Opinion: Analysts miss the point on the iPhone
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(InfoWorld) - Gartner, IDC, and 451 Group research analysts, this week warned IT administrators to keep iPhones away from their businesses. "We're telling IT executives to not support it because Apple has no intentions of supporting [iPhone use in] the enterprise," Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney said. "This is basically a cellular iPod with some other capabilities, and it's important that it be recognized as such." As if that will stop people from buying them anyway when they hit the market in the U.S. next week. The reality is that no matter how hard IT administrators try, the iPhone will be snapped up by their employees -- and not just the average Joes either. The device is a status symbol that will likely be snapped up by business leaders as the digital technorati. Try telling your CEO the iPhone doesn't play well with your IT systems. Dulaney and other researchers notwithstanding, this device can be good for the enterprise because of the business needs of smartphone users. It is an iPhone, after all, with an emphasis on phone. It offers e-mail -- currently the most popular means of business communications. There's an address/phone Book for quick access to contacts. It offers SMS, a quick way to contact other mobile phone users, and voicemail -- both useful to road warriors. There's a real Web browser -- by far the most underpowered and underappreciated part of a mobile phone. And it contains a slew of enterprise-worthy apps, including a calendar, access to maps, spreadsheets, and a document reader. All of these things are important -- and all can be done to a greater or lesser extent on most business-focused PDA phones. But in the business world, the mobile Web browser is the key to the future of business apps, and it is becoming a platform unto itself. One thing that Apple CEO Steve Jobs made abundantly clear at last week's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is that the iPhone would include a full browser. The Symbian and Linux platforms' best browser is Opera Mini -- which isn't that bad -- but it by no means constitutes a full browser. Windows Mobile's browser isn't bad either, but it also falls well short of Internet Explorer 7. Additionally, the iPhone browser has a lot of zooming and panning tricks that make it more usable on the relatively small screen. In that crucial area, advantage: iPhone. Why is the browser crucial? Because most new business applications are being built around it. AJAX and other browser technology innovations over the past few years have turned the browser into a veritable platform. Sure, a lot of legacy applications still require browserless, platform-specific client applications. But those days are numbered. It's not just the isolated applications that are moving to a browser. All of the stalwart office applications are also moving to the Web. With Google Office (which now works with Safari -- the iPhone browser), Soho Office, and even Web-centric versions of Microsoft Office applications, the browser is truly the new business platform. The iPhone is not without its business-use flaws. It doesn't natively sync up with Lotus Notes or Exchange - and Microsoft, at least, will most likely do everything in its power to try to keep it that way to protect its Windows Mobile business. It can, however, hook up to IMAP email, LDAP address books, and WebDav for calendaring; with a bit of tweaking, that will work well for Exchange-based companies. Microsoft SharePoint can also be browsed from the Web interface, but to what extent? Time -- and the work of apps developers -- will tell. A newly anointed relationship with Cisco on all things iPhone should also let the device into the VPN and might even let an iPhone play well with Cisco VoIP solutions. And of course, don't forget the arduous task of getting your conservative IT department to accept the idea of letting loose an Apple phone -- or even MacBook Pro -- into the office. Previews of the phone haven't yet touted an instant messaging client like Apple's iChat or AOL Instant Messenger. It is likely, however, that Apple will include something with instant-messaging functionality in the near future -- there are still four slots left in the iPhone's application window. It's also true that the first-generation iPhone isn't the raw specs winner by any stretch. That honor goes to the Symbian/Windows Mobile 6 Phones coming from Toshiba (the G900), Nokia (the N95), Samsung (the F700) and HTC (the Shift). AT&T's EDGE wireless network is slow by today's standards, and while Wifi connectivity will help, there are questions about why Apple has forsaken the HSDPA/UTMS component and when an update might occur. Given that battery life is a factor -- Apple this week released updated specs that go beyond what it touted in January -- EDGE makes sense because it's more energy efficient. Also, the 8GB max on storage is seems low. At a time when you can buy an 8GB SD card for less than $80, Apple likely looked to keep costs down with an eye on upping that storage when it's economically smart. Most users would likely be happy with a micro/mini/SD card slot now standard on most smartphones. There is, of course, the price. The iPhone's hefty $499 and $599 price tags, depending on which model you buy, is a definite disadvantage in business. With relatively comparable gear (from a corporate standpoint), such as the Motorola Q, which is almost free