Workers love their smartphones, and unless Microsoft (MSFT) and RIM (RIMM) do anything about it, workers will soon be loving Android smartphones most of all. The latest numbers from ABI Research project that 2.7 billion workers will be using smartphones for their jobs by 2017, roughly three times the number using them today. What’s more, ABI projects that Android phones will account for 56% of all devices used by workers, although the firm hedges its bets somewhat by saying that Microsoft’s Windows Phone and RIM’s BlackBerry OS could snatch market share away from Android depending on how well they execute.
According to ABI, the success of Android in the workplace all depends on whether “Microsoft and RIM put more power in the hands of the enterprise concerning employee mobile device use, particularly for accessing corporate resources.” Of course, RIM’s bread-and-butter traditionally has been putting more power in the hands of the enterprise but that hasn’t stopped iOS and Android from weaving their way into workforces around the world.
The real issue, it seems, is whether RIM and Microsoft can make their phones attractive not just to employers but to the people who will actually be using them.
