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AT&T to Target iPhone to Business Customers?

iPhone is not going to sell to business users.

No MS Exchange support
No Blackberry support
No viewing and editing of MS Office docs
No real keyboard for heavy email users

The iPhone will sell to young people with alot of disposable income (or rich parents)
 
peestandingup said:
Microsoft is gonna make themselves look stupid in a few months when there are indeed apps that'll open/create word files & when other 3rd party apps are released for iPhone.

Saying that the user "cannot install applications on" the device is just stupid of them to even say. Oh, really Microsoft?? Last time I checked, no one said you wont be able to install apps on the phone, just that they will have to pass Apple's tests, like the iPod games are now.

How 'bout shuttin' up until we know the specifics, MS??
Click to expand...

iPhone runs a stripped down version of OS X, right?! Maybe it will run a stripped down version of Boot Camp called "Bootee Camp"?! Bootee being defined as... A soft, usually knitted shoe for a baby. Get your mind out of the gutter folks! Anyway, with Bootee Camp, you can run a stripped down version of MS Office and other stripped down version of other apps. That's if Bootee Camp isn't overshadowed by Parallels stripped down software "Lateral" for iPhone😀
 
I am getting an iPhone the second I can, but:

chabig said:
Looks like they fixed it. But as long as the battery is CHARGABLE, who cares whether or not it's removable?
Click to expand...

um..me. I would love to be able to have an extra battery. I know I should always plug it in while I'm driving...but I wont. And I am going to often have a dead iphone.

as far as business goes, I'll use it for business, but I am not a business user, I am a designer.

I saw a business user once...on a plane to chicago, befor the plane took off...it was crazy! He was like a high speed robot typing on his pda faster than I could ever type on a keyboard...called 6 people in 5 minutes, talking about profits and margins and other "businessy" stuff...all while drinking 3 screwdrivers. The clicking of his little keypad is how we all knew he was important...very important. The iPhone is not for him.

I have small clients, I consider them friends. I care more about the last episode of survivor than the stock market. My desktop picture will probably be a picture of my daughter playing at the beach or a picture of my wife's boobs. I am not important 🙂 The iPhone is for me.
 
I do not know how much I can believe something that starts out factually incorrect. Cingular bought AT&T and then decided AT&T was a more recognizable brand. Accordingly they switched the name. This was all over the Wall Street Journal, among others, a few months ago.
 
No one here is mentioning small businesses. They probably already have some IT solution and a tech guy or two, but this would go far in extending their ability to work outside the office. They dont need to view office documents or anything other than make phone calls and read/answer emails while they drive around all day (not while they drive hopefully, you get what I'm saying).

They dont think much about what happens if the device is stolen or whatever, they just want the increased productivity.

For these folks a blackberry, Q or blackjack is overkill and probably too complex for them to setup. If Apple keeps it simple and offers the key features, it could be a boon for mobile productivity in the small business space.
 
peestandingup said:
Microsoft is gonna make themselves look stupid in a few months when there are indeed apps that'll open/create word files & when other 3rd party apps are released for iPhone.

Saying that the user "cannot install applications on" the device is just stupid of them to even say. Oh, really Microsoft?? Last time I checked, no one said you wont be able to install apps on the phone, just that they will have to pass Apple's tests, like the iPod games are now.

How 'bout shuttin' up until we know the specifics, MS??
Click to expand...

Well said. Mind you it is fun to see MS folk obviously getting worried about all things Apple these days.

Meanwhile many folk dare not even open an Office doc for fear of having their Windoze Boxes taken over by aliens.

Maybe Apple will have a version of iWorks on the iPhone which can safely open MS docs.
 
SirOmega said:
No one here is mentioning small businesses. They probably already have some IT solution and a tech guy or two, but this would go far in extending their ability to work outside the office. They dont need to view office documents or anything other than make phone calls and read/answer emails while they drive around all day (not while they drive hopefully, you get what I'm saying).

They dont think much about what happens if the device is stolen or whatever, they just want the increased productivity.

For these folks a blackberry, Q or blackjack is overkill and probably too complex for them to setup. If Apple keeps it simple and offers the key features, it could be a boon for mobile productivity in the small business space.
Click to expand...

Correct, self employed and small companies with little or no paranoia, would love the iPhone and the cool factor.
 
dadrop said:
I am getting an iPhone the second I can, but:



um..me. I would love to be able to have an extra battery. I know I should always plug it in while I'm driving...but I wont. And I am going to often have a dead iphone.

as far as business goes, I'll use it for business, but I am not a business user, I am a designer.

I saw a business user once...on a plane to chicago, befor the plane took off...it was crazy! He was like a high speed robot typing on his pda faster than I could ever type on a keyboard...called 6 people in 5 minutes, talking about profits and margins and other "businessy" stuff...all while drinking 3 screwdrivers. The clicking of his little keypad is how we all knew he was important...very important. The iPhone is not for him.

I have small clients, I consider them friends. I care more about the last episode of survivor than the stock market. My desktop picture will probably be a picture of my daughter playing at the beach or a picture of my wife's boobs. I am not important 🙂 The iPhone is for me.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the phone and you are a match made in heaven.

PS. Interesting choice for photos, LOL.
 
who really cares who they market it to?
you'll probably hear about it one way or another. if you want it, you'll get it.
the only downside to marketing it towards businesses is that the ads might be lame.
 
Minor point here...

I think the order of company aquisition is...

1. Cingular buys AT&T wireless. Get rid of the name, the network is just Cingular.
2. SBC buys Cingular.
3. SBC buys AT&T. Changes name from SBC to AT&T.

