1 in 5 workers now use Apple products
Apple's presence in the enterprise is growing quickly, with one in five workers now using an Apple device on the job, a new study reports.
That data comes from a new Forrester report published today entitled "Apple infiltrates the enterprise and reshapes the markets for personal devices at work." (It can be yours for just $499!)
The firm surveyed nearly 10,000 information workers in 17 countries, as well as 3,350 "IT hardware decision-makers" in North America and Western Europe and found that 21 percent of those individuals were using one or more Apple products. That figure includes devices they had brought in, led by the iPhone.
According to Forrester the biggest adoption of Apple's products has been at the top. The firm said that those in the manager and director (or higher) ranks of businesses are more likely to use an Apple device than workers.
That trend is directly correlated to income as well, with those making more than $150,000 being nearly twice as likely to use an Apple product than those in the $50,000 to $99,000 bracket two rungs down. Forrester also found that Apple products were being used more in businesses outside of North America, specifically in China and emerging markets.
All told, Forrester says 46 percent of enterprise companies it surveyed issue Macs to employees, which the firm said is up more than half compared to two years ago. That said, among the companies that are giving Macs to its employees, those computers made up 7 percent of the company's overall computers issued, implying the rest are running Microsoft's Windows or another OS.
Forrester suggests that Apple will "end Windows' dominance in personal tech for current and future business leaders." That's due to 41 percent of executives already using Apple's products, according to the firm's findings.
"Coupled with Microsoft's absence on mobile devices, this signals that Windows' dominance is at an end," the report said. "In a fragmented market for mobile devices, customers and partners will look to anoint a solid No. 2 alternative for a full range of personal technology--and they'll choose Apple because of its strength with individuals across smartphones, tablets, and Macs."
Forrester argues that Google's Android platform faces a similar problem despite its strong smartphone sales.
"Google's Android platform is selling very well with consumers for smartphones, but the wide variety of devices, features, and software support, plus inconsistency of support for OS upgrades, is fragmenting the Android ecosystem," the report said.
A separate Forrester report