Apple’s hot new tablet appears poised to be a runaway hit for mobile personal computing. It’s easy to envision people falling in love with the iPad for things like web surfing, viewing movies and reading eBooks. It’s lightweight, elegant and visually stunning.

The case for business use of the iPad, however, seems to be up for debate by some. Folks in IT are concerned about security, while most users assume the business apps they need for work simply won’t be possible to use on the iPad. Others wonder if there is really a need for a device that fits somewhere between a smartphone and a laptop.

Here at Citrix, we believe the iPad represents an exciting new class of device that has the power to transform mobile computing for both personal and business users… enabling entirely new levels of productivity, and allowing people to work in ways they never thought possible before.

To make the vision a reality, we’re officially declaring the iPad “Open for Business” with two new apps that transform the ultimate personal mobile device into the ultimate business mobile device. Citrix Receiver™ for iPad gives iPad owners “Windows Apps and Desktops to Go” by providing instant secure access to their Windows business applications and documents with all the style and easy-of-use they bought the iPad for in the first place (check out our video tour here or our live cloud demo here). And our new Citrix GoToMeeting™for iPad gives iPad owners “Online Meetings to Go” by making it easy for them to collaborate from anywhere via online meetings that are both effortless and visually stunning.

In short, for Citrix customers, we believe the Apple iPad may be exactly what the doctor ordered… and the lawyer, and the field sales exec, and the mobile IT pro.

No matter what kind of work you do, if you’re lucky enough to have pre-ordered an iPad and your IT group is progressive enough to support it safely with Citrix, you too may soon be enjoying new levels of freedom and productivity where ever you go. Plus your IT group will be satisfied that they have the ultimate in centralized control for apps and data through Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop … with virtually no new setup required to support employees with iPads.

Lately we have been hearing about new use cases like this every day. I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 business uses and industries we hear about most often. We’d love to hear which best fits your scenario so we can add to the list and provide customized resources to help you succeed in business with the iPad as well. Simply tell us about your business use case for the iPad in the comment section below, the attend my Mobility session at Citrix Synergy2010 in San Francisco and you may win an iPad for work (and play). We will select a winner from the comments below, but you must be present to win!

So with no further ado, here’s my list of the top 10 business uses for the iPad:

1) Healthcare – Great for medical practitioners accessing EMR apps and schedules, doctors reviewing PAC’s images, and nurses in bedside care. Used at hospitals, clinics, medical offices and doctors on call from anywhere. With Citrix Receiver, even the most resource intensive Windows 3D rendering applications can now be displayed in detail (check out the demo).

2) Field Sales & Services – Perfect for presentations on the go, demonstrations, full access to product information, pricing, customer service records, order status and technical applications. No more “I’ll need to get back to you on that.”

3) Insurance Agents – Great for field claims adjusters, office day extenders and local agents working on quotes. All your business applications built for Windows? We’ve got an app for that!

4) Real Estate Agents – Imagine the power of showing highly visual home tours to customers from the car as you take them around to prospective homes, or even submitting offers from the road.

5) Mobile IT Pros – Who says IT pros have to be boring? Carry around an iPad, and your entire image with end users could take a turn for the better. Now with Citrix Receiver, you can easily access all your Windows support apps, dashboards, and documents.

6) Legal Professionals – Lawyers (who could sometimes use an image boost as well) could also increase their cache by carrying an iPad around while meeting with clients. With Citrix, they’ll have full secure access to every document, contract and Nexis-Lexis search, from the car, office or courtroom.

7) Teachers & Students – Ok, maybe this isn’t technically a “business” use, but it’s definitely one of the industry segments that’s most excited about the iPad. With Citrix, everyone from teachers and administrators to students now has easy secure access to all the Windows apps and resources they need…

8 ) Financial Professionals – Whether you’re on the trading floor or with clients, financial pros now have easy, secure access to all their Windows trading apps, dashboards, documents, real-time quotes, Bloomberg Anywhere and portfolio analysis tools.

9) Corporate Campus Workers – The world is full of corporate employees who may not travel extensively, but they spend an awful lot of time walking around the corporate campus, attending meetings, making presentations, reviewing documents (then extending the day at home). Lugging a laptop around campus can be a hassle, Enter the iPad with Citrix Receiver!

10) Remote and Mobile Workers – Finally, whether you’re a utility worker, police officer, or anyone who works remotely and needs “always-on” access to Windows business apps, desktops and data, we now have an app for you.

{Editors note: Chris Fleck is Vice President of Community and Solutions Development at Citrix. Chris is responsible for the Developer Network, Solutions Development, and growing the technical community around Citrix. As part of the Citrix CTO Office he is also involved with or leading multiple strategic initiatives at the company. Currently his hot topics include Mobility, VDI and Cloud Computing. Follow him at his blog here. }