“When the one-year anniversary of iPhone 1.0 rolls around this summer, iPhone fans will get what is essentially Version 2.0 of their favorite smart phone. The added features and apps expected then — some of which were showcased by Apple today — will transform the iPhone [and the iPod touch] far beyond what it has been so far,” Seth Weintraub reports for Computerworld.
“The App Store, which will allow iPhone owners to buy and download programs directly to their phones, should put a slew of jazzy new applications at users’ fingertips, further expanding the phone’s uses and reach,” Weintraub reports.
“The SDK unveiling wasn’t even the big news of the day,” Weintraub opines. “The big news was the inclusion of support for Exchange, something that could be a game-changer when it comes to corporate IT acceptance of the iPhone.”
“IT administrators may have a much harder time telling users that it no longer meets corporate security policies or doesn’t work properly with their Exchange Messaging system. In fact, Microsoft Exchange business users will be able to take full advantage of the iPhone’s ActiveSync functions, including push e-mail, push calendars, push contacts and global address lists. They’re all there,” Weintraub writes. “It isn’t just Exchange enterprise functionality that the iPhone will soon offer business users. The market-share-leading Cisco IPsec VPN is also supported. IT administrators will soon be able to enforce security policies and device configurations and even do a remote wipe of iPhones.”
Because of what Apple announced yesterday, Weintraub writes, “There should be significant concern in the RIM camp… By summer there could be hundreds, if not thousands, of applications ready for the iPhone.
Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
…and when June rolls around, and the full SDK is released along side iPhone 2.0 software and a 3G, 32GB iPhone, what in the world will anyone have to complain about? I’m really worried for Ballmer’s little rubber squeezie stress ball. Maybe someone should get him a worry stone. We’ve been hearing from everyone with an opinion over the last year, about how unsuited the iPhone is for… everything. Now with a way to create and deploy custom apps to all your users is seconds… What’s a monkey to do?
@ Scheduler
The problem with you is that you have no taste. And I don’t mean that in a small way, I mean it in a big way.
Imagine writing the $10 app that everyone must have on their iPhone or iPod touch.
That has to be $15 million profit in the first year alone.
Excuse me, gotta go by me a SKD.
CrazyLegs:
It is pretty obvious to everyone that a Lotus Notes native client will be coming. They have almost four months to finish it (Assuming they weren’t included in the privileged group already), and IBM can’t afford not to do that. Replace IBM with Novell and same goes with GroupWise. Note that it wasn’t Microsoft who developed the full exchange support (they provided ActiveSync license to Apple, though). When you’re top banana, you look carefully what is worthwhile and what is not. When you’re trying to unseat the top banana, (IBM, Novell), you try everything you can to make it happen.
RIM will probably not die (at least not right away), but its growth will most likely slow very, very quickly. It might even level out, or begin the slide.
When folks make personal attacks, take your sail out of their wind and let them blow on by.
At least, that’s the easiest way I’ve found to handle that sort of behavior.
I bet Microsoft bought that SKD. I bet they are bringing out that essential office app for the iPhone that is used by more workers than any other.
Solitaire.
Someone, jump on that $15 million app before Microsoft does.
crazylegs,
I disagree with you.
As soon as the iPhone can do the required business apps. the Blackberry is going to go into rapid decline, because of all the iPhone’s other advantages.
There is a tendency sometimes to catagorize too much.
Business people also like to browse (for pleasure), play games, watch films, and show their family photos.
There isn’t a category ‘business people’ who do nothing but work, or if there is, it’s not significant – a tiny minority.
The iPhone is a handsome multi-talent.
The Blackberry is an ugly one-trick pony.
How can the stock be this low? Does WS realize this applies to the touch as well?
@ Bizarro Ballmer
Wall Street couldn’t find fried chicken in Harlem with a bloodhound. Give them a week to digest the news, a few more days to come up with a way to short it, another day to dick around, then count on Jim Cramer screaming about how important it is. Should be good for a buck or two.
To Al:
That and Minesweeper. And they probably think Clippy should pop up every few seconds to ask if you need help with your iPhone.
CLIPPY!!! I think Clippy should be your permanent iPhone buddy. Greeting you on every screen.
“Hi there! It looks like you’re making a call, can I play some music while you wait? Would you like to create a new contact? You already have one, okay! What about a latte? Can I rub your back?!”
Soooooo cool.
“There’s an upgrade available for iClippy version 1.1.1.3. Would you like to download it now? Cancel or Allow? Estimated download time is three hours.”
