The iPhone 3G as a Business Tool – Part 2
Posted on 18 September 2008, at 7:00 am, by Christopher Spera
As I mentioned last time, I’ve had my iPhone 3G since iPhone 3G day, 11-Jul-08, almost two months. Before then, I put my hands on the iPhone at an AT&T store, but never truly spent any time with it. The iPhone 3G was released with a number of different Enterprise ready intentions, including 3G and Exchange support, among others. Is it ready for power users and road warriors alike?
Last time I talked about what I thought were OS related issues. Some people commented back and didn’t exactly see things as I did; and that’s cool. Its one of the things that makes Gear Diary a really cool place to write and visit – all of the differing opinions and ideas. Keep those comments coming!
If you remember, I said that I was going to tackle the following areas:
- Operating System
- Calendar
- Tasks
Today, I’m going to dive in and tackle some of the issues that I see with calendaring and iCal on the iPhone, as it relates to Exchange and Lotus Notes. I know, I know… NOTES?!? Please…
Is it just me, or is this screen a little cramped?
As I said, my current employer uses Notes. My last employer used Notes. I haven’t seen or used Notes since 1998, and the last 2 jobs were both Notes shops. <throws hands in the air> Whaddya gonna do..?
…But I digress… The point is, not everyone uses Exchange (do they Chris G.??), and an even fewer amount of companies use Domino; but as many people will agree, Exchange has a considerable installation footprint in the Enterprise. That’s THE reason why Apple included Exchange support in the iPhone. They want to play in that market. However, in order to be able to play there, the iPhone is going to have to have specific capabilities and Exchange-based features. Let’s see how it does…
Calendar
Creating Meeting Invitations on the Device
As a power user or road warrior, I don’t always have access to my PC or laptop. I don’t want to HAVE to carry one with me all the time, either. Having the iPhone 3G (or any PDA/Smartphone, really) with me, should be enough; and is with other devices with other operating systems and tools.
I live and die at the office by my calendar. If your meeting isn’t on my calendar (for whatever reason), its very likely, I won’t be there.
Interestingly enough, I’ve noticed I can create appointments (calendar events for myself) on my iPhone 3G, but I can’t create meeting requests, even if I know an e-mail address or have intended recipients in my Address Book.
Right now, the iPhone simply doesn’t support it. This is going to have to change, as hallway meetings and chance discussions happen and too frequently spark formal meetings. As it stands, this requires me to manage my calendar in two places.
Notice: the iPhone knows the difference between an Invitation and an Appointment…
First and foremost, the company I work for only (officially) supports Blackberry’s (or BB Connect, IF you can get it to work with your WM Device) as a PDA. The CIO wants an iPhone, and he has the IT Director trying to figure out how to get all of the device’s PIM components to sync OTA with Domino. He’s going to have an interesting time. Mail isn’t a problem. We can get mail to sync via POP3 if needed. The problem is Contacts and Calendar. Since the iPhone doesn’t support Domino at ALL, I’m not certain how he will address this. When they finally come to a decision either way, I’ll let everyone know what they did.
However, that still doesn’t resolve the issue that currently exists with meeting requests on the iPhone. It simply can’t create a meeting request. If I can’t create an invitation on my iPhone, I’m going to have trouble using it to continue to manage my calendar at the office. I’m left creating meeting requests in Notes (to get the people I need at the office at the meeting), and then again in Outlook or on my iPhone (so that it syncs with my device).
Consumers don’t (necessarily) need to create invitations (though I’m certain that some casual Smartphones users do…). Enterprise users do, though. Right now, regardless of what mail server you use, Exchange, Domino, or some other, this is a huge hole.
Viewing Free/Busy Time and the GAL
Oh, and by the way, when I create invitations on the device, I REALLY need to be hooked to the GAL (Global Address List) and be able to view Free/Busy Time. Without this, how in the world am I going to be able to schedule a meeting with someone at the office, who is NOT in my Contacts list, knowing they will accept it? Again, this is a huge hole, and something that, for business customers, regardless of mail server, must be addressed.
The screen shot above is from my Exchange Server. NORMALLY, people in the GAL have their free/busy time updated; but that’s something that you have to enable at the Server level. I know at one time, that was enabled for this Server, but it looks like its been turned off.
The screen shot below is from my Notes client at the office. The scheduler is a bit different than that in Exchange/Outlook, but its similar enough to see the point. I can’t do something like this on the iPhone at the current time.
