Apple's iOS takes 'dramatic lead' over Android in enterprise apps

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
For developers, Android is becoming more of a consumer-oriented platform, while iOS has taken the lead in business, according to a new survey.

The findings from a joint survey of more than 3,500 Appcelerator developers from around the world were announced on Tuesday in conjunction with International Data Corporation. The full report highlights changing dynamics in the enterprise mobile application development space, where Apple's iOS has opened up a 16 point lead over Google's Android among developers who think the iPhone and iPad will win out in business.

"The big news is that Apple's iOS took a dramatic lead over Google's Android in the enterprise app space," said Scott Ellison, vice president, Mobile and Connected Consumer Platforms at IDC. "For developers, Android appears to be evolving more towards a consumer play, which in turn provides a key competitive opening for Microsoft in the enterprise mobile app space."

The survey found that 53.2 percent of developers say they believe iOS will win out in the enterprise, compared with 37.3 percent of developers backing Android. The poll shows a major shift from the third quarter of 2011, when developers viewed iOS and Android in a dead heat, with 44 percent saying each would win out.

Appcelerator and IDC said on Tuesday they believe the shift is attributed to the growing strength of Apple in the enterprise. Specific reasons cited were corporate adoption of the iPad, regular reporting of malware on Android, and challenges in the enterprise associated with Android fragmentation.





The bright spot for Android in the report is that interest labels appear to have stabilized, and are no longer dropping in favor of Apple's iOS platform.

The survey also found that enterprise-focused developers are "cautiously optimistic about Windows 8 tablets. Developers are said to find Microsoft's Metro user interface found on Windows 8 and Windows Phone to be particularly compelling.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 22
    blackbookblackbook Posts: 1,361member
    This makes sense to me and essentially spells the final nail in the coffin for blackberry. Nothing can beat the iPhone/iPad combo for enterprise right now.
  • Reply 2 of 22
    Saw a RIM print ad for the PlayBook with OS 2.0. They were positioning it as a business tool. And that's an uphill battle.
  • Reply 3 of 22
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member


    It was really smart of Apple to license the MS Exchange Sync. That really opened the door.


     


    One of my friends told me about her corporate IT manager as reportedly saying that they could not support iPhones because the software was incompatible with Exchange, duh clueless! Anyway I told her how to set it up herself. It took all of 2 minutes once we determined the mail server name and IP. Then she shared the solution with all the other iPhone users at the company and everyone was hush, hush about it. Once the IT guy found out he was really embarrassed because he had been 'dissing' the iPhone. Happy ending is that now he uses an iPhone too - and an iPad.

  • Reply 4 of 22
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member


    Quote:




    "The big news is that Apple's iOS took a dramatic lead over Google's Android in the enterprise app space," said Scott Ellison, vice president, Mobile and Connected Consumer Platforms at IDC. "For developers, Android appears to be evolving more towards a feature phone play, ..."



     


    Fixed that for you AI.

  • Reply 5 of 22
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    It was really smart of Apple to license the MS Exchange Sync. That really opened the door.


     


    One of my friends told me about her corporate IT manager as reportedly saying that they could not support iPhones because the software was incompatible with Exchange, duh clueless! Anyway I told her how to set it up herself. It took all of 2 minutes once we determined the mail server name and IP. Then she shared the solution with all the other iPhone users at the company and everyone was hush, hush about it. Once the IT guy found out he was really embarrassed because he had been 'dissing' the iPhone. Happy ending is that now he uses an iPhone too - and an iPad.



     


    I find this ignorance a lot in the workplace and clients that I deal with.  We have an administrator at one site that kept dissing Apple (it's a "toy" mentality) and every time management would look into getting iPhones and iPads, he would shoot it down with complete dis-information.  He "was" and Android fanboy.  Management would then walk over to me and ask how I'm able to get all my work done (I used to be the only person using a Mac at the office, and using company stuff via iPads and iPhones) using an iPhone and/or iPad and I showed them.  Exchange was a huge deal.  They were only a blackberry shop and the admin wanted them to go to Android which I warned management against for their lack of any real security models.



