“Shortly after it came out I read an article about a doctor in Japan using one in the operating theatre. At least he put it into a bag, but I thought it was a highly irresponsible thing to do, as the wi-fi could have interfered with the critical devices, for instance. For general hospital use, it needs a lot of work to be either germ-proof or washable ”

You are assuming that the doctor is using wi-fi, rather than files which he has already downloaded. He may not be; he may have planned for any interference. He may not have experienced any interference at all. You don’t know.

You also assume that an industrial quality zip-bag cannot be sterilized. This is not so. There a sprays designed for plastic which will kill anything biological. I am assuming that you are not a doctor, so you have no expertise in this area.

That boring Panasonic tablet must have some disadvantages or the doctor would not be using an iPad. I doubt that cost is a factor.

Also, it is rather difficult to project sales, or where the iPad will be used, after only one month. You are bound to be in error as people find new uses for the iPad.

You seem rather hidebound. Fortunately, more people will experiment with the iPad. They will find its true home. Apple is targeting it for the coffee table, not enterprise.