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Fortune: What Apple’s iPhone needs to really go corporate

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 · 5:55 pm · 25 Comments

“Don’t believe the hype. The iPhone still has some real shortcomings, especially as a business tool,” Fortt reports. “So if you tell your IT manager you want to ditch your BlackBerry, expect him to hand you this list of iPhone shortcomings:”

• No e-mail search

MacDailyNews Take: Agree. Apple should add this via software update.

• No copy and paste

MacDailyNews Take: Agree. Apple should obviously have added this via software update long ago.

• No removable battery

MacDailyNews Take: Disagree. Corporations should investigate external battery packs such as the ones we use, Mophie Juice Pack, or similar. Bulk discounts are available from many makers. Our iPhones never run out of juice. Not even close.

• No choice of carriers or manufacturers

MacDailyNews Take: Agree somewhat on the carrier issue, although that varies by country and location with countries. Believe it or not, AT&T coverage is actually good in some places in the U.S. We disagree with the “manufacturers” gripe as any handset you pick is made by one company or another, so that complaint is meaningless.

• No meeting invitations

MacDailyNews Take: Whatever. Weak ending, Jon. Apple should add this via software update, we guess.

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Plenty of companies have figured out that iPhone’s advantages far outweigh whatever shortcomings, real or imagined, might exist. Has yours?

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "James W." for the heads up.]

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Comment Feed

25 Comments

NCMacMan

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 7:06 pm · Reply

Email search is definitely needed, and the only way you can get it now is by jailbreaking your iPhone and adding one of the search programs. It does work, but it could be better — especially if Apple updates it.

Ho-hum on the copy and paste or the invitation omissions. I do expect these to happen in the future, but if I have a large meeting to invite others to, I use a secretary, not my email.
megame

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 7:20 pm · Reply

agreed to a point.

The iPhone is basically hardware. Apple’s software can make it whatever it wants it to be. More corporate. More consumer. Doesn’t matter.

Yes, make it more corporate. It is a great trojan horse. But because they make it more corporate doesn’t mean it has to be less consumer. It is software. Install what you want.
Duh

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 7:21 pm · Reply

The battery issue, as well as the fact that it does too much (??!?), is why my company won’t go to them. The inability to send meeting invitations excuse is lame. I’m not gonna arrange a 5-20 person meeting, arrange the webex, setup the phone conference password & number, add the conference room and projector as recourses etc. from my phone. I’m doing that from my desktop. But you should be able to accept meeting invites, which you can.
Randian

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 7:32 pm · Reply

Corporate America’s mentality: Never commit to a project or product because of its positives . . . only its negatives. In this day and age the glass is always half empty.
Crazyy

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 7:36 pm · Reply

I actually disagree with this article. The only thing that makes the iphone less corporate is the poor vision of some executives and replaceable management. The real problem is that it does too much, threatens Microsoft mindshare, crackberry mindshare and unfortunately a lot of suits are afraid of anything newer than 1995 technology, let alone open source – oh dear! Anyways it is their loss. We need innovators and visionaries and not “yes men” using the iPhone. I hope the iPhone retains it’s cache and elite mindshare.
bizlaw

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 8:08 pm · Reply

Lame article. Adding email search and cut & paste would be great for consumers as well. The batter issue is silly. How many people actually have a charged extra battery with them at all times and never use it?

The choice of carriers is the only real issue, and that’s not a corporate only issue. There are some places where AT&T;’s coverage isn’t good, and some where Verizon isn’t good.

What I find interesting is how none of these articles ever mention how on Verizon and Sprint 3G networks you can’t access your data while making a phone call, but you can on AT&T;. Wouldn’t that be a nice selling point for corporations?
MacFan

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 8:11 pm · Reply

What about security? The thing really isn’t secure. I want an iPhone so bad for work, but cannot get one. Sorry, I am told, it’s not secure. BB still has the best security model.
Jay-Z

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 8:14 pm · Reply

I agree with most of what is here. I never had a Blackberry (and never will), but I do think Apple needs to beef up its Mail and Calendar programs on the iPhone.

My biggest pet peeve isn’t actually listed here – why can’t we tap phone numbers in Calendar events and have the phone dial them (a la Safari)? When I’m traveling, my iPhone is my only phone and going into Calendar to get the meeting number only to back out and go to the phone all while remembering the whole number is a pain.
nzmacman

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 9:05 pm · Reply

Hope Apple add more search functions to the iPhone soon.

Developers such as Polar Bear farm already have ideas ready to release, but are not allowed to market due to violation of the iPhone SDK terms of use.

Check out http://www.polarbearfarm.com/search/index.html

So come on Apple, front up or allows other to add the functionality
Fortt Schmortt

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 9:16 pm · Reply

Those who can, do. Those who can’t become analysts and journalists. Visionaries see a better way. Journalists can only heap scorn and sow negativity. Such is the case here.