    The admin was quite clueless about what iOS was capable of.  It's what irritates me about Android fanboys so much that their hatred of all things Apple clouds their judgement and they are in a position to dictate technology without knowing all the options.



    Now, that one site ditched all their blackberries, went with all iPhones.  Now, I am spearheading a project to get standalone apps designed for iPads to deploy to our sales force.  And the admin - he owns an iPhone now.  Surprisingly, all the mobile devices now have had zero problems compared to the headaches he had in the past with the android phones he tried pushing.  He's a believer now.



    And now, my "boss" at this site had me order and configure for him a new retina Macbook Pro with a 27" LED monitor running Windows7 via VMware Fusion as he got to see me use my setup every day at the office and never had a need to have the admin touch my machine.  More people now want the same.



    It's nice when products "just work" and you can use them as the tools they are supposed to be and not babysit them so that admins can justify their job.

  • Reply 6 of 22
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member


    don't these people know, the iPad is only for consumption...


     


    /s

     

  • Reply 7 of 22
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


     


    I find this ignorance a lot in the workplace and clients that I deal with.  We have an administrator at one site that kept dissing Apple (it's a "toy" mentality) and every time management would look into getting iPhones and iPads, he would shoot it down with complete dis-information.  He "was" and Android fanboy.  Management would then walk over to me and ask how I'm able to get all my work done (I used to be the only person using a Mac at the office, and using company stuff via iPads and iPhones) using an iPhone and/or iPad and I showed them.  Exchange was a huge deal.  They were only a blackberry shop and the admin wanted them to go to Android which I warned management against for their lack of any real security models.



    The admin was quite clueless about what iOS was capable of.  It's what irritates me about Android fanboys so much that their hatred of all things Apple clouds their judgement and they are in a position to dictate technology without knowing all the options.



    Now, that one site ditched all their blackberries, went with all iPhones.  Now, I am spearheading a project to get standalone apps designed for iPads to deploy to our sales force.  And the admin - he owns an iPhone now.  Surprisingly, all the mobile devices now have had zero problems compared to the headaches he had in the past with the android phones he tried pushing.  He's a believer now.



    And now, my "boss" at this site had me order and configure for him a new retina Macbook Pro with a 27" LED monitor running Windows7 via VMware Fusion as he got to see me use my setup every day at the office and never had a need to have the admin touch my machine.  More people now want the same.



    It's nice when products "just work" and you can use them as the tools they are supposed to be and not babysit them so that admins can justify their job.



     


    Yes.


     


    The IT sector views Apple as a real threat. You don't need to connect too many dots to understand why. 

  • Reply 8 of 22


    Android developers are giving up selling their apps due to everyone on Android stealing apps for free. So Android developers are selling their apps for free and putting in advertising. The problem is, I can't see Pepsi executives using an enterprise app for Android only after they have clicked through a Coke advertisement.

  • Reply 9 of 22
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


     


    Yes.


     


    The IT sector views Apple as a real threat. You don't need to connect too many dots to understand why. 



    I don't know. I see most IT admins as content to not have to do anything. The less they have to do the better. I think their resistance to Apple is driven more out of fear they may be asked to do something like install an application and they won't have a clue how to do it, making them look incompetent. They know their way around Windows, but many have never touched a Mac in their entire career. The IT corporate drones will always be needed to reassure employees that the printer is not actually broken, just out of paper.

  • Reply 10 of 22
    cvaldes1831cvaldes1831 Posts: 1,832member
    Saw a RIM print ad for the PlayBook with OS 2.0. They were positioning it as a business tool. And that's an uphill battle.
    Well, that's the right approach if they're sticking with the tablet. After all, RIM's core customer base was business.