with a service plan, buying an iPhone requires serious justification. We're talking about spending the equivalent of a budget laptop. Of course, something that you spend half your day using should justify the premium that this delicious piece of hardware demands. And then there are at least two intangibles: Usability. Apple's legendary reputation for making painful tasks easy will totally transform the mobile phone industry. And remember, companies love productivity from their workers. Until now, the big players have been Microsoft Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian, and Linux. They all had successes. But it's the last 10 percent of usability that Apple always manages to squeeze out its products will be the differentiator. Apple did the same in the computer industry until Microsoft caught up. Apple has learned from this and patented every minute detail of the iPhone, making it harder for copycats to appear anytime soon. The few seconds here there that the iPhone saves users will quickly add up. It's the little things that make for big savings across an entire enterprise. Business bling, baby. Everyone knows that this is the phone to have. Just look at the buzz ahead of the June 29 launch. Apple has spent the last few years building up its brand across all channels and is reaping the rewards like no other company in the industry. As much as the enterprise IT guys will want to recite better specs for rival Windows Mobile devices, nobody wants to hear that. I can imagine any number of CEOs saying, "I don't care! Just make the iPhone work on our systems!" And if it works for the CEO, you can bet the sales folk will want in on the action, too. Think they'll want to show up to a meeting with an important client and whip out last year's "hot" phone? They might as well wear parachute pants as well.
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The iPhone makes me mad. Not, mind you, at the iPhone itself, but mad at cell-phone manufacturers who have saddled us for years with interfaces that lure us into labyrinths of menus.
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Who knew so many iPhone fans had so many opinions on what's missing from the first-generation version of the popular Apple Inc. phone? Ryan Faas weighed in; Now, Computerworld readers do, too.
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With lines snaking around Apple stores and hype in overdrive, the iPhone seemed like a good investment &#151; not for keeping but for reselling.
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(InfoWorld) - Gartner is known for its comprehensive market research, but Wednesday, the firm produced two separate reports that could leave IT managers scratching their heads over whether to support Apple's iPhone. On the one hand, two Gartner analysts issued a research note to their clients that clearly says the iPhone is "not yet an enterprise device" and urges businesses to "resist general requests from users to admit Apple's iPhone into their corporate environment." On the other hand, Gartner issued a separate press release that advises in a headline, "Companies Must Embrace Consumer Technologies as Additional Opportunities to Innovate." The release quotes a third Gartner analyst, Jackie Fenn, about the value of "embracing and leveraging employee experimentation and experience with consumer technologies." The two points of view may seem contradictory, but they have been a discussion point at Gartner and other analyst firms for several years and have been voiced over iPhone specifically by IT managers recently. For example, at media giant ABC last week, one IT manager said he was sure a few top ABC executives would demand iPhone connectivity to corporate e-mail to be able to experiment with the device and learn its value in communications, even though the official policy was not to support the iPhone. The research note, co-authored by analyst Ken Dulaney, seems to recognize the plight faced by ABC and other companies with the title of its research note, "How to Plan for User Interest in the Apple iPhone." But it nonetheless urges that "general requests to support iPhone should not be fulfilled on the basis that the device cannot be fully secured and managed" to levels Gartner has described for smart phones. "IT organizations should refuse to support the iPhone at this time," the research note continues. "If for political reasons this is not an option, then the iPhone should be placed under the concierge support level ... meaning that support will be granted as an exception, with the associated costs for support covered by a monthly billing to pay for the dedicated support staff uniquely trained for this device." The note adds that the resulting total cost of ownership will be double the cost of a normally supported device, such as a Research In Motion BlackBerry or a Palm Treo. But the note also urges IT staffers to familiarize themselves with the iPhone because "broad employee adoption" is expected to occur outside the workplace. The research note lists several obstacles to adoption inside businesses: Lack of support of the iPhone from major mobile management and mobile security software programs; lack of support from major business e-mail systems; an operating system not licensed to alternative hardware suppliers, resulting in no backup hardware suppliers; feature deficiencies that increase support costs, such as no removeable battery; current availability from only one U.S. operator, AT&T; and a high