Apple's iPhone's passed the BlackBerry among business users, according to another study showing RIM's device on the ropes. Last year, the report by iPass showed, BlackBerry was slightly ahead of the iPhone, with RIM favored by 34.5 percent of enterprise users compared to 32.1 percent for Apple. This year, however, the iPhone surged to 45 percent while RIM retreated to 32.2 percent. Android-based phones remained in third place, doubling their share from 11.3 percent to 21.3 percent, so still playing catch up. If this year was bleak for BlackBerry, next year looks even bleaker. When asked about upcoming purchases, 18 percent said they planned to buy an iPhone, while 11.2 percent were eying Android. Just 2.3 percent said they wanted a BlackBerry. Says iPass president Evan Kaplan:

While increasing iPhone usage in the workplace was inevitable, this is the tipping point when the iPhone has overcome the BlackBerry on its traditional enterprise turf, and business smartphones are in the hands of nearly every knowledge worker.

Tablets are gaining ground as well. They're in the hands of 44 percent of mobile employees, up from 33 percent six months ago. Another important trend: the bring your own device phenomenon. Forty two percent of the respondents use their personal phone for work, underscoring how the enterprise has opened up to Apple's products. That number is up from 34 percent last year.