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Time was a BlackBerry was as much part of the businessman’s get-up as a bowler hat, umbrella and copy of the FT. In this day and age however, you’re more likely to see the pin-striped brigade toting iPhones than BlackBerrys, as the Apple handset is now more popular with business types, according to one study.
The thrillingly-titled Mobile Workforce Report polled more than 2,300 enterprise workers, finding the iPhone had a 45 per cent share, compared to BlackBerry’s 32.2, reports CNET. That’s a big jump for iPhone from last year’s 31 per cent. Look out BlackBerry, your business cred has slipped.
BlackBerry’s 32.2 per cent was down from 34.5 per cent in 2010. Android was third, at 21.3 percent, then Symbian (7.4 per cent), with Windows Phone/Mobile last with 5.5 per cent.
“While increasing iPhone usage in the workplace was inevitable, this is the tipping point when the iPhone has overcome the BlackBerry on its traditional enterprise turf, and business smart phones are in the hands of nearly every knowledge worker,” said president and CEO of iPass (who carried out the research) Evan Kaplan in a statement.
Though mostly used by teenagers, we think the recent BBM outage may have had something to do with BlackBerry’s falling out of favour. That coupled with the delay to its PlayBook software update. Here’s hoping its forthcoming BBX handsets — the Colt and London — can rectify things for the company in these troubled times.
The iPhone, meanwhile, gained Siri this year — the feather in its cap. If only you could ask it to carry out reports and leave them on the boss’ desk, it’d be an even more essential business tool.
Which is better for business: an iPhone or a BlackBerry? Let us know on our Facebook page, and we need those answers yesterday.
