Why iOS Is Pulling Ahead in the Enterprise
Apple Insider has a thought provoking piece about how iOS is enjoying much wider adoption in the enterprise market than Apple has traditionally seen with the Mac. Further, where Android numerically gained a lead on Apple in the consumer handset market, a trend that shows every sign being upended now that the iPhone is available on all three major carriers in the US, Android never outpaced iOS among corporate buyers.
The article is a good read, but I'd like to focus on this graph in particular:
Perhaps to most signifigant difference between the two platforms here is that Apple continues to release updates for iOS devices for at least two generations after the device hits the market. The total number of iOS phones and tablets (leaving aside 3G connectivity and storage variations) are roughly four: the iPhone 3G, 4, and 4S along with the iPad 2. The original iPad raises the number to five devices that IT has to actively support, all of which are running the same iOS version.
If you were supporting staff, would you rather have this or any number of Android phones and tablet running any number of versions of Android, knowing that you might be able to update a few and knowing that any custom Android software deployed across the company will have to work in this situation?
