Final report: The iPhone is not open for business
At the Office 2.0 conference, as you probably know, every attendee got an iPhone with their paid admission. There was a very useful iPhone-friendly Web site set up, and several companies were showing off shiny new iPhone business applications.
But is the iPhone a business-class product? I talked to the developers making applications for this platform, and to attendees at the conference, and came up with a disheartening answer: It is not. From the two-handed interface to capricious keyboard to the slow Edge network to the lack of a real developer's interface to the phone, it's just missing too much to be adopted as a business platform. Most of the iPhone applications I saw were highly de-featured offshoots of their full online versions.
Next year at the Office 2.0 conference, organizer Ismael Ghalimi is hoping that he'll be able to have a custom device built for attendees. Or he could just take Palm's inventory of abandoned Foleos off its hands.
Rafe Needleman writes about start-ups, new technologies, and Web 2.0 products, as editor of CNET's Webware. E-mail Rafe.
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Office 2.0 Conference 2007,
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even in WiFi spots, although it seems to work fine at home.
The Internet on there only can access about 5% of the sites I need to do my
job.
I have to hook up a bluetooth keyboard to take axcurate notes during a
business meeting. Even after turning off Bluetooth (which you have to do
every single time), the keyboard battery drains if it is within 5 ft of the Palm.
I don't believe that Palm is quite a business-class product.
However, my iPhone sync'd all my e-mail, contacts, music, videos,
audiobooks, photos, and activated my phone info within 10 minutes of
hooking it up. Plus, no mistakes while on the road, and no fees for data
transfer. I have already saved over $5,000 in business since owning the
iPhone.
If iZoho would fix itself from a completely dysfunctional program, iPhone
would also have a word processor, as well.
iPhone is a business-class product. Palm and Zoho are not.
Several companies have updated their web sites so that the iPhone has full secure access to any data needed by a traveling company rep.
It runs Mac OS X so changes to its software can occur every night when you recharge your iPhone. Web apps are not as fully open as internal apps but let anyone anywhere in the world do development yet do not crash the machine.
I am sorry but it sounds like you are just looking for clicks here. Yes there are a number of software issues like connecting to microsoft apps, but those are being addressed day after day and from the other writers here, it looks like the other "business" machines have their issues too.
Yep, iPhone is not fine tuned for MS apps or MS mobile software, but then again, just how good is MS mobile software??? :-)
Try this article again in 3 months. I would be very interested in what you are going to see. :-)
en
know there are many IT professionals who are using the device--either
because they actually are interested in it or because the organization which
employs them is demanding the device or extremely interested in it.
My organization has standardized on the Blackberry platform as the means to
provide mobile data access for users. However, after over two months of
testing the devices and looking at it's pros and cons, we have taken a serious
look at alternatives--the iPhone being one.
From our present experience, here are a few actual business findings:
PROS:
Full Web brower - While slower than other networks, providing full browser
access and integrated 802.11 wireless actually provides more access for
mobile users through common Web interfaces, such as Sharepoint portal, SAP
Enterprise portal, Outlook Web access, and propietary Web applications which
are securely deployed over Web VPNs and SSL. Providing these tools on the
Blackberry or Windows Mobile platform is much more complex and requires a
significant ammount of enhancements for the applications to be user friendly
and not limited by the poor, limited user intefaces.
Exchange support - The iPhone supports exchange via HTTPS and IMAP,
which is actually just as secure, if not more secure, than Blackberry, and is on
par with Windows Mobile. If you disagree with this statement, then you don't
understand how OWA and IMAP works and can leverage SSL. Blackberry
devices provide backend network access, which is unnecessary for end user
devices. Additionally, using HTTPS and IMAP into an Exchange server does
not rely on Blackberry's servers and whatever other unknown insecurities may
exisit in RIM's propietary platform.
CONS:
Wireless Contact and Calendar Sync - This is just plain painful. Being a
Blackberry user, this is a crucial feature and really enables users to be in
touch and have what they need to manage their work.