For users like me, being able to do this on the device in some way, needs to happen. Again, I’m not always at my desk, don’t always have immediate access to a desktop system that I can log into to create the meeting, etc. What’s the point to having Exchange support if that support is missing key elements like this?
Categories vs. Multiple Calendars
I admit that this is a personal preference more than anything. I really like an integrated calendar where I can see everything all in one place. While I appreciate the ability to have more than one calendar here, but I’d like the ability to filter on categories rather than have things in different calendars. If need be, I can display just a specific category in my calendar and get the same thing as a separate calendar, BUT with the ability to have all of my events in a single calendar.
The biggest problem I have with individual calendars is that I don’t have a way, on the iPhone at least that I know of, to lay one over the other so I can see my whole picture for the week or month. Problem is, that at some point, if you have a calendar like mine, then things get too crowded at times. That’s where category filters come in handy.
If I can see events for work, along with just the personal events I want to see at any given moment on a single calendar so I know where all of my free time is going, then it helps me plan my time better…and let’s face it, calendaring is all about planning.
Accepting Invitations on the Device
Ok… this should be a no brainer. Unfortunately, it isn’t. Personally, I think this is one of the biggest cluster bumps in Apple’s Exchange integration, but again, this is just me. You may feel differently; and if you do, I’d appreciate hearing why in the Comments section, below.
There’s a disconnect between my iPhone, iCal and Exchange Server. When I receive an invitation/meeting request on my WM device, it shows up in Inbox. When I respond to it from Inbox, it disappears, creates the appropriate calendar item in my calendar (depending on my response) and gives me the opportunity to send a response back to the meeting organizer. Fairly seamless and logical, wouldn’t you think?
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| Invitation Notice Displays upon Arrival | Note the red notification ball on Calendar |
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| The button on the far right is the Invitation Inbox. Note the red notification ball |
When I receive and try to respond to an invitation on my iPhone, I wind up with problems. The invitation shows up in my Exchange synced inbox (so yes, there is a mail item in my inbox) AND one in iCal on the device as an invitation, effectively splitting the object into two pieces.
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| An invitation (first note) in my Mail inbox | The same invitation in my Invitation Inbox |
When I open the item in my inbox, Mail treats it like any other piece of mail. It’s just text with a couple attachments that you can’t do anything with. However, iCal tosses it into the invitation inbox. When I open it up there, I can respond to it; but the original message, again, the mail object, still remains in my inbox. If I open it up and respond to it on the desktop for any reason, I get a duplicate event in iCal. I may or may not get a duplicate event in Outlook (but I will get a dup on the device).
However Apple decides to respond to this, Apple needs to realize that they NEED to respond. Sending the invitation to iCal is fine, if and only if the object disappears from Mail after the iPhone puts it there. The device must also create some kind of response mail to the meeting chair and allow you to add a personal note before sending it out.
Again, this is a huge hole. I’ve got multiple instances of the same event on my calendar. I’ve got to remember to ignore my iCal inbox on my iPhone. Responding to invitations from my iPhone just creates problems right now.
In my opinion, Calendar on the iPhone is about 1/2 baked right now. The casual, home user side is solid. The business side isn’t quite there yet.
In order to get around the Notes/Domino sync issues, I’ve got Notes forwarding everything to my Exchange account. After mail is received there, things get goofy. In order to get around the object split problem, I have to go into Outlook or OWA, open the meeting request in my inbox and accept it there. Then it will prompt me to send or not send the response, add the item to my calendar, and interestingly enough, delete the object from my Invitation Inbox on my iPhone. The iPhone syncs it all without issues, but only after the items are where they are supposed to be.
Admittedly, I don’t sync to any other calendar, so I can’t say how this will or will not work with, say Google Calendar. I don’t know of many companies that use GMail or Google Calendar in the Enterprise, although I am certain there are some smaller companies that do.
Do you sync with Exchange? Have you noticed these problems? If you have, how are you getting past them? I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts in the Discussion area, so again, please keep your comments coming.
Next week, I’m going to wrap things up with commentary on Mail and Tasks. I also have a couple of ideas that might resolve these problems, if Apple will go for it. Stick around, folks… It only gets interesting from here!
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Red blobs on the calendar? - AVForums.com Says:
October 31st, 2008 at 5:59 pm[...] Red blobs on the calendar? Read about it here : The iPhone 3G as a Business Tool – Part 2*|*Gear Diary Its something to do with invitations. __________________ A Ton Sash [...]
