“AT&T plans to market the iPhone to business users in addition to consumers but analysts aren’t recommending that enterprises supply workers with the phones,” Nancy Gohring reports for IDG News.
“Cingular, which was acquired by AT&T, recently decided that the iPhone will appeal to business users and the operator is now working hard to ensure that its backend enterprise billing and support systems will accommodate the device when it ships, said a source familiar with the company’s plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity,” Gohring reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Another Irish Dude” and “LinuxGuy and Mac Prodigal Son” for the heads up.]
And then the rest of the article is full of the same old iPhone taking points FUD, including the ever-popular, “no plastic buttons” festooned all over the device whether they’re involved in the device’s use at the moment or not – “making it difficult for users to dial while driving,” says Ken Dulaney, an analyst with Gartner, (Ken, that’s probably good for pedestrians, passengers, and other drivers) who basically has a conniption fit about the possibility of Apple’s iPhone targeting business users (perhaps because he knows where that road might eventually lead, muahahahahahaha!)
These things happen when an entire industry has been instantly outclassed and shown to be 5-10 years behind the times, as Apple did to the mobile device biz 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. Just as they did with “Microsoft-incompatible” Research In Motion’s Blackberry. Apple’s iPhone will be a success with business users whether AT&T and Apple tailor marketing to them or not.
Related articles:
Harris Interactive study shows Apple’s new iPhone has potential to shake industry to its core – April 20, 2007
AT&T COO: Apple iPhone on target for June launch; over 1 million customers ready and waiting – April 19, 2007
Microsoft exec flings the usual FUD at Apple iPhone – April 19, 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
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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
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Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple ‘buy’ – says market is underestimating iPhone demand – March 01, 2007
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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
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Research in Motion downgraded due to Apple iPhone competition – January 23, 2007
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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
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“making it difficult for users to dial while driving”
Here’s an idea. SHUT UP AND DRIVE!
Google docs can work with Office documents.
We haven’t heard anything yet about the collaboration between Google and Apple. Could it be Google docs on the iPhone?
Cool. . .I got Bill Frist’s post.
> “making it difficult for users to dial while driving”
> Here’s an idea. SHUT UP AND DRIVE!
Heh. Made me smile, and I needed to, right about then…
> perhaps because he knows where that road might eventually lead, muahahahahahaha
A second Trojan horse to join the Intel Macs! Soon, world domination!!
In England it’s illegal to drive holding a phone and even if you have a hands free kit you can be done if you’re not in control of the vehicle. Just drive and make your calls later. Why is everyone in such a hurry now? Why is it impossible to be out of contact for even the shortest amount of time?
What would you bet that the iPhone will come with voice recognition so you could dial just by speaking the number (or saying the name in the phone book like my current phone does). That would be even better than punching in the number into a keypad with raised buttons, don’t you think?
that the iPhone will have voice commands. Mac OS X already has this, so why not the iPhone? Steve Jobs and people at Apple who already know this just laugh.
iPhone(or whatever name you assign to it), dial mom.
720 884 7585
Hello
Hi Mom, i dialed with no hands!
Seems to me that the business connections will be there at launch with the current co-operation with Cisco.
You don’t dial a cell phone, you find the person’s name and hit the green button. Furthermore, when you’re driving, you can easily dial with voice activation.
Please don’t make business customers out to be workaholics. They’re not.
M.X.N.T.4.1, I agree – why do people feel a need to talk on a phone while driving, especially now it is AGAINST THE LAW in the UK? I can’t stand seeing someone in the UK on a mobile driving their car. You can normally spot them though, they’re the ones weaving in and out of traffic, going through red lights and acting like they own the road.
I always like to beep my horn and flash my wallet at them, normally they think I’m a plain clothes officer and throw the phone onto the floor!
There was a story a while ago that said someone who was spotted by a certain individual (who still hasn’t been caught) using their phone whilst driving, would wake up the next day to find their car tyres slashed and a note on the windscreen saying tis is their punishment for driving while using a mobile. Police were looking for him… I don’t know whether it was to arrest him or offer him a job, I think it was a great idea, because 3 points and a £70 fine doesn’t seem to stop some people.
THINK! DON’T USE YOUR PHONE WHILST DRIVING.
excited to see AT&T marketing an Apple product. Pretty unique situation.
I tiotally agree with Jamie Kelly. It seems it is getting to be once a day where I have to interact with someone doing something stupid on the road all because she/he was on a cell phone. My stats so far put that at around 3/4 female vs 1/4 male but that may very well be regionally biased.
I am sick of it especially when those incidences are life threatening. I hope the iPhone will have a nice cradle and voice activated software so people can use BOTH hands to drive.