Remote management - For an Enterprise, being able to remotely activate,
lock and wipe a device is key for security and support. The best thing an
iPhone user can hope for if their device is lost is that someone doesn't crack
their four digit passcode, if they even bother to put one on the device.
Rather than purchase an out of contract priced BB or other e-mail capable device.... I decided to get an 8Gb iPhone. The recent price break ($200.00 off!) brings them down below the cost of the Blackberrys and my monthly phone bill will be less. The iPhone plans are cheaper than the BB ones. go figure.
The GOOD:
- screen is freaking gorgeous. Photos are crystal clear, webpages are bright and crisp. The AA even looks good on it!
- navigation is awesome. No learning curve and it is so simple to get around this thing even a monkey could do it. Proven by my instant learning.
- multimedia is nice, videos are fast and fluid
- music, it plays music... but since I have a 60gb iPod, why use it for that?
- POP3 e-mail on it is GREAT! Much better than the blackberry.
- WiFi w/ WPA2 support, why say more.
- full browser, no WAP here
- great apps (weather, clock, calendar, browser , etc)
- turn it and the page content/picture goes to wide screen automatically
- thin, yet a comfortable weight in the hand. Not too light, not too heavy.
- can be used one-handed just fine
- multitouch screen is way cool... neat to zoom in and out of photos or web pages. Very utilitarian, not just a gimik. I think we will see MUCH more of this in the future for all devices/laptops.
The BAD:
- No PEAP support (this is a freaking buzz-kill, really!!)
- No voice dial support (come ON! get with the program APPLE!)
- No voice memo support (that's OK, I am using jott.com for this now)
- No tethered modem support (I could hack it... but would risk ATT whacking my account... this should be standard for any phone w/ EDGE support)
- Apple has yet (if they ever will) to release an SDK for third party app devs. If they did, it would speed up 3rd party development big time. Above and beyond these silly widgets.
- cannot dial without looking at the phone (number pad are on-screen so no "blind dialing") Bad for driving and with no voice activated dial... it might kind of suck.
- most standard headphones/wired earbuds will not work in it. The jack is recessed too far into the body. Me and my dremel might be going to work on it in the near future to carve out a bit, if I decide to keep it.
Your mileage may vary. Most of my gripes can be fixed by software updates (HEAR THAT, Mr. JOBS!?). And they are common gripes from what I can tell. So hopefully Apple will get off their butts and start coding updates.
It is far from being a useful business tool. If I don't start to hear word of changes and a focus to such... it will probably go back to the store very soon.
PROS: Aside from a terrificly thin form factor... All the usual Calendar, Calc, Clock, Contacts, Email... then add Maps, Stocks, Weather, SAFARI (a real web browser!), ridiculously smooth Interface - EVERYTHING has been made easy - from linking a number to a contact to the beauty of REAL CONFERENCE CALLING - where you control up to 5 lines and can connect/disconnect who you want when you want effortlessly.... but the real kicker is Visual Voicemail - Hands Down the best time management tool I've been given since the Palm Pilot. You actually get your voicemails like emails!... play the message as you would re-read an email - delete it once you've finished the task related to the message - I swear I haven't written anything down on a pad in weeks!... Once you have it, you will never want to give it up.
CONS: Cut & Paste - how could that be missing - and who'd have thought it was so important? No voicedial - although to me this is minimal. No Voice Memo - oh well. There needs to be a better way to scroll through thousands of contacts, starting at the first letter of a name doesn't cut it. The real pain is the SLOW EDGE NETWORK... This would be a NEAR PERFECT Device on 3G.
THE FROSTING: a fully functioning IPOD with Video and Youtube (I realize this is not a business tool, but it simply makes life easy to have ONE DEVICE to move around with)... a 2 Megapixel camera that is surprisingly decent - the screen helps a lot in this regard.
Overall, sure there are a few shortcomings... but on balance, heckuva device Jobs.
Visual Voicemail really does kick-ass!