“Apple’s soon-to-be-launched iPhone will be irrelevant to business users because it is a ‘closed device’ and does not support Microsoft Office, a senior executive with the software giant said this week,” David Braue reports for ZDNet Australia.
“‘It’s a great music phone, and I’m sure it will be fantastic and have an interesting user interface,’ Microsoft’s Asia-Pacific head of smartphone strategy Chris Sorenson told press during a recent visit to Australia,” Braue reports.
“‘However, it’s a closed device that you cannot install applications on, and there’s no support for Office documents. If you’re an enterprise and want to roll out line of business applications, it’s just not an option. Even using it as a heavy messaging device will be a challenge,’ the executive added,” Braue reports.
Full article here.
This Microsoft executive is simply using the main talking point of the FUD campaign against Apple’s iPhone, namely: “iPhone is not for business.” It’s a weak point, as Microsoft should know, since Research In Motion has already long ago proven it wrong with the Blackberry, but it seems to be all they’ve got. These things happen when you’re instantly outclassed and shown to be 5-10 years behind the times, as Apple did to the mobile device industry with their iPhone unveiling. The fact is that business people will decide which device they want to carry and their businesses will adapt to it. Many will choose Apple’s iPhone.
This tack isn’t new. Goofy quote whore Rob Enderle tried out this same talking point back in early February (here). So did some no name from an internal network security provider (here), perhaps trying to protect his business by pushing Microsoft products while discouraging the use of Apple products — you know, like the IT guys who “choose” Windows’ and its inherent insecurity for their own job security. Microsoft even trotted out their trained dancing monkey to fake cackle and recite back the same talking point (here). There have been many others; we’ll spare you.
The fear they spread is their own. And they’re right to be afraid. (Hey, at least they got one thing right!)
That Microsoft is still so reliant on Office to fuel their multitudinous and wide-ranging failures is a sad indictment of their so-called management. That they use Office to try to leverage others out of markets or keep them out of markets is something the antitrust authorities should closely examine. We don’t use Microsoft Office for this reason, among others, and also because we’ve found that – gasp! – we can survive just fine without using a single one of Microsoft’s bloated, unimaginative products, thank you very much.
Related articles:
The massive FUD campaign against Apple’s iPhone ramps up – January 10, 2007
iPhone looms like 800-pound specter over beleaguered Motorola – April 18, 2007
Apple and Cisco explore iPhone compatibility – April 18, 2007
Apple iPhone wannabes don’t even come close to what Apple has built – April 05, 2007
Why iPhone could be more than worth Apple’s price – April 03, 2007
Wired: Apple iPhone has wireless industry scrambling – March 30, 2007
Report: AT&T Wireless says Apple iPhone release date June 11 – March 30, 2007
Apple iPhone steals CTIA Wireless 2007 show; FCC chairman wouldn’t give it back – March 27, 2007
AT&T has received 1 million Apple iPhone inquiries so far – March 27, 2007
Apple’s iPhone ‘preverberations’ rock cell phone industry – March 26, 2007
Sony CEO Stringer talks Apple iPhone: ‘I wouldn’t bet against Steve Jobs’ – March 17, 2007
The Beeb tries to equate ‘smartphones’ with Apple’s iPhone – March 16, 2007
Cellphone users set their sights on Apple’s iPhone; look to get out of existing contracts – March 15, 2007
Getting ready for Apple iPhone: How to get out of your 2-year cellphone contract – March 13, 2007
Wired’s Mortensen: Apple is under-selling iPhone with their 10 million figure – March 13, 2007
Apple’s marketing machine does it again: iPhone generates $400 million in free publicity – March 10, 2007
Analyst: Apple’s iPhone has Palm ‘shaking in their sandals’ – March 09, 2007
Which company is most at risk from Apple’s looming iPhone onslaught? – March 04, 2007
Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple ‘buy’ – says market is underestimating iPhone demand – March 01, 2007
Apple’s 10 million iPhone sales target for 2008 would surpass most other smart phone sales – March 01, 2007
Apple COO Tim Cook: iPhone is a revolutionary product; you get what you pay for – February 28, 2007
Apple COO Tim Cook: iPhone on track for June launch – February 27, 2007
Goldman Sachs: 4 reasons to be bullish on Apple’s iPhone – February 26, 2007
Apple airs iPhone teaser ad during Oscars – February 25, 2007
Apple preps 3G iPhone model for Europe – February 25, 2007
The once-mighty Palm Inc. doomed to decline and failure – thanks to Apple’s iPhone – February 23, 2007
Palm CEO can’t stop talking about Apple iPhone – February 19, 2007
Digit takes a closer look at Apple’s iPhone – February 14, 2007
Microsoft caught off-guard, beaten badly by Apple’s iPhone innovations – February 13, 2007
Apple’s soon-to-be iPhone rivals sound just like iPod rivals circa 2001 – February 01, 2007
O2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile battle for exclusive rights to Apple iPhone in UK – January 26, 2007
Rogers to offer Apple iPhone exclusively in Canada – January 25, 2007
Research in Motion downgraded due to Apple iPhone competition – January 23, 2007
Ihnatko: Hands-on with Apple’s iPhone (which runs Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard) – January 18, 2007
Microsoft CEO Ballmer laughs at Apple iPhone – January 17, 2007
RealMoney: Apple just blew up the whole damn mobile-phone supply chain with its new iPhone – January 11, 2007
eWeek: Apple iPhone fallout: ‘They must be crying in Nokia-ville and other telephony towns today’ – January 10, 2007
Jefferies downgrades Motorola on fears of market share loss to Apple iPhone – January 10, 2007
The only thing really wrong with Apple’s iPhone is its name – January 09, 2007
Time: ‘iPhone could crush cell phone market pitilessly beneath the weight of its own superiority’ – January 09, 2007
Analyst: Apple iPhone should be given its own category – ‘brilliantphone’ – January 09, 2007
Apple debuts iPhone: touchscreen mobile phone + widescreen iPod + Internet communicator – January 09, 2007
Mac users should not buy Microsoft software (or hardware) – May 16, 2003
Blackberries suck.
