader with its iPads. In the third quarter of 2023, 37.5 percent of all tablets shipped were Apple iPads. What’s so remarkable about the iPad? And should your company rent iPads?

To consider: iPads’ unique features

Although people generally talk about “the” iPad, there are actually four models with different approaches:

• The iPad is the standard version with a 10.9-inch diagonal screen. The tenth generation iPad was released in 2023.
• The iPad mini is significantly smaller (currently 8.3 inches) and therefore practical for compact, mobile use.
• The iPad Air is thinner and lighter than the standard iPad, but the same size. This also makes it suitable for carrying it around, while offering the same screen size for processing complex matters.
• The iPad Pro is the largest model (currently 11 or 12.9 inches) with what Apple calls “the most advanced technology,” including the best processor among iPad models.

Regardless of which model, iPads are extremely popular among users. They are also known for the high quality of their components. For one, there are the powerful processors, which ensure smooth operation especially during multitasking or with multiple applications open.

Apple develops the processors of the “Bionic” series itself. While the iPad and iPad mini are typically equipped with the current smartphone CPUs (e.g., A14 Bionic), the iPad Pro variants have been equipped with the M processors from the Mac series or MacBook series since 2021.

The so-called Retina displays are also legendary—the iPad screens impress with great color depth and high resolution, which are appreciated not only by creatives. In addition, the intuitive user interface makes working with the iPad easy. Since 2019, Apple has been developing a dedicated iPad operating system named iPadOS.

This all sounds great so far! However, there is another particularity of iPads: They are the most expensive tablets on the market. If you decide to purchase iPads, you will inevitably have to bear these costs.

Renting iPads

However, if you decide to rent your iPads, the costs will be distributed significantly differently. More on this further down in the article.

Use of iPads in a business context

It’s well-known that people like to use iPads and other tablets in their private lives. But how can an iPad be useful in a business context?

A tablet can be seen as a mix of features from both a laptop and a smartphone. It has easy touch-screen operability and the ability to take photos and videos, same as a smartphone. Additionally, the tablet can be conveniently used in handheld mode.

However, a tablet also offers a much larger screen area, like a laptop. And depending on the device, its performance can significantly surpass that of a smartphone.

With the help of a Magic Keyboard (Folio) or Smart Keyboard (Folio), you can quickly transform your iPad into a notebook. If you like, you can even connect a Magic Mouse, another Bluetooth mouse, or a USB mouse to your iPad.

Consequently, tablets and iPads are indispensable in many work fields. As mentioned earlier, iPads are particularly popular among creatives and artists: Drawing on an iPad, for example, is more direct than drawing on a PC screen.

But in retail or in a warehouse, too, tablets are often essential tools for employees who are always on the move. They can quickly check inventory and provide information to customers or colleagues, no matter where they are.

iPads also have a similar benefit for field service employees. They can quickly and easily access necessary information from the company network via an iPad.

Rent or buy Apple iPads?

iPads are therefore very useful in the workplace environment as well. But now, the question about acquisition arises: To buy? To rent? Or should the iPads be leased?

Buying iPads

When buying, the devices belong to your company, and everything related to them is in the hands of the company. Sounds wonderful? Practically, this means a lot of effort for you and your team and a high initial investment for your company.

Because “everything is in the hands of the company” means that the IT team now also has to take care of setup, management, repair, replacement, mobile security, and more regarding the iPads. You would probably prefer to use this time and labor for other central topics in the company.

Leasing iPads

So, is leasing a better option? Here too, organizational challenges arise. If you entered a contract with device bundling, then this exact number of devices (e.g., 100, 200, …) must be received and uniformly returned on the due date.

If an employee leaves the company, early return of the tablet is not provided for in the leasing contract. The contract simply continues and you have to take care of reallocating the device.

Renting iPads—iPad-as-a-service

A dynamic company with many employees often requires a more flexible service. This is where the option to rent iPads comes into play.

Why should I rent iPads—the advantages

Renting devices offers several advantages for your company. For one, you don’t have to pay all costs at once, as you would with a purchase. Instead, you can account for the monthly rent as part of your operating costs.

Depending on the provider, these costs may already include service charges—this is the case, for example, with Everphone. Because ideally, a lot of work related to the hardware is already included in the rental service.

Is the iPad glass damaged? Does the iPad Pro battery need to be replaced? Is the iPad Pro charging port defective? If you rent your iPads, a provider like Everphone takes care of these issues directly.

If you have bought your iPads, however, you would need to handle these tasks yourself. And with leasing, anything beyond basic repairs often incurs additional costs.

Another advantage of renting is that it can contribute to the further sustainability of your company. Device-as-a-service providers like Everphone repurpose used company iPads for further use. This can double or even triple their lifecycle.

Of course, the devices must be cleared of data before being reused, to protect your company data and to comply with the GDPR. A good rental service already includes this service.

Rent iPads with Everphone

As a pioneer in “device as a service”, Everphone gladly supports your company in the procurement, management, maintenance, and protection of company tablets.

Does your company want to rent Apple’s iPads, iPad Airs, or Apple’s iPad Pros? All of this is possible with us. For more information, see: https://everphone.com/en/device-categories/tablets/

We offer you a flexible all-around service, tailored to the needs of your company. Have you already bought iPads? With “buy and rent back” (BARB), we buy them from you and rent them back to your company—including our service.

We help you in every situation. If there is a problem with a device, if a device is lost or even stolen, we take care of the quick replacement or procurement of a new device at no additional costs.Furthermore, if desired, we can immediately equip your company with appropriate security solutions. Instead of a simple antivirus for the Apple iPad, we offer both mobile device management (MDM) and mobile threat defense (MTD). Our experts are happy to advise you on this.