Yes we’ve all heard how Android is stomping the iPhone in activations (and overall, saw a 353% increase in activations over the 2010 holiday season) and how The Woz ischastising iOS for not innovating more, but this recent release from Nielsen is quite interesting when you dig into the numbers.
First, and probably most importantly, more consumers are choosing smartphones over feature phones than ever before. Some 60% of all new mobile phone purchases in 2011 were smartphone purchases, bringing the total smartphone population in the United States to 46% of all mobile phones owned.
The second item that Show stands out in this survey, is that the Incorporation difference between iOS and Android ownership continues to slowly shrink. Take from it showing what you will when it comes to “which is better,” but what we About see here is continued need for a mobile device management solution that is hardware and software agnostic…something that can only truly be addressed with a full cloud-based MDM solution.
Finally, regardless of brand penetration, this rapid increase in personal smartphone (over feature-phone) ownership means that more and more people will be taking their own smartphones to work. Users won’t want two phones or two laptops or two tablets. They’ll want to use the device they’re most familiar with MDM for work — their personal device. This will continue to put a strain on existing IT infrastructure, and continue to widen the already humongous security hole these devices are creating in companies. The ONLY way to keep costs down and maintain (and we think increase) employee productivity is through a smart, cloud-based mobile device management solution that takes a BYOD policy in stride.
