IDC: iPhone, Android to overtake BlackBerry in enterprise market for first time

Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone and smartphones running Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android will outgun Research In Motion's (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry for the first time in 2012 in the enterprise device market, according to research firm IDC.

IDC reports that businesses are buying iPhones "in droves." The firm said Android devices are mainly the phones that workers are bringing with them to the office, according to Computerworld. IDC tracks both business-bought ("corporate liable") and employee-bought ("employee liable") smartphones.

According to IDC's forecasts, employee-liable Android phone shipments will reach 87.7 million and corporate-liable Android shipments will total 15.1 million this year. IDC thinks Apple this year will ship 37.1 million iPhones to workers who will bring them into the office, and 31.1 million iPhones directly to companies. Those figures far outpace RIM's expected haul, according to IDC.

BlackBerry led in corporate-liable smartphone shipments in 2011 with 22.4 million. "BlackBerry continues to be the gold standard for security," IDC said, but added that reduced consumer and developer interest "hinders its viability going forward."

RIM has taken steps to address the changing dynamics in the smartphone market. Its BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) will support legacy BlackBerry devices as well as gadgets running its forthcoming BlackBerry 10 platform. BES 10 will also use RIM's Mobile Fusion software, which provides mobile device management support for devices running Apple's iOS and Android platforms in addition to BlackBerry devices.

RIM is hoping to gain back market share when it introduces BlackBerry 10 early next year. RIM has said more than 50 carriers are testing the platform, which has also received security certification from the U.S. government.

For more:
- see this Computerworld article
- see this ZDNet article

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