Businesses could pass on higher-capacity tablets in favor of the cloud

A recent Computerworld article discussed the effect cloud computing might have on the mobile device market, claiming businesses might be more apt to buy tablet computers with less storage space and turn to the cloud to make up the difference.

Tablet manufacturers have actually begun to notice this trend themselves, as many have started offering "value" models of their devices. Some have sold "value" solid-state drives for nearly $100, whereas larger capacity devices - 128 gigabits or higher - cost five times as much.

"I'd consider the 16GB version and save myself some money, because so much data is not stored locally these says," said Jude Olinger, CEO of New Orleans-based market research firm the Olinger Group. "Why get a 64 GB? With Pandora and cloud services, I'm not using internal storage all that much."

While the iPad 2 does offer newer functions to businesses, such as two cameras for its FaceTime video chat, many IT workers are now in the mindset that storage is now streaming and not based locally on devices.

With businesses already accounting for 25 percent of all tablet sales, according to a study conducted by Deloitte Consulting, this move toward the cloud could mean big things for the managed IT service's market.