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Forrester Research offers Top 10 reasons IT shouldn’t support Apple’s iPhone

Thursday, December 13, 2007 · 2:39 pm · 45 Comments

Forrester Research has put together their Top 10 reasons not to support Apple’s iPhone for IT types the world over:

Here’s a top 10 list of reasons why Forrester recommends that IT not support the iPhone and why we don’t consider it an enterprise-class mobile device. Despite this, Forrester predicts that the iPhone will find its way into many enterprise environments — if it hasn’t already — because C-level executives are buying them and expecting support from IT. It’s only a matter of time before the iPhone filters down the corporate pyramid, and IT should have a strategy to handle these requests.

Fortune’s Philip Elmer-DeWitt summarizes Forrester’s 10 reasons here.

Forester Research has the nerve to charge people US$279 for the thing here.

We smell fear.

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45 Comments

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Mr. Peabody

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 4:53 pm · Reply

Who gives a rat’s ass about IT supporting the iPhone – Support the Mac!
Rainer

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 4:55 pm · Reply

I agree that the non-existance of any kind of managebility (that includes encryption and remote clearing) is probably a show-stopper for a large-scale roll-out in Fortune 2000 world.
It’s probably the only reason why RIM’s Blackberry is so successful.
(I wonder what provisions AAPL has against SJ losing his phone and/or MacBook)
Anyway, once these two features are available, the only “line of defence” for any IT-department is the missing AD-integration and the un-happyness of the device with MS-Exchange.
On the other hand, Apple (in the person of Steve Jobs) never claimed that the iPhone was a business-phone. At least to the best of my knowledge.
So they never delivered what they didn’t promise – big deal.

Still, the iPhone is a cool device. I really don’t need one, but I still want one
I have 110 Reasons why this smells funny

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 5:02 pm · Reply

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Hm...

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 5:05 pm · Reply

I love #10. “There are no case studies …” Let’s follow that logic for a second. If IT should not adopt a technology until there are case studies of adoptions, then IT should never adopt a new tech as no one should have adopted it in order to produce a case study.

Sure would make the IT folks’ job easier – never change anything. No, wait a minute. So that’s why IT is so lousy where I work. It’s starting to make sense. Our IT people have been MS-Forrested.
Mo

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 5:05 pm · Reply

I think the article is pretty accurate. they are pretty legitimate reasons for IT depts not to want to support the iPhone. I have an iPhone it has some very frustrating short comings. And regards to the battery, IT wont take anything where something that simple should be shipped of to be fixed.
dpp

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 5:13 pm · Reply

Since you can’t get an iPhone on a corporate AT&T;contract and it lacks may of the integration abilities that corporations want/need – it is clear that iPhone v1.0 is a consumer device by intention.

The appeal of the iPhone, especially to executives, will provide the basis for investement into iPhone v2 that embodies the features v1 is lacking and provides for some sort of carrier agreement that allows bulk corporate contracts.
AlanAudio

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 5:25 pm · Reply

Forrester Research are making quite a reputation for themselves, but maybe not the sort of reputation that they would like.

They were the people who last year made headlines by proclaiming that iTunes sales had dropped by 65%. When Apple produced actual figures, sales had actually gone up by 85%.

Analysts often make errors, but just how clueless do you have to be to report a drop of 65%, when it’s really an increase of 85% ?

To see more examples of how Forrester have created misleading stories about Apple, look at
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/06/forresters-james-mcquivey-announces-the-death-of-itunes-again/
shiftOpt k

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 5:26 pm · Reply

i can see some validity in some of their points.
jotaeh

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 5:56 pm · Reply

Am reading the same article as everyone else? I don’t see it as an “attack” on Apple or the iPhone; to me, it’s more of a commentary on the state of most corporate IT departments. The fear of loss of control overrides the idea that the IT department exists to allow company employees to do their jobs. Knowledge is power, and IT types are most fearful of others’ knowledge.
DRM sucks

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 6:26 pm · Reply

“5. Lacks a hard keypad that provides feedback, which isn’t ideal for rapid and accurate input. … Many respected journalists have come to the conclusion that ultimately the keyboard “is a nonissue,”
but only after five days of use. In speaking with enterprise-class mobile device users on a daily basis, the vast majority have found that they need some form of tactile feedback from their QWERTY or numeric keyboards. “

I keep hearing about how the tactile feedback is like magic, but it seems like a bunch of bullshit to me. I have tried both types of keyboards and BOTH have a learning curve. I think “need” should probably be replaced with “are used to”. If the first sentence essentially accepts that the keyboard is not an issue after 5 days, then how is it that high volume users “need” tactile feedback after 5 days? Does their amount of use make them immune to learning?
ApplePi

