Elite Frontier

If Apple were to update the Time Capsule to become an external database storage hub for the iPad, it would create a huge ecosystem. This new ecosystem would be based upon the Time Capsule having an API that would be accessible from the iPad OS.

Such an combination of products, would open iPad developers to sell turnkey based client/server applications that use multiple iPads talking to a central Time Capsule device. This means for Apple, that it could sell combinations of iPads and Time Capsules.

This may be attractive for small/mid-size businesses where having multiple iPads talking to a central database server is an improvement over their paper-based (and sneaker-net or word-of-mouth) system. The TCO would be relatively low, given the turnkey nature of the iPad and Time Capsule.

Some example costs:

Time Capsule: $300
Four iPads: $2000
Setup Time: 1 hour
Software per iPad: $1-$100, depending on functionality in the Application and App Store competition
Training: None -1 hour, depending on if the User already has an iPhone.

The cost of software per iPad is interesting, since the long-tail effect would almost guarantee that the price will approach $1.