    They fumbled badly when they tried to chase after the consumer market.
  • Reply 11 of 22

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    I don't know. I see most IT admins as content to not have to do anything. The less they have to do the better. I think their resistance to Apple is driven more out of fear they may be asked to do something like install an application and they won't have a clue how to do it, making them look incompetent. They know their way around Windows, but many have never touched a Mac in their entire career. The IT corporate drones will always be needed to reassure employees that the printer is not actually broken, just out of paper.



    You are correct in that "the less they have to do the better." EXCEPT, some shops think they need to have a million things to do in order to justify a larger and larger staff. These kinds of administrators have a "kingdom building" mentality. The larger their kingdom, the more important they are to the C-level suits. 


     


    In the early days of data processing the IT administrator answered to the very highest level of management. As time went on he slid down the organizational chart. To avoid being lost in the chart, the IT administrator has dome many things over the years to remain in the faces of higher management. Some of those things have been counter to the bottom line in the corporation and corporate goals. Apple products do threaten the IT hold on technical knowledge. It is especially so when people within the company can and do things with their Macs and iDevices that the IT heads say are impossible or impractical. 


     


    What is making Apple's entry into enterprise work so well this time around is that it is the highest levels of the organizational chart that are telling the IT drones to "Make this Apple product work within this corporation's infrastructure."

  • Reply 12 of 22

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post



    Saw a RIM print ad for the PlayBook with OS 2.0. They were positioning it as a business tool. And that's an uphill battle.


     


    Is RIM still advertising how the Playbook can do "Flash?"


     


    RIM will position the Playbook any way they can... their warehouse is bulging with unsold hardware.

  • Reply 13 of 22
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    I don't know. I see most IT admins as content to not have to do anything. The less they have to do the better. I think their resistance to Apple is driven more out of fear they may be asked to do something like install an application and they won't have a clue how to do it, making them look incompetent. They know their way around Windows, but many have never touched a Mac in their entire career. The IT corporate drones will always be needed to reassure employees that the printer is not actually broken, just out of paper.



     


    Ok, I can understand that perspective. Fair point. 


     


    I've always wondered at the typical IT responses I've witnessed *in person* to Apple gear. And I keep thinking to myself . . . "but it's *easier* this way, and we'll actually *enjoy* the tech we're supposed to use at the office." I realize there's a lot of work involved in the transition to something new, and there are a variety of factors to consider, but when you have great tech available, tech that employees would look forward to using, you do what it takes to try to implement it. A little forward, progressive thinking. I think IT folk tend to be fearful of spearheading new initiatives, thanks to "too many questions" from management. 


     


    Oh well . . .

  • Reply 14 of 22
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


     


    Yes.


     


    The IT sector views Apple as a real threat. You don't need to connect too many dots to understand why. 



     


    I'm in that IT sector.  I don't think it's the sector in general.  I think it's just key people in that industry in which management has to trust what they say, and that have their own agenda.  Sickens me really.  However, it brings me sheer joy when I call-out an admin or manager in a high-level management meeting and have them explain to everyone why iOS/OSX can't do something / or is a security issue and then I show him (in front of everyone) what it does.  The look on their faces of being proven "clueless" or downright lying is priceless, and serves them right.



    It's not that I hate Android OS (I still think it's a blatant copy of iOS though), but the rabid fanaticism of Android fanboys and the sheer misinformation they spew out.  And they have the nerve to call us sheep when they are even worse!



     

  • Reply 15 of 22
    iansilviansilv Posts: 283member


    It's not that Apple is taking a lead in the Business and enterprise space, and Android is becoming a consumer-oriented platform.  It's that Android's only marketshare is coming from consumers.  Apple has a huge and dominant following there.  The market is not being split by the two players, its just that one player can only compete in one market, whereas the other market is completely dominated by the other player.

  • Reply 16 of 22
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    I don't know. I see most IT admins as content to not have to do anything. The less they have to do the better. I think their resistance to Apple is driven more out of fear they may be asked to do something like install an application and they won't have a clue how to do it, making them look incompetent. They know their way around Windows, but many have never touched a Mac in their entire career. The IT corporate drones will always be needed to reassure employees that the printer is not actually broken, just out of paper.







