“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
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
Police are too busy hiding in the bushes waiting for the easy to prove speeders.
Red lights, stop signs, poor driving, junk cars, on the phone gabbing, left lane hogging.. all too hard to prove.
Speeders, much easier.
@ NGC598
Decaf, dude. And maybe some night classes.
ChrissyOne: Dumb people come in all shapes, sizes, and sexes.
Lips, don’t unpurse.
@ChrissyOne
I tried that-but I could complete the night classes, I was always running to sTARbucks for a hit.
GOTTA go-need for coffee>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Mr. Reeee –
I agree with you about New York State cell phone drivers. But I must also say that recently I was in city court paying a parking fine, and I overheard the judge give a fine to a person caught “cell phone driving”. This guy got a $500 fine and his license suspended for 30 days.
So at least some people are being caught. But yes…it happens way too often. And how about those “cell phone walkers” that are oblivious to life around them? That makes me laugh.
I do get a kick out of the fact that almost all of these articles have the requisite embedded phrase: “Making a phone is tough!!!”
Making an MP3 player is tough, too. Microsoft can’t even do it.
So because it’s hard, Apple will fail, right? I’m missing the logic here, but okay. It seems to me, however, that this terribly difficult-to-do thing has already been done. Steve is walking around with one in his pocket, using it at ball games and such. Does that mean that Apple has some magic beans or something? Or does it mean that making a cheap, sh|tty phone is rather easy, but making a *good* phone is tough?
We’ll see. Just a couple more months of desperate damage control to go, Nancy. You might want to update your resumé.
-c
Well, I thought I liked the larger text until I saw some @ss hole shouting.
“good old fashioned misogyny”
That’s why I prefer massage-ony. There’s the rub.
Interesting. I find it interesting that cell phones are bad to use while driving but we do not complain about people doing the following while driving:
eating,
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
putting on make-up
smoking
drinking
smoking and drinking
smoking and drinking and putting on make-up.
etc
PS, the “etc” is expecially hard to do while driving.
en
en: You left out circumcision.
Well, to a certain extent, these people are correct. I wouldn’t buy a mobile phone sight unseen either. I would want to first see what the actual features are, read reviews of what the product has to offer, and hear comments from the bleeding edge guys who actually bought one and are using it, to see how well it actually works. All of this will happen only after the iPhone is released to the public.
On the other hand, there are just as many business types who own RAZRs and just plain vanilla handsets than the blackberries and Windoze mobiles. I think that business people would just as easily buy iPhones as the consumer types. That’s just my opinion based solely on what i’ve seen where I work. Your mileage may very.
These guys are also repeating the same concerns that we’ve read here before about non-removable batteries and software concerns. I keep on thinking of the early RAZR phones that really didn’t have much to them either, when they first came out, but now are incredible headsets, that offer all kinds of features.
@ ChrissyOne
Q : What do you call a brunette walking between two blondes ?
A: Invisible
(Hope that helps)
Now that’s funny.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
en,
Yes, we do complain about those other things. Maybe you are too busy tied up with your cell phone to notice.
Why do people think it’s such a good idea to have a removable battery? I haven’t changed the battery in any mobile phone I’ve had for 5 or 6 years, and the last time I did change a battery was to replace it with a new one because the old one wouldn’t hold a charge any more. It’s called a car charging cord, folks.
I also fail to see why it’s such a wonderful idea to have plastic buttons over the iPhone’s virtual buttons. It would be much easier to SEE the person’s phone number you’re dialing on a larger screen than it would be to have half of the phone taken up with plastic buttons you’re not even using.
Think iPhone has moved to the top of the list for possible Blackberry replacement vehicles now?
Apple should get that girl who won some contest texting? to promote the keyboard of the iPhone.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21603842-2,00.html
@ lbuschjr
TOTALLY agree. I haven’t bought a new battery for a mobile since the old Nokia I had in 97. Are there really that many battery problems any more?
“conniption fit” wow I love that term, it’s what I’ll be having if I don’t get my iPhone 3 minutes after it’s released, lol.
-L
I predict an iPhone halo effect. Much like the iPod halo kick-started a resurgence in people buying Macs for home use, the iPhone will get more businesses buying Macs for work use.
I agree, G-ZUS. But I’m still seeing a lot more horns than halos.
And no plastic buttons! And no wire hangers, either.
Apple taking to the consumer is the right move, and AT&T figuring they sould approach another market with a lower-profile campaign is just smart business.
It shows both companies working together to maximize the potential of the handeld Mac.
AT&T has a large business contingent, and can quickly make inroads into IT departments via their backbone dominance and target market quiet effectively behind the scenes.
AT&T will attract far more business users than the market wants to admit or realize. But when RIM, Treo and Windoze phone sales start tanking, well then, there you go.
Lastly, did anyone notice AT&T’s subscriptions were up sharply last month? Now why would that be?….
Apple taking to the consumer is the right move, and AT&T figuring they sould approach another market with a lower-profile campaign is just smart business.
It shows both companies working together to maximize the potential of the handeld Mac.
AT&T has a large business contingent, and can quickly make inroads into IT departments via their backbone dominance and target market quiet effectively behind the scenes.
AT&T will attract far more business users than the market wants to admit or realize. But when RIM, Treo and Windoze phone sales start tanking, well then, there you go.
Lastly, did anyone notice AT&T’s subscriptions were up sharply last month? Now why would that be?….
Apple taking to the consumer is the right move, and AT&T figuring they sould approach another market with a lower-profile campaign is just smart business.
It shows both companies working together to maximize the potential of the handeld Mac.
AT&T has a large business contingent, and can quickly make inroads into IT departments via their backbone dominance and target market quiet effectively behind the scenes.
AT&T will attract far more business users than the market wants to admit or realize. But when RIM, Treo and Windoze phone sales start tanking, well then, there you go.
Lastly, did anyone notice AT&T’s subscriptions were up sharply last month? Now why would that be?….
Apple taking to the consumer is the right move, and AT&T figuring they sould approach another market with a lower-profile campaign is just smart business.
It shows both companies working together to maximize the potential of the handeld Mac.
AT&T has a large business contingent, and can quickly make inroads into IT departments via their backbone dominance and target market quiet effectively behind the scenes.
AT&T will attract far more business users than the market wants to admit or realize. But when RIM, Treo and Windoze phone sales start tanking, well then, there you go.
Lastly, did anyone notice AT&T’s subscriptions were up sharply last month? Now why would that be?….
It is common knowledge that women tend to be social than men. Based on personal observance, nearly all the women I see driving alone are talking on the phone. Does this make them bad drivers? Yes. Are men just as bad drivers? Yes, but for different reasons. Women tend to be distracted; men tend to do dangerous things on purpose. You know the old joke — what’s the last thing that a guy says before he dies? “Hey, watch this!” (followed only by “Hey, hold my beer.”)