One of the best reasons for major companies to switch to the iPhone or iPad is the control they have over those devices.
On the iPhone side, according to the company, 60 percent of those firms were testing or deploying Apple’s handset. Considering those figures, it appears that Apple is far more of an enterprise-focused company than many thought possible.
That hasn’t gone unnoticed by major companies. 2. The BlackBerry outage didn’t help
For many companies, last week’s BlackBerry outage hasn’t improved RIM’s chances retaining the loyalty of it Fortune 500 customers. 3. App availability
The success of Apple’s iPhone and iPad in the Fortune 500 might have quite a bit to do with the sheer number of applications available to users. Apple currently has over 500,000 applications in its App Store, including more than 140,000 designed for iPad users, alone. Other operating systems lack the sheer number of apps—especially corporate apps—that are found in Apple’s App Store. That fact matters to a lot of companies..
This time around, Apple is the beneficiary of that.
Unlike Dell, Apple first focused on consumers with its iPhone and iPad and eventually forced a mobile-device change in the world’s largest companies. 6. Tablet needs
Around the world, the top companies realize a need for tablets. For that reason, Apple’s iPad is the obvious choice. Android-based tablets fall short due to poor software functionality and security concerns, and RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook is too consumer-focused for the average company. The iPad, however, has an ample number of apps and strong security, making it a top choice for the world’s largest companies.
Until Android becomes more secure, most companies will choose iOS over Google’s operating system.
For now, iOS is still the best option for companies when compared to Windows Phone 7.
The operating system features remote-device management, which is a key feature for IT staff, and supports remote wipe and lock. Plus, with all the enterprise-ready applications in the App Store, there’s no shortage of functionality for any big company’s employees.
Perhaps one of the best reasons for major companies to switch to the iPhone or iPad is the control they have over those devices. With the help of Apple’s software development kit, any company can create a custom application designed specifically for their employees to help make the devices even more useful. Custom app development is central to Apple’s appeal with big companies.
The bill of materials on a 16GB iPhone 4S comes out to $188, according to a Thursday teardown from IHS iSuppli (click below for larger image). Adding a few gigabytes doesn't greatly increase that cost; a 32GB iPhone 4S costs $207 to make and a 64GB is $245.
While the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are identical on the outside, iSuppli found a "wealth of innovation" inside the new smartphone.
"In another surprise development, the 4S employs a Hynix NAND flash memory device. The dual-mode design makes the device a world phone, which iSuppli said was "a unique design approach compared to that used by most cell phone makers, which use different models with unique wireless subsystems to support various wireless carriers' standards."
The Qualcomm baseband processor, meanwhile, is $15.
In the iPhone 4S, Qualcomm no longer has to share the iPhone 4 baseband design win with Intel.
The iPhone 4S also has Apple's dual-core A5 apps processor, which appears to be manufactured by Samsung.
Looking at the cost of Apple's components, iSuppli found that the device's "wireless section" costs the most, setting the company back $23.54 per iPhone produced. The iPhone 4S' Retina Display costs $23, while the touch screen goes for $14 per unit.
Apple launched the iPhone 4S last week. So far, the iPhone 4S has proven extremely popular. The 32GB version's parts jump to $207, according to iSuppli, while the 64GB option sets the company back $245.
iSuppli estimates that each unit costs Apple $8 to produce, therefore pushing the price of the devices up to $196 for the 16GB model, $215 for 32GB, and $254 for 64GB.
With a carrier contract and thus a subsidized price tag, the 16GB iPhone 4S is sold to consumers for $199, the 32GB model for $299, and the 64GB one for $399.
Best of all for Apple, as its sales grow, the company's costs aren't rising all that much. In fact, last year, iSuppli found that iPhone 4 production costs started at $187.51. In 2009 when Apple launched the iPhone 3GS, that device cost $178.96 for the company to produce.
Keeping costs low and selling more devices has helped Apple continue to post huge profits. During the three-month period, it sold 17 million iPhone units.
Apple did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on how much it costs the company to produce a single iPhone 4S unit.
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