So AT&T has been aquired in parts and then come back together as a mostly different company.
 
maxp1 said:
I think the order of company aquisition is...

1. Cingular buys AT&T wireless. Get rid of the name, the network is just Cingular.
2. SBC buys Cingular.
3. SBC buys AT&T. Changes name from SBC to AT&T.
Click to expand...
Nope.

Cingular was a joint venture between SBC and BellSouth. They bought AT&T Wireless. SBC bought AT&T and renamed itself AT&T. AT&T bought BellSouth so Cingular was owned only by AT&T.
 
john7jr said:
Did you even see the announcement? It includes Push email... it comes with a free Yahoo Push email account. No doubt Google and Mac OS X Server will support that soon as well, yada yada...
Click to expand...

I did see the announcement, and I had forgotten that he had said that. Apple doesn't mention PUSH email on the iPhone pages.
 
Clearly those who are defending lack of app support seems to be out of touch with reality.

Just ask your neighbour crackberry addict 🙂
 
Exchange server support is the one absolutely necessary function for business use.
I've got a company issued Blackberry. It's great to be able to receive e-mails anytime, anywhere.
But to say the interface is non-intuitive would be an understatement.

It wouldn't take much for the iPhone to eat it's lunch!
 
I work at Cingular, err now the new AT&T and today while fixing a customers account I saw that they have loaded the codes for the iPhone plans in the system. Not too descript, but they are APL1 and APL2 listed at $0.00 for the recurring monthly charge. This will probably change, but I have no doubt that AT&T will find a way to completely f**k this up the way they always do. They are a reactive company, not proactive. When Verizon does something we respond the next week. Very rarely have I seen the new AT&T have a vision and a keen eye for marketing.
I am hoping for the best, but I know better.
 
That's the deal breaker as far as business is concerned IMHO, MS Exchange push (ie Good) and there is nothing holding business back. Most of the high power dudes I know want this phone, it just has to sync to their office. Provide a piggyback power source backup (which I know there is for iPod) and it's a done deal.
 
Cingular seems to think this will be hugh

I have talked to several sales reps at several cingular stores and they all report and say the same thing. Every cingular rep wants one. They get dozens of people asking about the Apple Phone daily, price isn't the issue, they want to know if there is a waiting list and can they sign up. Cingular itself has over a million people signed up just to be notified when the iPhone is available (more interest in this product than any product in there history) and the stores feel they will offer a special event the day the phone becomes available. They anticipate a mob scene and they are probably right to expect it. They also seem to think that Steve Jobs estimate of 1% of market share is conservative. I tend to agree.
 
EagerDragon said:
Possible, but they maybe going after the small corporations that are not as security concious.

At my company, it would be a very hard sale without all the security features I mention previously, a server that pushes encrypted emails to the device, the ability to return encrypted emails back to the mail server, and the ability to lock the device so no unauthorized applications can be loaded or run.

Maybe Apple has all this coming, but not by June, maybe in a year or so, Rev2 or 3.
Click to expand...

Or maybe sell to corp. using macs, when it comes to companies running primarily windows machines then the iPhone doesn't have much luck. My company has only allowed a very very small # of macs les than 0.33 % of end user machines are macs and they needed a business case wih their Director approval and our IT Director approval as well.

iPhone for us? No chance. If it doesn't integrate with Exchange then you have zero chance to even get it to the point of being considered. Too many companies won't allow it as it won't synch with their mail servers. Crackberry users won't cope with that.

Now in the small busines market I think you will get some moderate sales as the person wanting the device is the person paying the bills and they only need to justify the cost and integration issues to themselves and maybe their spouse 🙂.

The phone definately has some neat features, but business ready it is not. Maybe in v2 or something when they take care of some of these issues will business really come on board, though I would inclinded to say that windows based businesses will stick with windows based phones or newer blackberry versions as they are released.

Keep in mind, large companies that have blackberrys normally have blackberry servers inhouse and they cost $$$ to setup and maintain, so you would need a good reason to swich your servers (hw or sw) and your devices. Not a wise decision to make without some really good features.
 
Exactly!

jfruh said:
Honestly, my understanding is that one of the things that most terrifies corporate IT departments is employees downloading and installing any old thing on their laptops or cell phones. They might see the limited ability to install apps on the iPhone as a plus.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. From a corporate IT perspective, this is a Feature!
 
What we've been waiting for

Think about it. There is no doubt that Apple will sell millions of these phones despite it's high price. But for it to really be successful it will need more than the Mac faithful to take it to the next level. Clearly corporate users could be a nice market for the device.

However, Apple is really not in the enterprise is a serious way. The real issue is wether it would work with Exchange. But Apple has it's own Excahnge equivalent coming in October with Leopard Server's calendaring software.

Exchange is expensive. Start with $700 for the application itself. Then add about $67 per user for the CALs. Then add another $3000 - $4000 for a nice server to run it on. Depending on the size of your company, that's some serious money. Now compare that with Apple's $3000 Xserve which comes with Leopard calendar and no CAL restrictions. It does everything Exchange does pretty much (and probably better).

It's very competitive. Will Apple push it? Will they try to sell Xserves as Exchange replacements? If a large corporation like AT&T were to back it that might help. Could this be an incentive for Apple to start pushing into the enterprise? I think it might be. Apple certainly has a vested interest to see the iPhone succeed.

Here is a product that might encourage Apple to be more aggressive with their server line. I think they can do what would have seemed impossible just a few years ago -- take market share away from Microsoft in the enterprise.
 
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