As another poster above indicated, because the iPhone is really software-based, we can look forward to more improvements in the future. Apple has a lot of very smart people on its staff, and I have little doubt that they see room for improvement with the iPhone as you do. That’s not a cause for concern, but rather a chance to do things we can’t yet imagine.

Given how incredible the iPhone is, look ahead and imagine the many things it will do in one, two, five years from now that it can’t do now. I never cease to be amazed at how indispensable my iPhone has become. And looking forward, I’m excited about what it will be.
MobileAdmin

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 9:37 pm · Reply

Seeing I oversee mobility for a F100 company here is the real list preventing iPhone adoption at large companies:

- zero device management – we need a way to track our ROI and report on usage, what can be used (or not) etc. Seeing the primary goal of iPhone is it’s ties to iTunes (which we could careless about) it needs it’s own management server (or something similar)

- no device encrytion – pending state regulation are now requiring encryption of at rest data on mobile devices. Apple has no timeframe to develop this and speaking with every major vendor there is nothing on their roadmaps for the next 6-8 months. This alone just killed any support for iPhone.

- lack of security – face it the device is jailbreaked faster then Paris gets a new boytoy. There is widely available ways to circumvent the Exchange ActiveSync policy very easily. Sure the basic EAS policies are a start but compared to BES / SCMDM2008 .. definately lacking.

- Exchange Only – a large portion of F100 uses Notes as well other email platforms. The current Notes “support” is a joke.

- Carrier Selection – contrary to what MDN states this is a big one as many companies have large investments with Verizon / Sprint etc and until iPhone is available cross carrier stateside it’s a disadvantage over Blackberry / WM.

- Setup / Deployment is dreadful – 1 it’s tied to iTunes and 2 it’s needs to be OTA capable. I don’t know many large companies that have a central deployment / procurement model still with mobility.

Address these and all the software shortcomings are no even relevant – those are nice to have and with maturity doable. The lack of the noted controls is what is just making many companies say thanks but maybe in another year or two.
BC Kelly

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 9:46 pm · Reply

Yo

MDN

You’re in excellent form on THIS one too

Explaining, line by line, answering, comparing

Keep it up

Love it

BC
BC Kelly

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 9:50 pm · Reply

Yeow

MobileAdmin, above

Sounds like you know what you’re talking about

Damn sure way over MY head, but that not saying much

To those who do understand, something to work on, yes ?

BC
crazyy

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 11:42 pm · Reply

MobileAdmin: I don’t believe you are in charge of anything for a F100 company- then again your lack of knowledge and basic understanding of the iPhone does sound like a replaceable cog. You are obviously a Crackberry or MS plant. The F100 actually rely most heavily on Linux and Solaris by the way – both systems are used to run MS Exchange and Lotus Notes in emulation if necessary. And like I said before about 1995, I was not joking: lotus notes – you fell right into that trap, talk about 1995 calling and wanting their massive IT dept back!!
Other posters mention lack of security? What a stupid comment and FYI the crackberry is easily cracked and decoded, it actually has very weak proprietary security. iPhone business users can access corporate info via web and VPN with all the security the SERVER can provide. Once again no concept of software being deployed as a mobile device and easily extensible and no understanding of the UNIX underlying the iPhone. I take the security of Unix over the crackberry and MS debacle. Oh I forgot, lotus notes is mission critical in 2009 – (is Lotus still a company)
Wide Body

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 11:50 pm · Reply

MobileAdmin: why not enlighten us as to the “F100″ company you work for? I read your post and it is littered with nonsense and a few ROIs thrown in for show. Why are you posting here anyway? You obviously have no iPhone and are woefully lacking in knowledge of intranet-mobility. Just about everything you wrote is false. Hope you enjoy your paycheck from BB/Verizon for hating on the iPhone ignorantly.
JS2008

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 11:54 pm · Reply

What about the ability to sync tasks with Leopard’s iCal? Doesn’t anyone else hate it that this most important feature — tasks — cannot sync with Mac OSX?
Macerroneous

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 11:54 pm · Reply

I used to read FSJ religiously. However, I have boycotted Lyons for the past couple of months. Sux big time. And what happened to Dilger? HIV? Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
India

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - 12:55 am · Reply

Can you provide the examples of Blackberry being easily cracked? We’re interested as is China.
rickw

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - 4:39 am · Reply

I convinced my Corp to let my iPhone onto the network. Haven’t regretted it. We sync Outlook without any problems and with Citrix working on an iPhone Client, Blackberry is Dead!!!!

Invites??? etc??? What are you wanting, a phone or a freaking laptop?

golly, i’m feeling cynical today.