September 17th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
You hit the nail on the head Chris – with all these points.
September 17th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
I have to second you on this one Wayne, glad that Chris went thru the pain before I did.. Come to think of it, I ditched my iPhone 3G and got the new Treo Pro instead
September 18th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
PocketInformant appears to be ready to launch for the iPhone: it will sync to its own database which will allow it (I hope) to correct these problems. I am having a problem which you do not mention, probably because you are not having it, but which I find very annoying: many of the appointments I create in Outlook (I sync wirelessly over Exchange) are not editable on the phone, because they come on as invitations (I have asked my guru, who uses an iphone, about it, but he doesn’t understand why this is happening, do you?)
September 18th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I forgot to mention what, for me, is the single most frustrating part of this “business” phone, the absence of a search function for calendar and contacts. The beauty of an electronic PDA lies in the ease with which you can find dates and numbers: how on earth could Apple leave a search function out? (GoogleFind is only a partial fix).
September 18th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
While you are correct that calendar does not have a search function, you are incorrect – contacts DOES have a search function. What I think you might mean is that you cannot search your Exchange GAL.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
@pradley,
While PI is a great tool, if it doesn’t make use of the standard iCal databases, then that’s a problem, IMHO. My experience has been that apps that do this often create sync issues at SOME point, requiring some kind of uninstall/reinstall and data cleansing activity. I’m not saying that PI will cause these problems at all; but it would be better if it used the iCal databases. It uses the standard PIM databases on the WinMo side. Alex must have run into a technical problem with using them to have done this this way…
As far as editing the appointment on the iPhone, my guess is that if you don’t own the invitation, you can’t edit it on the device. That’s what I’m seeing on my iPhone right now.
As far as search is concerned, Chris Gavula is right. Contacts does have a search function. Calendar does not. Were you talking about the Global Address List (GAL); or were you talking about a search function for Calendar?
September 18th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I should have expressed myself with more precision. The search function in Contacts is simply primitive: you can search by name only, you cannot search numbers, locations, notes or anything else. You can search by name in a print phone book, it’s the other search possibilities that distinguish the electronic method, and I think it absolutely unforgivable (yes, unforgivable!) for Apple to have left out something so basic and present in every other PDA or phone I have ever owned.
September 18th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I agree that the search features are definitely lacking, especially in what’s supposed to be a PDA type phone, but MANY phones only offer name-based search, it’s not that unusual. I definitely wouldn’t categorize it as unforgiveable.
I think that Apple has 2 main, business-related problems. One is that Apple has to better integrate the Exchange ecosystem experience (for those users that require Exchange services) into their own iCal/Mail/Contact model. They did a pretty good job getting the basics in place, especially considering the short period of time they’ve been working on it. Just like Apple has a leg up on the music/video player market, MS has a leg up on corporate email because they already own one of the most popular infrastructures. That makes it easier out of the gate for them. Also MS has had 8 years + to make the experience better. Many folk seem to forget how badly it sucked even a couple of years ago (remember the pre OTA days when ActiveStrink was the ONLY choice?). Apple has had something like 7 months to get this done – that’s it. Do they need to do more? Absolutely. Will they? Absolutely.
The second big problem they have is that they started with a personal focus, not a business focus. Despite the hoopla surrounding the notion of the 2.x firmware being more “business” oriented that does not necessarily mean it’s the best business tool or the best corporate tool. It doesn’t have to be – it was very successful as it was – all they had to do was make it business friendly enough. For many people they did that. For Exchange power users, however, they did not. Again, as time moves forward, I believe they will improve the product and features and if not, third parties will step in.
The iPhone has already changed dramatically since its initial release a little over a year ago. Unfortunately, I can’t say that the WM system has improved nearly as quicky, but I’m hoping the current pressure will lead to good changes on that platform as well. One thing’s for certain though – we haven’t seen the end of the changes to either platform yet!
September 18th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
“For many people they did that. For Exchange power users, however, they did not. Again, as time moves forward, I believe they will improve the product and features and if not, third parties will step in. ”
You’re right, Chris; provided Apple let’s them step in. It is very possible that Apple won’t let them step in because those functions “duplicate” existing functions on the iPhone. I can’t say that with certainty; but I wouldn’t be surprised. They did that recently with a podcasting app.
