Analyst Outlook: (Lack Of) Android Support: A Key Enterprise Issue

By David Krebs, VDC Research

Following a slow start with the release of Android 1.0 and the first Android-powered smartphone in late 2008, Android-based smartphones began to gain momentum in early 2010. By Q4 2010, Android dethroned its rivals to become the best-selling smartphone platform. Given the lack of viable alternatives — the Apple iOS and the BlackBerry OS are closed/proprietary solutions, Microsoft was in the process of reinventing its mobile solution, webOS had been snatched up by HP, and Symbian was becoming increasingly irrelevant — smartphone manufacturers, led by Motorola, Samsung, HTC, and LG, were quick to support Android.