if the average salary is $60k @ medtronic (no idea) and the ipads cost an average of $500, the math works out to:
$2,250,000 worth of ipads
$120,000,000 worth of jobs
I'm not saying that you're wrong matt, but the math doesn't totally add up. ipads for everyone!

Even if they paid 10 people $100k to deploy those 4500 ipads, the math still wouldn't be equal.
FWIW I think that the ipad has a real real use in the medical industry so they were justified buying them up for R&D purposes. Lots of doctors bring laptops into patient rooms and it is just awkward and stupid. A doctor's hand is the perfect spot for an ipad w/ the right software imho.