There really is no stopping this wave of iPhone 3G adoption, it seems. The iPhone 3G is the most reliable smartphone, has been proclaimed the most satisfying handset among business customers, trumped the venerable Motorola RAZR in US handset sales, and has helped Apple become the second-largest smartphone vendor in the world. Now, Apple has taken the No. 2 spot in the corporate smartphone market.
A new survey from ChangeWave Research indicates that the iPhone 3G has added an additional 5 percentage points to its corporate smartphone market share. The boost in enterprise market share puts the iPhone 3G ahead of Palm, with 14% market share, making it the second best-selling corporate smartphone.
“In a further confirmation that the 3G iPhone is having a positive impact on Apple’s corporate business, nearly one-in-five respondents (18%) report the release of the 3G version has made their company More Likely to purchase Apple products in the future,” ChangWave says in its report.
Apple stole the No. 2 spot from Palm, which saw market share drop 4 points, leaving it with n 11% market share in the enterprise market. Even corporate-leader RIM lost a point to Apple’s iPhone 3G, leaving RIM with a 76% market share.
The news of Apple’s rise in corporate market share is dampened by ChangeWave’s findings that project 45% of companies looking to decrease or completely abandon their IT spending in Q1 2009. But, even in the midst of an economic crises that has companies looking to pull back on IT costs, ChangeWave projects that Apple will close in on RIM’s market share in Q1 2009. Of those survey respondents (companies) planning to buy a smartphone in the next quarter, a full 22% plan to purchase an iPhone 3G. RIM will maintain their market-leading position with 78% market share.
Note: RIM is most popular among large companies with 1,000 or more employees, while Apple relies on smaller companies with less than 1,000 employees to drive its market share.