One last thing. In my company, the only people complaining about the iPhone are the people who don’t have one. I call that freaking iPhone envy.
rickw

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - 4:41 am · Reply

One other thing….I think I told this story before, but I had 24 pdf journal articles to read on a trip. My Blackberry friends were busy mailing it to this place and that place, while I used Airshare across our corporate network and had the pdf’s and spreadsheets on my iPhone in less than 2 minutes.

There is no comparison. You can keep your Blackberries. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes #2.
HolyMackerel

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - 4:56 am · Reply

This smells of the F-100 anti-Mac OS 9 excuses of the 1990s:
• Not available from multiple hardware vendors (yet clones existed)
• Not available from multiple software vendors (as if Windows from Dell differed from HP!)
• No SMP
• No major software vendors (yet they came)

Eventually when these were all solved the excuse was “can’t run Windows”. Basically they didn’t have the testicles to say they just were biased against Apple. All these issues have been solved with MacOS X and virtualisation.

Start from scratch and ask what you want from an OS and phone with priorities against each line. Draw up a table and see how BB, WM, G1 and iPhone rate on each item. Choose the OS/phone with the highest rating. Note: don’t go back and fudge the figures to cover your own bias!
loloontheair

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - 6:10 am · Reply

The main thing I miss with my iPhone is a button to mark read messages all at once. Kind of “mark all read” button. Other than that and the email search who can really complain???
twilightmoon

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - 12:06 pm · Reply

@ MobileAdmin

- zero device management – we need a way to track our ROI and report on usage…it’s ties to iTunes …it needs it’s own management server

There’s absolutely zero reason for Apple to develop in parallel non-iTunes management software, whatever features are lacking there can (and possibly should) be added. But not to separate software. Just waste of resources. Use iTunes. If you’re complaining that there’s not some form of “batch” or many devices at once management, this too should be added into iTunes if it’s missing now.

- no device encrytion

Given that the iPhone is based on a fairly robust OS X (ie Unix) platform this should be doable, They could have already done this if it was a major priority. It’s clearly not as iPhones are flying off shelves even without this.

- lack of security – face it the device is jailbreaked faster then Paris gets a new boytoy. There is widely available ways to circumvent the Exchange ActiveSync policy very easily. Sure the basic EAS policies are a start but compared to BES / SCMDM2008 .. definately lacking.

Jailbreaking has zero to do with device security. It’s not something that can happen remotely, nor can it happen spontaneously without interaction with a tethered computer by the user. Not sure what you’re referring to the Exchange/ ActiveSync issue as I don’t use either and not sure how it’s a security issue. There could be some security issues here, as I’m not sure what EAS or BES/SCM etc are, but jailbreaking isn’t one. Especially if they create iPhone-wide encryption.

- Exchange Only – a large portion of F100 uses Notes as well other email platforms. The current Notes “support” is a joke.

Lack of useful Notes support is not something Apple is likely to solve. I’d expect Apple to work on and push their own solution via MobileMe. Unless Notes gets fixed by it’s vendor, expect it to remain as (un?)usable as it is today.

- Carrier Selection

This is definitely an issue for some, it’s not likely to be fixed in the US anytime soon. Live with it, move to ATT or live without an iPhone.

- Setup / Deployment is dreadful – 1 it’s tied to iTunes and 2 it’s needs to be OTA capable. I don’t know many large companies that have a central deployment / procurement model still with mobility.

They announced this was going to be fixed with iPhone 2.0 software back when they made the roadmap announcement. Clearly it’s something they need to work on, and they talked about it which means its in the plans I’d imagine, but just as push notification it’s not ready yet for some reason. I’d suggest feedback at apple.com for this one.

Some nit picking here, but overall an excellent post MA.
twilightmoon

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - 12:19 pm · Reply

“And what happened to Dilger? HIV? Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

Let’s not spread rumors. Even if he was HIV (I don’t think he is) it would hardly kill him instantly. He’s been traveling a lot, I’d guess his lack of posts recently might be related to that. His last post was late December (20th) so he’s hardly been missing that long.

He’s has longer periods of inactivity in the past, let’s not make it something ugly like HIV.
crazyy

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - 1:04 pm · Reply

@MobileAdmin
@Twilight Moon
1. The servers responding to iPhone traffic can create as much security as necessary. Apple has an “enterprise” iphone development program, in addition to the basic iphone development program, to provide for fleets of iphones to work in special ways with special changes to software.
2. Lotus Notes is irrelevant. Any F100 company that “must” use Notes is not up to date and is hurting the economy and needs a change of management.
3. I actually work with a F100 company that has over 190,000 employees worldwide. FYI: A REAL F100 company can easily be an iPhone enterprise developer and would have the resources to do whatever it wants with the iPhone. And Apple does work and customizations with large enterprises to provide special functionality and has made case studies available. Yet again the Crackberry and MS brigage come barging into MDN with lies and misinformation.
4. Get an iPhone, learn how it works, use VPN, use HTTPS, write a custom app for any other security you want, and then post intelligent comments.