Better apps among factors driving iPad's enterprise popularity

There are many reasons why enterprise mobile users frequently elect to purchase and utilize an iPad. Among the several recently identified by PC World was the fact that Apple's device features many more relevant mobile applications than its rivals from Research In Motion and Android-focused manufacturers.

The software run on mobile devices has gained in popularity during the past several years, as companies have evolved their use of smartphones and tablets to go far beyond simple email and calendaring.

Today, apps provide mobile professionals with the ability to leverage business data when not directly connected to the on-premise network. For that reason, mobile application management has never been more important for IT administrators looking to oversee their deployment and use.

That's also why, try as they may, competitors have so far been unsuccessful in loosening Apple's tight grip on the enterprise tablet market, despite the fact the iPad was not developed with the enterprise specifically in mind. While shipments of Android-based devices marches upward, they still don't come close to Apple's market share.

"In the end, the deciding factor is that anyone can pick up an iPad and use it right away," Angela West wrote for PC World. "Until Android tablets can offer the same usability and quality of productivity apps, businesses will keep using iPads."

According to the news provider, a lot of the iPad's popularity is derived from the applications available for it. Already enormous in scope, Apple's App Store is constantly growing as more offerings are added, including many developed especially for the tablet.

Users can download apps that transform the iPad into a notepad, make it compatible with Microsoft Word documents and handle just about any task a mobile professional deals with on a regular basis. Most such apps aren't available for Android-powered devices, according to the report, which can make them tricky to use at times.

"The lack of outstanding business apps on Android may be rectified in 2012 … but right now, the iPad offers the best productivity apps," West wrote.

And while, according to a new report from research2guidance, the Android Market continues to grow, it still can't touch the number of offerings provided by the Apple App Store. The research firm recently announced that, in the third quarter, Android surpassed 500,000 submissions and 319,161 apps. The App Store boasts 459,589 apps.