So the big question is...will this mean curtains for the iPhone? The Apple device has certainly been the “must have” accessory so far, but with the new version of the Windows Phone operating system arriving this year, accessing the mobile office will be a much improved experience for business users. In fact many of them have already switched to a Windows Phone to access Microsoft Office 365 mobile solutions.
But despite this, Fusion Mobile has discovered in a recent poll, that over half of users who access Microsoft Office 365 from a smartphone, don’t use a Windows Phone. In fact nearly a quarter of them get their Microsoft Office 365 based applications through an iPhone, and over a fifth, perhaps a surprisingly high number, use an Android smartphone to get their mail and other business tools.
Stuart Cordingley, head of channel at Fusion Mobile, thinks that the new Windows 8 could change businesses’ perceptions of the best device to have. “ The experience that business people will get of Office 365 on a Windows Phone with the improved operating system and the new tiled user interface, should be much closer to the one they get from their PC. They’ll be able to read, access and change documents from their smartphone, which will make their lives so much easier and save them time in their ever-increasing working day”
Stuart goes on to say “The IT resellers we’ve spoken to as a result of this poll believe that Windows Phone will give businesses the best experience for key office applications, like creating documents, sharing them through Microsoft SharePoint and team collaboration with Microsoft Lync. We think its a great time for them to be talking to their customers about the cost and efficiency improvements that businesses can make by using devices such as HTC Windows Phone 8x or Nokia Lumia 920 to access business tools whilst on the move. We believe that by demonstrating the benefits of the Windows Phone this will open up new professional service revenue opportunities for resellers with their customers.”
So does this really mean curtains for the iPhone and other devices as far as business use is concerned? “Based on the results from our poll, not necessarily, but it does show that there are an increasing number of businesses who are moving towards Windows Phone and recognising the benefits that they bring to their productivity and team working. And of course not all businesses can afford the cost of an iPhone, so some of the other devices give them a more affordable way of accessing their office systems on the move.” comments Stuart.
So along with the IT resellers, Fusion Mobile are awaiting the arrival of Windows 8 to see if the improvements in collaboration and syncing with desktops will finally get businesses to see the light on Windows Phone.