    I've come across people like that.  Personally, if I was asked to look into introducing new tech in the shop and I didn't know how to do it, I would spend an all-nighter looking into what needs to happen.  I think it personally a strength to admit that I would not know how to do something and do what it takes to figure it out, and ask the right questions to the right people.



    However, I've come across more on the flip-side where if they don't know something, they will say something anyways to make it sound like they do know.  I couldn't care less about the psychology of why they do that.  It's flat-out wrong and does the industry a disservice.  

  • Reply 17 of 22
    starbirdstarbird Posts: 42member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


     


    Yes.


     


    The IT sector views Apple as a real threat. You don't need to connect too many dots to understand why. 



    It saddens me as an IT Professional the mentality of "Apple sux!" by lot's of IT Support. Imagine if they admitted the good parts of Apple products, allowed/encouraged them, and then, GASP, were freed up to do more important tasks!


     


    Unfortunately, for years, the "smoke and mirrors" has been to justify their existence and salaries, instead of looking for ways to advance their field. 


     


    Yes, this is a gross stereotype, but one founded in truth.

  • Reply 18 of 22
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member


    If Microsoft does not get on board soon -- esp. MS Office apps for the iPad -- with they're going to start to fall behind as a company. I truly can't believe that it's taking them so long. What a bunch of luddites.


     


    That said, Apple has to spend a little more time/effort in making possible a broader set of presentation capabilities with the iPad (a hugely important enterprise feature), most importantly the ability to write on screen. I've wondered: how difficult would it be for Apple to create a simple app that accepts pen- or stylus-based input (call it, say iSkin™) that can run as a transparent skin over any open app? It would be a killer. (Note that it would have to be done by Apple, since I guess no one else would be allowed to have an app that is simultaneously open while another one is).


     


    ---


    Groan. Noticed after posting that "iSkin" is already taken.....

  • Reply 19 of 22
    rayconraycon Posts: 33member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    It's not that I hate Android OS (I still think it's a blatant copy of iOS though), but the rabid fanaticism of Android fanboys and the sheer misinformation they spew out.  And they have the nerve to call us sheep when they are even worse!



     



     

    #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }

    Interesting that rabid fanatical fanboys no longer apply strictly to those enamored with Apple. As a true Apple fanboy since 1989 (well, at least as an Mac owner since then), what is the difference in "fanboyology?"


    #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }

     
  • Reply 20 of 22
    nikon133nikon133 Posts: 2,600member
    You are correct in that "the less they have to do the better." EXCEPT, some shops think they need to have a million things to do in order to justify a larger and larger staff. These kinds of administrators have a "kingdom building" mentality. The larger their kingdom, the more important they are to the C-level suits. 

    In the early days of data processing the IT administrator answered to the very highest level of management. As time went on he slid down the organizational chart. To avoid being lost in the chart, the IT administrator has dome many things over the years to remain in the faces of higher management. Some of those things have been counter to the bottom line in the corporation and corporate goals. Apple products do threaten the IT hold on technical knowledge. It is especially so when people within the company can and do things with their Macs and iDevices that the IT heads say are impossible or impractical. 

    What is making Apple's entry into enterprise work so well this time around is that it is the highest levels of the organizational chart that are telling the IT drones to "Make this Apple product work within this corporation's infrastructure."

    It is not a problem making iPad work within corporate infrastructure... on entry level.

    But once you get over being able to access Exchange for mail, calendar... once you need to be able to access SharePoint and open/edit Word, Excel, PowerPoint documents, limit and manage user's rights with group policies, run something like Kaseya agent on tablet for remote support and management... that is where the problems start.

    I'm mentioning these as typical scenario we have with our customers; I don't know which ones iPad can accommodate, but I am pretty sure it cannot some of them at least. There are some nice new features being available - for example, ConnectWise app for iOS is sweet, even if not (yet) fully featured like desktop part... but in general, SoC tablets are still far away from Enterprise requirements.
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