Cancel.
(nine seconds later)
“There’s an upgrade available for iClippy version 1.1.1.3. Would you like to download it now? Cancel or Allow? Estimated download time is three hours.”
I was considering getting an iPod Touch, but not if Apple are going to keep charging to update it!
“It looks like you’re having problems with your download. Let Clippy help reset your iPhone!”
{phone goes dark for 10 minutes, restarts with Windows greeting tone}
“Hi, welcome ba-“
{phone goes blue with an illegal operation of type 467323.45372{45×234/5e}32/1}
Has anyone put their money where their mouth is and invested in AAPL?
iPhone 2.0 with full SDK apps, GPS and more storage is the one to buy, until then WAIT!!
3G and Open carrier would be nice too.
@John Crawford
Yes I have invested in aapl, bought my first 10 shares at 168 then 5 at 122. It would be really nice for it to go back up again but if it keeps dropping I will probably buy some more.
@Bizzaro Ballmer
WS seems to be in a coma still. From what I learned from common sense which I may say is the lease common of the senses, is that when a company announces all this revolutionary new products or products to come out very soon the stock market goes up….. but with WS having their head up their a** and people being stupid… it’s going down. Maybe steve should announce that the company is going bankrupt and then people will decide to buy more stock. Could be worth a shot.
Wow, if Clippy could really rub backs, that would be so cool!
“There isn’t a category ‘business people’ who do nothing but work, or if there is, it’s not significant – a tiny minority.” – Gavron.
Well, I guess Bill Gates is part of that tiny minority.
“Wow, if Clippy could really rub backs, that would be so cool!”
Um, it would probably leave some nasty scars.
” . . . Bill Gates is part of that tiny minority.”
The tiniest.
You all are entirely missing the point as you are deeply inside the reality distortion field created by Steve. This is great for the sale of Apple products, but sometimes it prevents one from seeing the trends. I am only halfway in, so I can pop my head out, look around, and see what’s going on out there.
My point is very simple: the market for these devices is huge today and growing. Take a look at the global cell phone market (about 1.2 billion units sold annually – growing about 10% per year). Of this, about 135 mln smartphones were sold in 2007. While the “dumb” cell phone market is growing at 10% per year, the smartphone segment is growing at about 30% per year, which means within 5 years, roughly 500 million smartphones will be sold. This is due to many factors (folks with regular phones wanting media, email, calendar, etc, lower data pricing, lower handset pricing, to name a few).
What does this mean? It means that Apple can absolutely kill it and even sell 200 million phones IN 2012, which would ensure my Vantage would turn into a DBS when I sold a small portion of AAPL and I would be very happy. But this means that another 300 million smartphones would be sold in that year.
If RIM got just 25% of the remaining market, that would indicate them selling 75 million devices then, compared to roughly 18-20 million in 2008. Hence, they can still grow massively considering they make a gross profit of roughly $150 per device PLUS get a recurring fee of about $7 per user per month. A very nice business model they figured out (that Apple perfected, frankly, as RIM provides a service for that carrier fee where Apple just provides coolness).
The point is that consumers, businesses want choice. 1 device won’t simply take over at all others expense. This is using my noggin to think rationally.
By the way, RIM does provide more functionality than the iPhone’s basic business offering. For instance, they provide PBX/ IP phone integration so employees get one number where it rings on both handset and desktop phone and you get all desktop phone functionality on the handset behind the firewall. This may come ultimately from iPhone, but RIM is in the market today using this offering to offer customers a piece of technology that brings all mobile communications inside the firewall. Interesting stuff inside the enterprise.
So, despite the fact that iPhone is the most robust mobile platform and is so far ahead of anyone else because of Apple’s tight integration of hardware and software, this does not necessarily mean that no one else can succeed in the space. This belief is an emotional response to the pure love of Apple’s products, not an assessment of the facts in the industry.
MacBook Air is already bigger than iPhone: 0.4-1.94 cm x 32.5cm x 22.7cm x 1.36kg versus 115 mm x 61mm x 11.6mm x 135grams
I wonder why not too many people mention the amazing gaming possibility. Anyway, let’s get the FUD campaign begin.
@ Scheduler and Chrissy One – Cage fight?
Was away for a few days in NYC, surprised no one flamed me for my long, balanced post on the topic.
You guys get soft when reason is introduced.
By the way, I was sitting in the writers room of SNL watching the show saturday night and I noticed one thing – lots of iPhones AND Blackberries. Interesting.