With the 7.9-inch iPad Mini being lightweight (at .68 pounds), thin (7.2mm) and affordable (starting at $329 for the 16GB model), a handful of analysts told PC Advisor that the growing bring-your-own device (BYOD) trend would see the iPad Mini come into the workplace.

Forrester analyst Frank Gillett said that the tablet would be “a huge hit” in the workplace. “The price is a very big deal”, said Gillett, who added that the product would also appeal to new tablet business users, including women.

Jack Gold, an analyst at J.Gold Associates, was similarly enthralled by the possibilities of Apple’s smaller tablet in business, and was in particular encouraged by the smaller size, smaller price and the compatibility with existing iPad apps.

“Many workers will prefer the smaller size, and companies will appreciate the smaller price,” said Gold.

The plaudits didn’t end there either, with Infonetics researcher Julien Blin adding to Gold's view that the price would be a big factor in enterprise.

"Apple currently dominates the tablet market, so if it wasn't hard enough for competitors, it will now get even harder. Many customers won't mind paying a $130 premium over [the $199 tablets] to get a mini iPad.”

However, for all the plaudits, there was a word of caution on how a surge in iPad Mini demand could place extra strain on enterprise networks.

"The mobile market is growing at breakneck speed and the majority of people are carrying more than one device around them - and expecting to be able to connect in the workplace as a standard," Chris Kozup, EMEA senior marketing director at wireless network provider Aruba Networks, told Computer Business Review.