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Mobile Device Management News: Android to Dominate iPhone in the Corporate Market by 2016?

By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor

Is it possible that the Android (News - Alert) will overtake the iPhone as the smartphone of choice in the corporate setting? According to predictions by Ovum, Android will outpace the iPhone among business users by 2016. If this trend becomes a reality, businesses will need to realign their approach to mobile device management. 

A recent Mobile Today article focused on this news from Ovum (News - Alert), highlighting that Android is expected to make significant gains in the business smartphone market over the next five years. By 2016, Android is expected to account for 26 percent of corporate shipments, just 1 percent less than the BlackBerry (News - Alert), demanding a new focus on mobile device management within the corporate setting. 

The latest forecast from Ovum suggests mobile device management will have to focus more on Android devices as shipments are projected to reach 14.2 million in 2016, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 21 percent from the 4.7 million expected by the end of 2011. This growth rate is four times that of BlackBerry’s and double that of Apple’s growth predictions. 

BlackBerry is still expected to remain the dominant player. Its narrow 27 percent market share of new device shipments is expected to be a reality by 2016. The device’s CAGR is predicted to be 5.3 percent between 2011 and 2016, rising to 14.8 million in 2016 from 10.9 million by the end of this year. 

iPhone (News - Alert) usage is still growing however, forcing a change in mobile device management due to employee pressure. Ovum predicts shipments of the Apple device will reach 9.3 million in 2016, with growth at a CAGR of 11.2 percent from 4.9 million anticipated by the end of 2011. 

Ovum principal analyst Pauline Trotter was quoted in Mobile Today saying, “The business smartphone market will see significant growth over the next five years, with shipments rising from 26.8 million at the end of this year to 54 million in 2016, which is a CAGR of 12.4 percent. The demand is being driven by the need to support business applications on handheld devices as enterprises adopt more flexible working patterns and continue to support employees away from the workplace.”

Android is getting a boost from new innovations in the market and mobile device management. One Google (News - Alert)-owned Motorola Mobility Holdings subsidiary, 3LM, has unveiled an enterprise server console designed to provide security-conscious IT departments with the necessary Android support and data protection to mobilize their businesses. 

Trotter highlighted that ongoing improvements in the mobile device management capabilities of the Android platform, as well as support for more business applications, will begin to make these devices much more appealing to enterprise buyers.
Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jamie Epstein