price of $500 when compared with other smartphones on the market. In addition, the note adds that the iPhone is "unproven ... from a vendor that has never built an enterprise-class mobile device" and is seen by Apple as focused on the consumer audience, not the enterprise business. The note further urges IT organizations to request mobile operators supporting the iPhone to remove the requirement that individuals obtain an iTunes account because the agreement should be with the business and not the individual. Some IT managers have expressed concerns that multiple iTunes accounts could flood storage resources and pose questions about whether songs have been properly procured. Dulaney acknowledged that the research note had undergone many drafts in recent days as Apple released more information on the device. "Most of what Apple has for the enterprise is rudimentary," Dulaney said. "It is clear they have not focused on this and are only hoping to have enough [in the technology] so that some enterprises will permit their users to employ the device without being disturbed by IT. I am sure that third parties will fix some of these things, but most of what they hope to do is via rudimentary VPN technology and through Web browsing. There is a huge difference between what RIM does and what Apple will provide." Despite Dulaney's cautionary words, the prevailing view by Gartner and many analysts seemed to be summarized by one of Fenn's comments in the Gartner press release: "The flood of consumer-led technologies into the enterprise is not going to subside," Fenn said. "To fully realize the benefits, IT must embrace these technologies as an ongoing strategy rather than on a case-by-case basis." In a later e-mail, Dulaney took note of Fenn's comments and emphasized that he had urged IT to begin testing the technology. "We have concluded that no IT organization can stop the invasion of consumer technologies," he said. "But IT gets hurt when they get caught off guard. So they should investigate it. Something as powerful as the iPhone will probably make its way into the enterprise. But for now, we recommend that only specialized support be given."
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The controversy around Apple's iPhone price cuts seems suspiciously calculated.
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Blog: A quantitative estimate of Apple's weekend iPhone sales has been released, surpassing some of the more optimistic analysts last week.
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Given the iPhone hype, it's easy to forget other phones can play music and browse the Web. Here are three iPhone competitors that offer a lot of features for less money.
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Apple Inc.'s  upcoming iPhone  is shaping up as this year's must-have gadget, but several  perceived shortcomings are pushing some potential buyers to  wait for an updated version.
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Apple's iPhone has generated a lot of excitement over the last few months and the device hasn't even been released yet. However, a recent survey conducted by market research firms IDC and Market Insight show that the iPhone's success is not a sure thing.
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Apple's best product in years kills 'convergence' Comment So was nine months of relentless iPhone hype and froth just a distraction? Not quite, but you could be forgiven for thinking so. I believe Apple's most important product of 2007 was actually announced this week, and its significance has been slow to sink in. It might be one of the cleverest moves Apple's ever made.â¦
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As iPhone hype slows and competition increases, Apple may not have the same success in Europe as it has had in the the U.S., an analyst claims.
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Echoes analyst's allegation The Apple iPhone displayed on a French newsmagazine this week may not be the Real McCoy, but behind the scenes the development of the Mac maker's first foray into phone hardware is continuing apace with a view to an early 2007 introduction, it has been claimed.â¦
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What consumers and companies should have learned from the recent Apple iPhone price cuts and subsequent backlash.
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If you crave an Apple iPhone, but balk at the idea of spending half a thousand dollars on a smartphone, then take heart in analysts&#39; predictions that a less expensive iPhone is on the way. Those predictions suggest a new iPhone might use the iPod Nano&#39;s click wheel interface.
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An analyst for JPMorgan Chase made headlines recently by saying Apple would soon release an iPhone resembling its nano media player.  One of his colleagues, however, disagrees.
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On the Seeking Alpha blog, Paul Carton (ChangeWave Alliance) waxes bullish about the forthcoming iPhone. âItâs not often that we say âit rocksâ when analyzing a consumer device trend. But the findings of our latest ChangeWave cell phone survey invite extremes to describe the startling impact the Apple iPhone is having on the cellular industry.â One reason for the excitement: in a recent member survey, ânearly one-in-10 respondents (9%) say they are likely to buy the new iPhone once it becomes available in June.â