Apple iPhone and Android now the preferred platforms for Australian businesses: Survey

Australian businesses are increasingly adopting Apple iPhones and iPads, as well as Android smartphones and tablets, according to a new survey from Telsyte.

The Telsyte Australian Workforce Mobility Study 2012 was a survey of more than 250 ICT decision-makers in Australian businesses.

It reveals that the Apple iPhone was cited by 40% of Australian ICT decision-makers as their preferred smartphone brand, with the Android platform (in particular, devices from Samsung and HTC) coming second, ahead of Windows Phone and BlackBerry.

The dominance is even stronger in the tablet market, with Apple’s iPad cited as the preferred device for 90% of Australian ICT decision-makers, with Samsung Galaxy and Motorola Xoom devices dividing most of the remaining 10%, while only around 1% of decision-makers cited Research in Motion’s BlackBerry PlayBook as a preferred device.

The report also reveals that 52% of Australian businesses continue purchasing smartphones for staff while 48% have adopted Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, meaning that consumer preference is playing an increasingly important role in the enterprise device market.

Coming after reports that Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Metals is in the process of abandoning Research in Motion’s BlackBerry platform, the report sheds light on the increasingly difficult battle BlackBerry maker RIM has ahead to regain its former dominance in the Australian enterprise market.