Poll Suggests Apple iPhone Users Will Employ Device for Business and Play in '08
Apple iPhone users love their gadgets. And, like it or not, they plan to employ the iPhones in the future for business purposes as well as for personal use.
CIO — Don't expect your users to employ their iPhones for personal matters only. The results of a recent poll indicate that Apple iPhone users will employ the gadget for personal tasks, sure. However, the users, and people who plan to purchase the device within the coming year, will also use their iPhones for business purposes, including managing corporate calendars and contact information, accessing business e-mail and customer relationship management.
The poll, designed by technology research firm IDC and conducted via MyProductAdvisor.com, a website that ranks various products to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions, included responses from 351 U.S. professionals seeking new mobile phones.
The sample size of iPhone users was not huge: only 63 of the poll participants were iPhone users or planned to purchase the device within the coming 12 months. However, roughly 70 percent of those iPhone users (and would-be users) consider the device to be both a consumer and business tool, and they expect to use it as such.
iPhone use aside, more than two-thirds of poll respondents currently use one mobile device for personal and business purposes. That suggests CIOs will see their users downloading more consumer-oriented applications to their business phones or vice versa.
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"The use of unsanctioned devices, iPhone or otherwise, in the enterprise adds tremendous complexity for IT managers and executives trying to develop strategies around mobility while maintaining control and security over such devices," wrote IDC Mobility Enterprise Device Solutions Analyst Sean Ryan, in a press release. "IT managers need to be aware of the implications of allowing iPhone access to corporate networks."
More information on the results from the study, The iPhone Appeals to Business Users, Implies Issues for Enterprise IT Departments, is available on the IDC website. IDC is a sister company to CIO.com's publisher.
