Apple Inc. (AAPL): Why This Is The Right Time To Strike At The Enemy

The ‘enterprise’ scenario

Leaving aside features and operating systems, the third big fight in today’s smartphone world is about grabbing a major share of enterprise customers. Samsung made a start with the unveiling of its Knox security software that it’s peddling to enterprise customers. But a recent report by Kaspersky stating that 94% of all malware written in this world is meant specifically for Android might make things difficult for Samsung though. That also means a perennial pain point for Google, much to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s delight. Samsung’s development of Tizen-based phones may prove to be a different story, but then mass acceptance might take ages.

Meanwhile, Apple’s famous ‘walled garden’ approach, coupled with the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend, has played rich dividends in this regard, even upsetting one-time favorite BlackBerry. The latter is trying to make a strong comeback with the newly revamped BB10 operating system and features like the ‘BlackBerry Balance’ that separates the work and personal categories in the Z10 smartphone. After all, with a nearly 80 million-strong enterprise customer base and the legendary reputation of its security features, Blackberry cannot be taken lightly at any cost. And then there’s Nokia as well, with its dependence on Windows, the corporate customer’s favorite computing software. This is one crowded market for Samsung to gain a solid foothold. The final nail in the coffin might be Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s rumored ‘cheap iPhone’ – a boon for corporates that buy phones in bulk.

A case of ‘too fast too soon’

In its hurry to beat Apple, Samsung may have gone too fast, which may eventually prove to be its long-term undoing. At the same time, Apple also needs to speed up its design cycle and more importantly, bring out a trendsetting product at any cost. That apart, the increased pace of China Mobile Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:CHL) as it hastens to build up a 4G network should be sweet news for Apple investors, as this may mean an impending official collaboration between the two to bring out the next generation of iPhones in the world’s biggest smartphone market. Trust me, Apple will not cease to give you pleasant surprises anytime soon.

The article Apple: Why This Is The Right Time To Strike At The Enemy originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Subhadeep Ghose.

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