“As expected, Wall Street analysts disagree about whether Apple will be a serious threat to RIM after the [iPhone 3G, iPhone Software 2.0] update, which includes support for corporate email/calendar/contact synching, security, etc.,” Dan Frommer writes for Silicon Alley Insider.
“The bull case from Piper Jaffray’s very bullish Gene Munster: ‘Surprisingly,’ he writes Wednesday, half the iPhone developers he interviewed this week at Apple’s WWDC were building enterprise apps. ‘We see this as a positive indicator of the potential for Enterprise adoption of the iPhone,'” Frommer writes.
“AmTech analyst Rob Sanderson has a different take: ‘We think iPhone will be successful in the consumer market, but we don’t have high hopes it will become a meaningful platform in the Enterprise segment,’ he says. ‘Businesses invest in IT for productivity enhancement. While iPhone offers the best rich Internet browsing and media experience in the industry, these applications are more often productivity deterrents than enhancers,'” Frommer writes.
“We’re not so sure about that. While Exchange support is probably the feature that will bring the iPhone in the door at most corporations, we think its Web browser — the ‘productivity deterrent’ Sanderson refers to, could be an important feature, too,” Frommer writes.
MacDailyNews Take: Obviously.
Frommer continues, “The iPhone’s Web browser is easily more powerful than any browser RIM offers. Being able to use a fully functional mobile browser with fast, 3G network speeds — without having to take your laptop out of its bag, boot it up, and connect the 3G laptop card — is a productivity booster, not a distraction.”
Full article here.
A guy with a clue. Consistently. Of all analysts following Apple (and AAPL), Munster has consistently delivered actionable information (and, consequently, made money to those who took action).
If his unscientific survey at WWDC is any indication, iPhone will become extremely attractive to the enterprise buyers. Not only because of the standard Safari browser, but because of the abundance of the enterprise applications that will soon flood the AppStore. I know Apple has ‘commissioned’ those interviews we saw at WWDC keynote about the ease of use of SDK. Still, vast majority who did get the SDK seem to be confirming that this is in fact the case – the ease of coding for iPhone surpasses everything else by a long shot. Combine that with the wide deployment it already has (over 6 million users), and simple and easy delivery of your apps, what’s not to like!?
RIM will need to re-evaluate their strategy, although that won’t help much. They have painted themselves into the corner with what they have. While corporate IT inertia will ensure they stay in business, their rapid growth years are behind them.
Yes!! The only thing is some CIO/IT managers are anti-apple no matter what Apple does to make them happy. Since MS monopolized the business market, these MS drones are entrenched deep in there. Show them the enterprise video with these major companies with enormous IT staff and users using the iPhone and it won’t do any good. A lot are also tunneled vision to just MS/RIM and have no clue to even try and see what the iPhone can do.
Thats the major hurdle for Apple.
He might as well say, that typing on a computer is a deterrent than writing on a sheet of paper.
since when did having something beautiful become a distraction… living in a closed box and fingers sweating with RSI.
The thumb is the strongest digit on the hand, and it’s evolved that way. It’s only natural that the thumb will last the longest… hence the iPhone.
Yeah, I guess the fact that we all surf the Internet at work made us ALL less productive. It’s what is killing our economy right now, it’s the cause for high gas prices, the collapse of the home mortgage industry, etc… I guess, we’d have all been better off if the darn Internet had never been invented and especially corporate America. Plus, when you’re not working for the company, but traveling and doing other personal things that relate to your work and productivity for your company, the Internet is really just not that useful. I’d expect RIM to make all their upcoming phones without Internet access as a cave to corporate pressure real soon.
In the mean time, RIM is organizing a Developer Conference in October 2008.
http://www.blackberrydeveloperconference.com/
I heard that it’s sold out. 18 developers only !
@Jubei (nothing personal)
that (waste/fraud/stupidity) is also a major hurdle to the future advancement of the US economy.
The biggest problem facing iPhone in enterprise is the Microsoft trained IT staff.
Once you get around those weenies it’s all downhill, both ways.
Great! Having the internet is a deterrent to productivity
in american business. I suppose too many ppl checking
NSFW images along with overpaid CEOs probably really is the
reason corporations suffer these days. I can believe it.
GAMES
Many HR Managers when hiring younger employees are trying to keep an eye out for the bottom line and are afraid that games will waste productivity. I doubt they really understand that the iPhone browser is better than RIM’s…
That’s too nuanced for people who don’t know. It’s the idea that GAMES (and the lingering ideas that the Mac is not a serious computer or is ‘Best for creative types’) are still out there).
With RIM IT is stuck in having their users’ email and messages on RIM’s servers. RIM has not been proven itself to be a good steward of that information, Governments and agencies around the world have free access to RIMs customers’ email and messages. RIM puts a good public face on it when countries like India make threats but it’s all wink, wink here you go but you can’t admit that you have full and unrestricted access. With the iPhone the IT groups can take that middleman out of the picture. RIM’s biggest security risk is RIM itself. All you need to do is act like a government official for a country that RIM does business in make a few threats and RIM will hand you the keys.
