When WWDC was all over and everything was packed away, what most people made a big deal out of, understandably, was the price of the newest iPhone. However, iPhone 2.0 is something that, in all the racket, was a little over looked. Apple is looking to target business men with a focus on enterprise use of the iPhone.
Support for Microsoft’s mail server, Exchange was arguably one of the biggest enterprise complaints when it came to the iPhone and now that iPhone 2.0 is incorporating Exchange ActiveSync, Apple is going hell for leather promoting the iPhone for suits.
Corporate Vice President for Exchange, Terry Myerson said in an interview with PressPass that the collaboration between Microsoft and Apple was something that was discussed before the iPhone launch in 2007. Clearly, Apple has had businessmen, as well as average Joes, on the brain since the start. So what does this mean for businessmen?
When the iPhone first launched there were those who said they wouldn’t go near it with a ten foot barge pole, but even they mostly agreed that while it might not be their cup of tea, it was certainly an appealing device. That in mind, it’s important to remember that businessmen are people too, so of course there was a significant amount of interest in the iPhone from suits. However, the lack of Exchange support meant that a lot of professionals were wary about giving up their Blackberry in favor of the Apple device.
The incorporation of Exchange will mean push email, push contacts, push calendar, Global Address List (GAL) support, certificates and identities, WPA2/802.1X, enforced security policies, more VPN protocols, device configuration and remote wipe for the iPhone, features, which will no doubt appeal to enterprises.
Partnered with this new business-friendly iPhone is AT&T’s ultra-fast 3G network, which is also a selling point for enterprises. The market for smartphones in businesses is huge. Professionals are constantly looking for ways to stay connected with the office while they’re in meetings or traveling abroad. Access to corporate email servers is a necessity and a clear market advantage for smartphone manufacturers and it’s one that Apple didn’t want to miss out on. Last year’s launch of the iPhone saw handsets fly off the shelves and we’re willing to bet that this year, businesses and professionals will be waiting in line with the rest of us.
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