Cabinet ministers in Saskatchewan will be using Apple's iPad to help conserve paper. (Paul Sakuma/Associated Press)

Tablet computers have long been marketed as electronic alternatives to paper and books and are now being embraced by some offices that wish to move toward a paperless workplace.

Last week, a Saskatchewan cabinet official announced that Apple iPad tablets were being issued to cabinet ministers and senior staff in an effort to reduce paper consumption.

"In my office alone, as this gets rolled out, I will save 68 boxes of paper in my office a year," deputy cabinet secretary Rick Mantey told CBC News. "We're [also] saving on courier costs. That's going to go down, from my office, by $8,000, $9,000 a year."

Mantey said that in a typical week, a single cabinet minister could be loaded down with six to 10 kilograms of documents.

Computer World magazine recently reported that the iPad has become increasingly popular with doctors, lawyers, and businesspeople because they find the tablet's web browsing and portability useful.

While the iPad is the current leader in the tablet computer market, some analysts say that Apple needs to develop more business-friendly capabilities before the iPad can become an office essential.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, which is expected to officially announce details about its new tablet device this week, could steal some of the iPad's thunder by positioning its tablet as a business-oriented product, according to PC World.

Do you think tablets will ever replace paper? Should we move toward a paperless workplace? What's your take?