Apple's iPhone Makes Headway in Corporate Market - iPhone Targets Blackberry's Turf

IPHONE TARGETS BLACKBERRY'S TURF

Surveys of IT managers typically give RIM 70 to 80 percent of the enterprise market, and Apple 10 to 15 percent. But some analysts say this just measures corporate smartphone purchases. When measured by enterprise "email seats," or accounts, the iPhone is showing some traction.

"IT managers rarely make top-down decisions on new technologies, which often enter from the side or the bottom, and the iPhone will probably come along those same routes," said Cowen & Co analyst Matthew Hoffman, adding that Apple's progress is happening somewhat below the radar.

He said the iPhone's powerful Web browser shouldn't be overlooked for its appeal to business people on the road.

Michelle Wilcove, who works in sales for Bluewolf Inc, a "cloud" computing consulting firm, bought her own iPhone because she prefers its user interface.

She estimates around 25 percent of her company's 200 employees are using iPhones, saying, "it's growing fast."

Ken Dulaney, vice president of mobile computing at research group Gartner Inc, expects the iPhone to double its share of the enterprise wireless email market in a year.

"I think they're having a lot of luck getting into the enterprise, although still to a limited extent," he said.

IDC senior analyst Ryan Reith sees a "slow-moving" trend toward the iPhone with small and medium-sized companies. But he notes that large companies will buy few, if any, iPhones for employees as they are unlikely to scrap long-standing security standards and purchasing networks any time soon.

Nonetheless, Reith said, "It's inevitable that Apple will move into the enterprise space."

(Editing by Bernard Orr)

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