Trendy iPhone is making inroads into board rooms
By siliconindia   |   Friday, 21 May 2010, 22:36 IST   |    7 Comments
Printer Print Email Email
Trendy iPhone is making inroads into board rooms
New York: If the BlackBerry Smartphones are firmly attached to the belt loops of most business travellers, there are signs of Apple's trendy iPhone is making inroads into board rooms and offices. It is noticeable from the examples like Drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc has begun iPhone trials with some senior executives and British bank Standard Chartered has given its corporate BlackBerry users the option of switching to the iPhone, and this can be a sign of move that could result in thousands of bankers switching to the Apple device for business on the go. In late December, the demands became particularly fervent when many employees received iPhones as holiday gifts. BlackBerry remains dominant. Technology experts cite the handheld's tight security features and the ease of coordinating its "rock-solid" applications, such as mail and calendars. BlackBerry shipments outpaced those of iPhone by 20 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to researcher iSupply Corp. "We get a lot of requests for support in the United States and Asia Pacific for the iPhone. In terms of consuming my time, that's one of the most dominant requests," said Michael Reid AstraZeneca's mobility architect, who helps oversee company business communications. A Research in Motion spokeswoman said the company could not comment, citing the quiet period before its earnings release, but cited previously released statistics showing the company has shipped more than 90 million BlackBerry Smartphones and its subscriber base rose 65 percent in fiscal 2010, according to the company. An Apple spokeswoman noted comments by Apple's Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer in January that more than 70 percent of Fortune 100 companies are either deploying or piloting the iPhone. Some 50 million iPhones have been sold, according to the company. But still BlackBerry is a very big, dominant device in financial services and within most of the professions we cater to.

siliconindia