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International Business Machines Corp.

Google Unveils Android for Work, Challenging Apple and Microsoft in Corporate Mobility Market

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Google has released a set of tools aimed at transforming Android-powered smartphones into a digital hub for both personal and professional lives. The Android for Work program, launched at a conference eight months ago, officially rolls out with the goal of turning Android phones into work-enabled devices. Google's move pits the company against Microsoft, BlackBerry, and Apple, which have been focusing on the corporate market for years.

Google's Android for Work program aims to make it convenient and enticing for people to use their phones for professional endeavors. The company has announced a set of tools designed to reassure workers worried about their bosses snooping on their private lives. Key features of the program include the ability to create separate personal and professional profiles on the same phone, and a way for work programs and personal apps to appear on the same home screen for convenience. Google's Play store is also opening a section devoted to work applications.

Key Takeaways:

  • Google's Android for Work program allows for separate personal and professional profiles on the same phone to reassure workers worried about their bosses snooping on their private lives.
  • The program is designed to make it convenient and enticing for people to use their phones for professional endeavors.
  • Google Play store will open a section devoted to work applications, making it easier for employers to find and deploy applications tailored for businesses and government agencies.
  • Google's Android for Work will be automatically available on phones running the "Lollipop" operating system, version 5.0, and an app can be downloaded for phones running older versions of the software.
  • The program will pit Google against Microsoft, BlackBerry, and Apple, which have been focusing on the corporate market for years.
  • Apple has a partnership with IBM Corp. to build more iPhone and iPad applications tailored for businesses and government agencies.

Statistics:

  • 96% of smartphones sold last year ran on Google's Android or Apple's iOS software, according to the research firm IDC.
  • More than 1 billion Android phones were sold last year, compared to 193 million iPhones, according to IDC estimates.
  • The huge disparity in sales has largely been driven by Google's decision to give away its Android software, making Android devices more affordable than iPhones.

Sources:

  • San Francisco Chronicle
  • IDC

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