@ Jubei
You are so right they are often anti-apple – it has to be really hard to do if you want to be productive – here let ME show you how to get rid of that virus dweebs . . . then they listen to their iPods on the way home from work. Some of them have a ZUNE in a drawer, but even they don’t want to be seen using it. Luckily when they get a call from the VP of Sales they will fall in line, but that will only happen after the VP of Sales borrows his sons iPhone and can finally actually USE that website he needs. People are people . . . when something works better they want it. Many of them will have never read any blogs telling them they are not supposed to use it in business.
“lingering ideas that the Mac is not a serious computer”
I had conversation with a boss once that went like this:
Boss: Is that a Mac?
Me: Yes.
Boss: I didn’t know you could do work on a Mac.
I was doing Java/web server software development and database work.
@predrag,
My brother is a financial analyst and the only person they will listen to about Apple is Gene Munster because of his track record.
The 3G iPhone is about to ruin my life. I have made it a point to never use Microsoft products in my company’s network. I have just completed an 18 month project where we’ve converted all our servers and desktops to Linux. The only machines that we have that don’t run Linux are a few iMacs that run OSX and Windows and are only used by people who must have Windows. (Why, you ask? Because when we deploy Windows on an iMac under Parallels it runs flawlessly while we have no end of problems doing dual-boot Linux/Windows machines.) All our laptops are MacBook Pros. So the only MS software we have is a few copies of Excel for those number crunchers who can’t do what they want in Open Office. Yesterday, the owner of the company called me into his office and told me that he wants to replace his Blackberry with a 3G iPhone when it comes out and he wants to have push e-mail the instant he gets it. So he wants me to convert our flawlessly working e-mail system from GroupWise to Exchange before July 11! I think I’m going to resign first.
Hey folks,
I am out in Rohnert Park Cali for a conference (far removed from Philly). Does anyone know of anything fun to do around here?
Cubert
Things to Do in Rohnert Park!
http://www.rohnertparkchamber.org/Living-in-Rohnert-Park/things-to-do.html
Eating in Rohnert Park:
Whether it’s ethnic food or a traditional American coffee shop you’re looking for, Rohnert Park restaurants offer cuisine to please every palate.
Alvarado St. Bakery
Bacchus Restaurant
Boathouse Sushi
Charlie’s Serious Chili Dogs
Cold Stone Creamery
Hana Japanese Restaurant
In-n-Out Burger
Kentucky Friend Chicken/A&W;Kyoto Restaurant
Latitude
Las Guitarras de Cotati
Mary’s Pizza Shack
McDonald’s
Mocha Mama’s Drive-thru Espresso Bar
Outback Steakhouse
Port of Subs
Raley’s Vintage Café
Sally Tomatoes
Close by in Cotati:
Spanky’s
Marvins
Boss: I didn’t know you could do work on a Mac.
Employee: I didn’t know you could talk, breathe and think all at the same time. If I gave you a piece of gum, would you explode? Let’s try it.
Enterprise decision makers will get caught up in the 3G consumer wave. They won’t be able to avoid it. The IT weenies won’t play along with it because it will jeopardize their careers. Sorry … but productivity is measured on how long it takes to accomplish a task. I’ve often wondered how much productivity was lost by high priced sales people trying to get their PC to actually perform the work they needed.
‘Businesses invest in IT for productivity enhancement. While iPhone offers the best rich Internet browsing and media experience in the industry, these applications are more often productivity deterrents than enhancers,'”
Riiight. Because if you enjoy working with your tools, you are not “working” and not “being productive.” Enterprise must mean boring, brain-draining repetitive task that even a trained monkey can do. :p These dumb analysts really don’t get it, do they? It’s not how enjoyable a tool is; it’s how the tools are being used that determines whether it’s a productivity deterrents or not. If iPhone can visually present data coherently, then its rich Internet browsing does improve productivity. If people enjoy working with the tool, they are more motivated to get things done. And if people are determined to slack off and procrastinate, it doesn’t matter what bland and boring tools you give them, they still won’t get the job done.
How could the iPhone EVER succeed without a physical keyboard that only children and midgets can accurately use.
It’s becoming apparent to all that the iPhone is more handheld computer than phone.
Rob Sanderson = a$$
“Can Apple’s new iPhone 3G displace RIM’s BlackBerry in business?” Is that a rhetorical question? Not only can it; it will! Perhaps they should have nicknamed the 3G the “Wedge”, because it will serve as Apple’s wedge into the Enterprise.
“AmTech analyst Rob Sanderson: ‘We think iPhone will be successful in the consumer market, but we don’t have high hopes it will become a meaningful platform in the Enterprise segment,’ he says.”
Nonsense! A lot of corporations, including some of the biggest names out there, have got people looking at the SDK with a view to building the apps they’d want on the iPhone. Jobs was boasting about that in the WWDC keynote.