September 18th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Agreed, but when I realize that I can no longer categorize my appointments or find a person with a certain area code I begin to question my choice to go to the iPhone (from a MotoQ, when my Verizon contract ended). Nothing is perfect, and the iPhone is certainly more fun to use than the MotoQ. But I am not as impressed as you are by this business-ing of the iphone: my computer person had earlier – with some not especially complicated moves – sync’ed his first-generation iPhone with an Exchange server, what is so great about Apple being able to do it? I think we here all agree that as a business device, the iPhone is still not there (and it may never be, as the iphone remains, I think, mainly a consumer device): nothing makes that clearer to me than the number of people I have met who got the 3G phone, but continue to use their Blackberry. BTW, I know of no smartphone – the iphone is a smartphone, right? – that lacks the search features I noted.
September 18th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
You are Journey fan?
September 19th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Yes. I like vintage Journey. I haven’t had the chance to listen to any of the new stuff, though.
September 19th, 2008 at 11:57 am
This critique is interesting but I think it leaves out some important comparisons against other phones that can sync from Microsoft Exchange servers. Do those other phones provide the capabilities that you desire on the iPhone? I’ve owned phones with Windows mobile on them but my company doesn’t allow syncing with Exchange so I really don’t know what those phones do or don’t support.
Bottom line, Blackberry still owns the business market and for good reason, in my opinion. That’s a difficult market to break into and I think Apple is going the right direction by marketing to regular consumers and the like while building enterprise and business-friendly functionality over time. Blackberry has been in this market for many years now and it’s really not reasonable for Apple to catch up overnight.
September 19th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
@BK858, you’re right. This article didn’t compare the iPhone to any other phone. It wasn’t supposed to. What its supposed to do is draw attention to what the iPhone can/cannot currently do, while Apple tries to market it as a tool for implementation in the Enterprise. Over the last few weeks, we’ve pointed out some deficiencies that need to be addressed. Next week, Part 3 will look at Mail and Tasks, draw conclusions and offer a couple recommendations for Apple to resolve what everyone (myself included) has been commenting on here.
Again, it wasn’t meant as a reivew of one device over another. I know the BB has been around for a LONG time and has this space nailed. That’s not the point of the article. Again, I wanted to clearly point out and identify all of the growth points so Apple knows what its users want and need, IF they are to catch up at all.
I think they can catch up, and can catch up fairly quickly; but they are going to have to tackle some specific tasks. I’ll detail some of those out next week…
September 21st, 2008 at 12:30 am
But Chris you really didn’t address non-Exchange solutions and the success or failure of those. I really think it would be useful for you to explore those as well. You’re commenting on business readiness, but only in one dimension – the MS ecosystem. To do this topic justice, I’d like to see you expand the scope of your evaluation to non MS ecosystems.
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:51 am
Gavula, I agree, and the missing search function would be part of such a discussion, as would the absence of both a todo and memo part in the pim. If the iphone is going to be taken seriously as a business device, it simply cannot leave such features out, whatever success it may have at syncing with Exchange.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am
@Chris Gavula I will cover those briefly in the last part of this series; but its going to be much the same. I am not even going to install/try on MobileME’s sync solution, as its a freakin’ mess. I don’t know of anyone that is using it in a business setting right now. Its just too problematic. Also, I don’t know of anyone else that is using any other server/sync system. I don’t know of any that offers a complete enterprise level PIM sync, OTA, other Exhange (being a WM devotee, I haven’t had experience with any)…and again, MobileME can’t support this activity with any accuracy and dependability right now.
October 21st, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Hi all, absolutely agree with the shortcomings of the iphone from a “business” perspective. As an ex-BB power user, I tend to take these functions as something that should be standard.
However, I agree with the postitioning of the iphone as a consumer first then business second and am confident that Apple will get around to the “enhancements” that email/calendar users need.
I just switched from a samsung jack to iphone 3g with MS exchange/activesync and love the phone and multimedia functions. Leaps and bounds over samsung and BB. I’m even getting used to the keyboard (but did buy an istore app that allows for keyboard use in landscape mode).
Overall, am very happy with the iphone and I do use it everyday for business and personal use. All of my calendar is on it as well as my work exchange. Yes, the calendar invite is not the greatest on the iphone, but I can wait till I get to my pc/laptop to schedule a meeting.
Great reviews/feedback from you and all and I look forward to reading many more! I am glad I found this site in google search and will keep coming back.