First of all AT&T can kiss my backside.
Second, about iPhone for business – DUH!
@M.X.N.T.4.1
I quite agree! Being connected to the world on a full time basis has no appeal to me whatsoever. My cell phone is for emergencies only and I never use it wile driving.
Here in the USA we are slowly getting laws against the use of hand helds while driving, but it will take time until the usual conflict between personal freedom and the obigation to act responsibly is resolved.
What’s the big deal? I’ve had cell-phone voice dialling for at leastfive years. I say “work,” and the thing phones the office.
What moron would repeatedly dial 15 numbers when making an overseas call, especially when driving? I say “Nancy,” and it phones Rome.
If the iPhone couldn’t do this, expect it to have a hand crank to call Central.
I love how people talk with their hands while driving. Appears endemic to that portion of the populations that also happens to be blond and female!
“3/4 female”
No legs or no head and neck?
“. . . blond and female!”
Hey now. No need to stereotype. Blond men are just as stupid.
iPhone is dead before it ever left the factory.
How do I know?
Microsoft says it doesn’t run Office and it doesn’t have enough buttons. They have to be right because they have Steve Ballmer and a massive market share.
In New York State it’s supposedly illegal to yap and drive, but I see drivers blabbing on their phones all the time…. weaving through traffic yammering away… nearly nailing me as they whip around a corner, mid-sentence, not looking. If they had 3 hands, you know where the third would be!
I’d love to see a real crack-down on these dolts.
How many phone calls are really THAT important that they can’t wait a few minutes? 5%… MAYBE… AND you simultaneously endanger yourself and everyone around you?
Whatever happened to voice mail? Or answering machines? Or pulling over?
Right now, watching movies on my in-dash nav system is a bit distracting as it is out of my normal line of sight for driving. But if I could mount an iPhone on the dash just behind and above the steering wheel, I could catch up on my eyeTV DVR’ed shows during my morning commute!
” If they had 3 hands, you know where the third would be!”
Yep. Proving the existence of black holes.
Well I see that day is starting off with some good old fashioned misogyny…
(I’ll wait while the more gifted among us look that word up)
Yeah! Those silly dumb blondes! Aren’t they dumb? Huh huh!!
If I had a dollar for every dumb-ass guy I’ve seen standing forlornly next to his overturned 4×4 that he doesn’t know how to drive in the snow because he thinks 4 wheel drive somehow improves braking performance on solid ice, I could probably hang out with Warren Buffet.
Dumb people come in all shapes, sizes, and sexes. Most of the dumbest of them drive on Seattle area highways.
News flash, folks! THE LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING.
Okay, sorry. Rough drive in today. ;P
-c
If AT&T announces that it will be marketing the phone to enterprise customers, “we’d be against it,” said Ken Dulaney, an analyst with Gartner, who said he hasn’t heard of such a plan from the operator. “We’d immediately tell our customers that’d be a very serious mistake.”
Much like taking advise from ANALYST!!!!!!! That is-from ALL THE DUMB ANALYST!!!
No matter what kind of reputation a vendor has, if it’s making its first phone, Dulaney would be unlikely to recommend it. “Building a phone is one of the most difficult things to do,” he said.
MY TAKE-DULANEY, you do not know enough to ANALYSE!
Yea, Apple can easily make a computer-THATS SIMPLE. But a phone-OH GOD!!! Bring in NASA, The European space administration. We are building a phone!
OR
Retreat!!! Retreat………back to GPU’S, Multi core processors, and thousand of interoperating programs THAT MUST WORK ON OUR DEVELOPED OPERATING SYSTEM. NOOOO , a phone is our death!
AND
What drama queens! ARE ALL ANAYLST THIS DUMB!
Also, the iPhone is expected to have a number of shortcomings for business users, he said. For example, it doesn’t have a removable battery. “You’d be crazy to buy without that,” Dulaney said. The phone has multiple processors, which consumes more battery life than single processors, he said.
YEA, like buying a phone you can not use all the features!! NOTE-YOU WOULD BE CRAZY TO BUY A PHONE WITH OUT A CAR CHARGER!
AND
OH, the core technology is just sucking the life out of laptops since they USE SO MUCH DAMN POWER!!!!. Oh, Sorry. I thought I was an ANALYST and forget the muti core systems are more efficent than single core now!
DO ANALYST SEND THERE WORK FOR REVIEW BY OTHER ANALYST????
OH, MULTI TASKING WHILE DRIVE IS CRAZY- SO SUE THE PANTS OFF THIS PERSON WHEN YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT. Hey it was recommended to dial and drive right!!! THAT IS NOT CRAZY!!!
Oh how the world turns!