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 6:32 pm · Reply

The following reason is why Blackberries will continue to reign in the corporate world:

“Can’t be remotely locked or wiped in the event of a lost or stolen device. …there is no way for IT to lock a device if — scratch that, when — users call the help desk and explain that they left their non-password-protected iPhone behind in a taxi…”
Ex-Navy Doc

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 7:40 pm · Reply

Until it can be synched with an Enterprise server and can be wiped clean remotely, Blackberry will rule the corporate environment. I don’t believe that Blackberry owns it forever, but for the time being, it does. I am a CEO of a medium-sized company, and our IT department can install either a Mac or Windows workstation per the user’s own preference. I use a Mac. Four of them in fact. I have an iPhone for personal use. But I will not allow deployment of iPhones to our sales and management personnel until the security issue is addressed and until it can sync with our Enterprise Server.
PCiDolt

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 7:53 pm · Reply

Number 11. It has a camera.

Number 12. It has wireless internet capability.

Number 13. It contains iTunes which could be downloaded if we could use the wireless.

We’re not allowed to have our cell phones in the building if they have a camera or wireless internet capability.

They also removed right click and saving to the desktop. Our daily tasks are recorded along with our keystrokes. Our Level Four (Manager) was escorted out last week for checking her personal email on a Sunday when she was getting caught up on work,

Yes, I’ve been cleaning up my resume. They could have shortened the list by just saying it would require the IT department to lighten up and and actually embrace the ‘T” in their department’s name. Whoops, we just they just changed themselves to the IS department. SS is probably closer.
LastOneStanding

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 7:56 pm · Reply

“Can’t be remotely locked or wiped in the event of a lost or stolen device. …there is no way for IT to lock a device if — scratch that, when — users call the help desk and explain that they left their non-password-protected iPhone behind in a taxi…”

I haven’t put mine down since I bought it this summer… it’s definitely not a blackberry…
@ jotaeh

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 7:59 pm · Reply

I agree, it’s not an attack on Apple. If it were the ten reasons would have been:
1. It’s an Apple
2. It’s an Apple
3. It’s an Apple
4. It’s an Apple
5. It’s an Apple
6. It’s an Apple
7. It’s an Apple
8. It’s an Apple
9. It’s an Apple
10. It’s an Apple
Road Warrior

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 8:10 pm · Reply

What an eye roller:

1. Doesn’t natively blah blah blah… your server and security admins have to configure their infrastructure to do so or purchase blah blah blah. should read “server and security admins have to do actual work or purchase items that would take away from their games budget.”

2. Doesn’t accommodate third-party applications: This means that IT personel would have to do some actual real elegant coding, which would take away from their installation, configuring and upgrading of [Insert favorite online first person shoot and destroy game here].

3. Encryption: Well maybe they should stop talking to the natives and develop their own encryption internally. Oh, wait, that would mean work for the IT department, such a shame if they actually had to support staff.

4. No remote locking: Just like all the USB flash drives out there that none of you are allowed to have or use at work…right?

5. Lacks a hard keypad: And other buttons that the IT people have come to love and need. They of course enforce their beliefs on the people that they are supposed to support, but then again, most IT people don’t realize that is what they have been hired to do.” From reading this, you would have to think that they don’t support trackpads on portables. Talk about reaching for straws.

6. Has limited service provider support: As opposed to [insert imaginary device here] which can is supported by all carriers, speaks all languages, really sucks and turns into a case of beer at midnight.

7. Premium price tag: This would seriously affect the game budget for IT AND would have them look at total cost of ownership, something they dread to do as it would jepordize the reputation of IT being the heroin pushers of the information age…here kid, your first device is really cheap.

8. Is only the first generation: And there are tons of death knells about Apple (haven’t seen much for 2007, but hey look at this data for 1997). Apple is a fly by night company, even Dell says they should sell and give the money back to the shareholders.

9. Removable battery: As compared to the electrical system, which never ever goes out, ever.

10. Case studies: Gee this reminds me of another device that experienced the same problem. I think it was called the wheel.
qka

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 8:33 pm · Reply

And one reason they are wrong: the announcement from SAP that they will support the iPhone.

You can’t get any more hardcore business software than SAP.
cuz i'm the taxman

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 8:42 pm · Reply

Dear corporate a33hole,

Shut up and buy! Daddy needs a new pair of shoes. And also wants to retire early on his AAPL earnings.
British Mac Head

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 9:39 pm · Reply

who gives a toss about IT support? I got my iPhone yesterday on O2 and gmail on imap rocks. Everyone knows exchange sucks compared to IMAP.
Mac Chiíta

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 10:24 pm · Reply

If iPhone is not good for business corporation then Apple can’t use it for themselves. Here is the business case. Apple is running their business on iPhone the same way they run on Mac!