Study: Apple makes eight of top 10 corporate mobile devices
updated 10:23 pm EST, Tue February 26, 2013
Even older iOS equipment dwarfs Android in activations
Not only does Apple completely dominate enterprise activations of mobile equipment, its share of such activations is growing, according to a new report [PDF] from Good Technology. Looking over the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple devices accounted for eight of the top 10 mobile activations in the corporate sector, with the current iPhone lineup grabbing the top three slots and recent iPad models rounding out the top five. The first Android device, the Samsung Galaxy S III, took sixth place with six percent, with other Android models being beaten out by the iPad 4 and older iOS devices.
Excluding the S III, Android devices performed so poorly in terms of new enterprise activations that even the iPad 4 (which debuted in the fourth quarter), the iPhone 3GS and the venerable original iPad boasted better numbers than the Droid Razr and Samsung's Galaxy S II, the only other Android models to appear in the top 10. Good Technology surveyed 4,000 of its corporate customers for the data, covering more than half of the Fortune 100.
Looking at tablets only, Q4 iOS activations were around 88 percent, with Android taking up the remaining 12 percent for the quarter. In smartphones, Apple managed a fairly consistent average of around 55 percent of phones activated, with Android averaging 20 percent across the quarter. Microsoft's latest Windows Phone accounted for around 0.5 percent, with other platforms remaining statistically insignificant.
Apple's iPhone 5 all by itself accounted for nearly a third of all device activations, and Apple overall increased its standing with the enterprise sector by claiming 77 percent of all activations in the sector in Q4, up from 71 percent year-over-year. Meanwhile, Android activation share dropped from 29 percent to 22.7 percent in the same period. However, it should be noted that tablets and "phablets" (such as the Galaxy Note 2, which were counted as tablets for the survey) increased their share of the overall Android device mix by more that doubling their claim, from 2.7 percent of total activations to nearly seven percent -- pointing to some increased competition against the iPad.
Good analysts said they expect a higher degree of diversity in 2013, as BlackBerry makes its last stand for relevance and Windows Phone devices (along with Surface tablets) may be able to make more of a dent with the business market than they have so far. Google is expected to shift more emphasis on tablets in its Android development this year, and some other options are appearing on the horizon -- including Samsung and Intel Linux-derived Tizen alternative OS.
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It's happening
This is what I predicted would happen. Apple devices are becoming part of the normal infrastructure of our society. This is a true Hollywood story of a scorned underdog becoming the victor.
Here's a salute to the one company out there that cares about product and customers first, knowing that if they do so, the monetary success will naturally follow.
Great job, Apple.