The business community is closely watching the innovations taking place in portable devices such as Android tablet PCs, iPhones, smartphones and iPads. Today, business executives are becoming increasingly mobile as they move from one location to another for business purposes. The traditional aspect of managing business affairs in office is slowly fading away. This means that business executives are looking for devices with which they can easily and conveniently contact their businesses.
There has been good progress in the development of Android, iPad and iPhone and other smartphones, especially in Internet connectivity. People traveling on business today can access the Internet and other online applications, such as browsing websites and making online payment transactions. This not only makes business processes efficient, but also strengthens the business-customer bond.
The corporate functionality of portable devices is essential, helping to conduct business from anywhere and at any time. Part of the problem that has been seen with Android-based tablets is that they don’t suit the corporate market. This is an aspect that could be preventing the business community from adopting the use of these devices in their environments, such as e-commerce.
While there are some rumors that Android makers might start upgrading their devices to incorporate corporate features, this needs to be addressed more urgently if the devices are to remain competitive in the market. A business-friendly handheld device is one that can offer platforms and applications that enhance business communication, Internet marketing, social media, and online advertising, as well as innovative business applications such as signatures or electric document signatures.
As the statistics show that Androids have gained great popularity, it means that companies are still interested in using the devices. According to a survey that tracked Android usage and was conducted by ad network Millennial Media, it was shown that Google’s Android platform is generating more revenue than others like Apple.
One of the reasons why the Android operating system has competitively outperformed Apple’s iOS system is that Google has been promoting free access to its Android operating system. According to the Millennial Media study, the Android operating system outperforms others such as RIM, iOS, Windows OS and Symbian. In 2010, Android had a 46% share of ad impressions compared to Apple’s iOS.
The Android operating system generates millions of ad impressions and these statistics show that Android phones are becoming increasingly popular in use, especially in the business community. Furthermore, the revenue generated by Android and Apple’s iOS still reflects that Google’s Android presents a notable challenge to Apple’s iOS. In the fourth quarter of 2011, Android generated about 55% of all advertising revenue and Apple’s iOS accounted for about 39%.
In essence, Android has an excellent opportunity to improve its business applications by advancing its corporate functionality so that it can offer more personalized applications, which are required by businesses. The “tug of war” being witnessed on Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS devices will continue to attract the interest of many companies. However, the bottom line is that innovation is the cornerstone of achieving competitive advantage in the use of mobile devices like a tablet.
