Enterprise gains, mHealth app development favor Apple

Despite endless claims that Apple can never be a serious player in the enterprise space, we can't seem to escape news of the company's successful efforts to grow market share. This week, we learned that aside from the 5.2 million Apple iPhone units that were sold in the third fiscal quarter, the ubiquitous smartphone is making inroads within the enterprise. That means healthcare, too.

While the Cupertino, Calif.-based company still has a long way to go before claiming enterprise success, the announcement follows close on the heels of news that WebMD is looking to enhance its value among physicians at the point-of-care with the launch of Medscape Mobile, a free medical application for doctors that provides physicians with Medscape's industry-leading medical information in a mobile format that can be accessed on demand with an iPhone, or an iPod touch.

Then there's yesterday's announcement from Epocrates that more than 100,000 physicians are routinely using its clinical software on the iPhone platform. This frequent use puts Epocrates among the elite top five percent of iPhone applications actively used more than a month after download, according to company officials. By supporting the iPhone device since its launch, Epocrates maintains its position as the leader in mobile medical software.

Sure, the provider of clinical information and decision support tools to healthcare professionals also makes its products available on BlackBerry, Palm and Windows Mobile devices--but don't tell me the iPhone isn't carving a niche for itself in healthcare. Now, if Apple could just resolve the battery life issue...