“Goofy quote whore Rob Enderle”
he he, can I quote you on that one?
I now also use Pages instead of Microsoft word. It works great for what I am doing.
Microsoft is like a dinosaur that has forgotten it is extinct.
10 years from now Microsoft will probably be extinct…office and all.
I use Pages to do everything from letters and invoices to complex proposals, just as I use Keynote to do all my presentations.
Why?
Because of the clean elegant interface – especially in regards to style sheets and tables – and the exemplary support for every graphics format under the sun.
I had to start Powerpoint today for the first time in around two years and spent the next two hours swearing at the screen.
Bring on a spreadsheet that can open .XLS format files with good function support and I can remove another MS product from my Dock.
Obviously dumbass Macfags have no clue what is a business, so how could they interpret the meaning of this news item.
Unfortunately, it’s not just Microsoft that plays this game. When did American business decide that they no longer needed to have even the slightest regard for the truth, that it was perfectly OK to disseminate whatever lying garbage they could somehow convince ignorant consumers to swallow?
Hey, Reality Check—
When did they let you out of the Home?
@ Reality Check
What about us Mac lezbos? Oh, wait, I’m too busy licking my trackpad. Mmmmm…
-c
If a Microsoft exec says the iPhone is irrelevant, then you know it must be relevant, and troubling for MS. But why?
Possible answer: “The iPhone Halo effect”.
Just as the iPod “halo” effect encouraged more home PC users to go Mac, The iPhone WILL be popular among business users, and lead to businesses buying more Macs. I believe this is what MS is worried about. I also think this has been APPL’s strategy all along, so expect that the phone will do what business users want. Also expect the MS FUD machine to work overtime to kill as many sales as they can.
1976: “It’s a toy. Real computers require a mainframe, and IBM knows mainframes”
1984: “It’s a toy computer. No one needs a mouse”
2007: “It’s not good for business”
Every time Steve distorts reality, people think it’s just a toy.
There are none so blind as those who WILL not see.
Wait a minute, folks. I love the idea of owning an Apple iPhone. But for the moment I am tied to MS Exchange server. So I have a question – will the iPhone support Push Email from Exchange Server? Hell, I hate MS with a passion but regardless of how I feel, my work email is my lifeline, and unfortunately my BlackBerry 8703e piece of crap is the best source for push email (at least it’s not Windows Mobile).
So until I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that iPhone will support Exchange Server Push Email, I cannot afford to switch.
Anyone know anything about this?
my dad just got a blackberry pearl and he can’t stop gushing about the “improvement” over his razr. He wants my sister to buy one instead of going for the iPhone before she goes off to college b/c he doesn’t want to spend $500… He even said it was an iPod-phone, and yet he doesn’t seem to realize that a new iPod ($250) + the Blackberry Pearl ($350) is the same price as an “iPod-phone.” The funny thing is that my sister doesn’t know how to use a blackberry, she’s really slow and frustrated.
My dad is a Windows guy, and so is the “tech guy” at his business. He has an IBM (how dull and ugly), but he was looking at a Macbook. He called our “tech guy” friend and he said that Macs are expensive and such… (it seems low-end is in this season)
ugh
MW: home
What if the MacBU are already working on Office for iPhone?? A sale is a sale, whether it is Office on PC, Mac, WinCE or iPhone, it’s $ at the end of the day. This is just bad business – Instead of FUDing and alienating a potential partner, Office could be making big $ by hopping onto the iPhone bandwagon. Loser.