BlackBerrys and iPhones rise among IT buyers, Palm falls

BlackBerrys keep soaring in popularity among corporate IT spenders, while Palms continue to slide; and Apple iPhones are expected to pick up steam in the third quarter, say new survey results from analyst firm ChangeWave Research.

Among IT spenders planning to buy smartphones from July through September, 82% will invest in RIM BlackBerrys, ChangeWave Research analysts discovered in results released this week. That's a five-point leap from February in similar findings about anticipated future spending.

"The Apple iPhone now ranks second in terms of planned corporate purchases, up 2 points from previously -- while Palm continues to languish with a minuscule 8% of future purchases," said Paul Carton, a ChangeWave analyst, in a blog post Tuesday.

In ChangeWave's results, Palm first dropped to 8% in February, from a previous share of 10% in November of 2007.

Apple's iPhone also declined in the standings from November of 2007 to February of this year, losing three points from its previous level of 14%. In contrast, back in February of 2007, BlackBerry held a 61% share of future spending, and Palm owned a 22% share. The iPhone wasn't even yet on ChangeWave's charts.

The iPhone's anticipated rebound this summer comes at a time when buyers await an update from Apple that will provide operability on 3G wireless networks and Microsoft Exchange compatibility.

"Meanwhile, despite RIM's upbeat results in the smart phone market, overall corporate IT spending remains anemic," the ChangeWave analyst wrote, "and there are very few signs of an uptick going forward -- pointing to continued economic weakness for the second half of the year."