Don’t “analysts” listen to the Keynote before guessing? Or do they think Jobs is making it up to fool investors or something? He’d soon be found out if he were.
I think the question of “whether Apple will be a serious threat to RIM” in the business market is a difficult one. All the indications are that Apple will do very well in the business market. But, not having a crystal ball, I don’t know whether that means there won’t be any room left at all for RIM.
There’s some hope. I work for a very large, conserative company. The company is more akin to “PC” than “Mac”. The company enjoys, “time cards, spreadsheets, and pie charts”.
I learned today that the company did look at the iPhone but is going to stay with our Blackberry service. I was told the deterrent was that the iPhone does not support encrypted email.
I was also told today – and this is the other big suprise – that the company is looking into getting the iPhone to support encrypted email. With whom the company is working with – Apple, AT&T;, or the software encryption provider – I’m not sure.
For my conserative company to even consider the iPhone (we’re a PC shop all the way – I’m typing this on my *trusty* Dhell laptop) is nothing short of remarkable.
Peace.
Gotta love it. Now the iPhone might be too good for it to have a chance to gain acceptance in the Enterprise.
The iPhone WILL make significant inroads into Enterprise. Its the best smart phone on the market and with Outlook compatibility and push email it on a level playing field as RIM. Oh, and its a handled computer.
-b
@ Demon
Excellent point!
RIM will continue to dominate in the large enterprise space without question. iPhone will fare very well in small and medium sized businesses where the end user makes the choice as to what device to carry. The shotgun approach (and that’s what it is) to offer exchange integration and remote wipe is not enough to mount a serious threat to RIM’s large enterprise mkt share. How many corporations want to open their firewalls to incoming pings from devices to simply check if the mail server has another message? All it’s dong is syncing actively (i.e. active-sync), not pushing the info one way only. RIM’s offering goes so much deeper than that – and they continue to add functionality. The real issue here is that the market for smart phones is exploding and both platforms will sell tons of devices in the coming years.
Of course the iPhone has amazing software behind it that will get better over time, but end users love choice. As an example, for some, the lack of keyboard will always be a problem and that person would never buy an iPhone. Whether you think this is stupid or crazy or that the person is a moron, that simply doesn’t matter. What matters is to them, that one feature is a problem and that’s their choice.
Go ahead and flame away but the truth is that any smart phone maker that delivers value to the end user will prosper. I see both RIM and Apple doing that, but in slightly different ways.
Personally, I love my iPhone, but it stays in the drawer in favor of my BB until vacation comes, when I care less about instant emails and more about the browser and iPod. This is what works for me.
The company execs will demand iPhones, and the IT staff will have to comply. Of course, it depends on how demanding the execs will be, but IT staffs don’t have the power they used to have.
RIM will continue to dominate their existing clients. People love their crackberrys and that’s great. But Apple will take over any new smartphone market growth.
Think about it. After more than a decade, RIM has about 15 million subscriptions. Apple, after less than a year, has already sold 6 million iPhones. They will probably sell 15 million iPhones in the next 6 months!
RIM will continue to earn a nice, steady profit for a while, (like MS) but growth? All new growth will go to Apple.
Most 20 to 30—somethings will not buy RIM when an iPhone has 90% of its functionality plus the best multi–media and internet features.
I just want to say that many companies have “web portals” these days where you can access all sorts of info; and also various web apps. Especially when there is an international group. So I wouldn’t immediately presume that many will see Safari as a hindrance.
A good mix of comments but the majority of them are 1. apple fans (we are on MDN) 2. consumers.
I oversee and support 3,000+ mobile devices 2,300 of which are various Blackberries. I have been a iphone user since prior to the public launch and part of the OS 2.0 beta since build 1. The iphone is coming along and is comparable functionality wise to Windows Mobile on Exchange. It will not “take over” as it is lacking many of the things why Blackberry is our standard:
Device management
Device reporting
Device encryption
Device granual policy
The current build still doesn’t have a working password policy, after you type is X invalid attempts it should ERASE, it just goes through a series of auto locks and eventually you just connect it to Itunes to unlock .. the password timeout also has a 4 hour option and not picking up the global exchange setting of 30 minutes.
Perhaps OS 2.5 or 3.0 will correct things things as I expect another beta or two prior to the relase in “early July” but until then we will not approve use of the iphone and currently have zero plans to offer it. I’m sure the typical “I need the latest gadget” executives will ask for it and we will provide it but since Exchange connectivity is governed by our security group and you need active directory perimissions turned on it’s a moot point to bring a personal one in.
All the things mentioned about iphone are true .. it’s a fantastic device, great screen, nice browsing but I didn’t see any major business applications to stop deploying Blackberry (which we do 30-50 times a week)
Great consumer device, fantastic option for small/medium businesses and for those that don’t have such rigid SEC/HIPPA security requirements.
On another side, what large company is remotely interested in having to deploy and manage Itunes??
“There will be nothing to stop us this time. . . “