iPhone for Business

Tagged as: mobile, technology, trends
Posted by: Chris Berk 

 

I pull out my Treo and hold it up to my computer monitor, right next to the hero shot of the new iPhone 3G on Apple’s home page. Next to the picture of the iPhone, my Treo looks especially ugly and antiquated today. Maybe it’s the chips on the edge of my phone where I dropped it in my driveway last week. Don’t get me wrong, my Treo is an awesome business device and provides all the tools to make me more connected and more productive regardless of where I am. And since I’m ultimately responsible for our infrastructure decisions, including phones, I’m particularly aware of both the cost and benefits of how we’ve integrated the Treo into our work. But the iPhone is, well, sexy (and cool). And with Apple finally targeting the business market—integration with Microsoft Exchange, faster network speed, lower price point, and better security (like the ability to wipe data from the phone remotely…an absolute security necessity for any device carrying business data)—it can now be considered by business for real. Maybe.

Is the iPhone tough enough (I will drop it)? Is Apple’s business support and customer service robust enough for the enterprise? Does it work well enough across the globe? That remains to be seen. And maybe it doesn’t matter. As Michael Gartenberg, analyst at JupiterResearch was quoted in Computerworld, “If the CEO buys an iPhone, it’s a business device, no matter what the IT folks say.” My CEO just asked for the new iPhone. Maybe I should get two.

Tagged as: mobile, technology, trends

• share