Is the iPhone an effective business phone?
Posted on 10 July 2009, at 6:05 pm, by Carly Z
Well Engadget fired a shot across the bow today…Editor in Chief Joshua Topolsky wrote up a well-reasoned rant on why his iPhone is a poor business tool.
Personally, I agree with many of his points. One of the reasons I walked away from my first-gen iPhone after a year and a half was because it boggled my mind that I couldn’t get a simple alarm on my tasks. Of course, now I can, if I don’t mind having my tasks bounce between servers (and as long as I have a decent AT&T signal).
I’ve said for a while now that Apple does not want the iPhone/iPod Touch OS to become a PDA OS. It makes no sense why Apple wouldn’t allow 3rd party calendar makers to access the calendar databases or sync with iCal through iTunes. Or why Bluetooth has finally opened up, but not to a hardware keyboard. Because everything that needs to be typed should be done virtually, apparently. Unless you use the most hacktastic approach possible.
Before you jump all over me, I am an Apple fan. I am writing this on a MacBook, and I plan to buy a new MacBook Pro soon. But my MacBook is not one-size-fits-all. Is the iPhone a great phone? Yes. Is it perfect? Far from it. Does it work FOR ME? Absolutely not. And apparently not for poor Josh either.
So did anything in the Engadget rant ring true for you? Or are they just being haters? Sound off below!
Via Engadget
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motionmind Says:
July 13th, 2009 at 11:00 amUnfortunately I have to say no on this one…”Is the iPhone an effective business phone?” – http://shar.es/CNf2
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July 10th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
It strikes me that his biggest issue is the lack of a hardware keyboard. The thing is, this is a personal taste issue not a “work device/non-work device” issue. I personally am not a fan of hardware keyboards. I thought I would never like having a virtual keyboard but, after using the iPhone for a year and a half, when I went back to try out a host of devices with a hardware keyboard I kept coming back to the iPhone. Not only is it now my preferred mode of text entry but I don’t like using a physical keyboard and would not want one on the iPhone.
My point it, one device doesn’t fit all and a keyboard does not make or break a business device. It depends on the user.
Background apps… yup, we should have the option to run one or two. It is a bad call no matter how you slice it.
And as you point out so wisely Carly, the fact that bluetooth headphones are finally a go but a bluetooth keyboard is not is just dumb.
All I know is, in the past few months I have tried two Windows Mobile devices, a Nokia e71 and, after reading the piece just now, my sister’s Blackberry Curve. It is FAR from perfect but me, I’ll take the iPhone for work AND play. Different needs and tastes… different devices.
Hey that’s why there are different flavors of ice cream too!
July 10th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
This past week I alternated using my iPod Touch to enter notes and also my Psion Revo … did pretty well with the Touch but definitely prefer the hardware keyboard of the Revo.
July 10th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
I write a fair amount on my iphone and I found that for foreign character entry, it is EASIER on the iphone than on my computer because of he press and hold feature that pops up all the specialized characters associated with a given letter. It’s better than my computers, better than WinMo or any other keyboard I’ve used for that purpose. Why isn’t everyone doing that?
July 10th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
I do think that a serious enterprise class device needs a hardware keyboard but that’s just me. I even wrote about it being a big deal in a review on my site (http://www.clintonfitch.com/re.....efault.asp) and got more than a few flames throw my way for making such a “stupid” statement.
I spend a lot of time talking to people in enterprises around communications and it seems that a keyboard is a big deal. The other big deal is seamless, easy and responsive ability to get email (be it Blackberry Enterprise Server – BES or Exchange). It’s not a blanket statement but it is one that seems to hold true 90% of the time.
At Spanlink we have several employees who use iPhones and have no problem using them in our enterprise environment. Likewise we have customers who do the same. I don’t think it is the best solution out there but it is a solution – if it fits your needs.
For me, the ability to edit Word and Excel files is a big deal and Windows Phones do that best – hands down and no I won’t argue with you on it.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
I can’t quite understand why there is this need to label with absolutes. It is a business device/it isn’t … It is a media-centric device/it isn’t. The beauty of the current tech-landscape is that there is a wide variety available. That means different businesses can find different devices depending on their needs. Similarly different individuals can choose the devce that works best for them.
Moreover, I’m not sure you can use broad strokes when defining a “business device” either since different work environments have different requirements.
Where I think the iPhone misses the boat is here- of all the current devices I believe it has the greatest potential to be attractive to the greatest audience. It would be simple to add a removable keyboard for those who need one. Apple won’t allow it. It would likely work well to have two or three chosen apps running in the background. Apple won’t allow it. With just a bit
more flexibility the iPhone could be even
more useful to more people than it is now. But not until Apple allows it.
July 11th, 2009 at 6:11 am
I listen to Engadget podcasts regularly. On the last one Nilay, Paul and Joshua all sheepishly admitted if they had to leave the house with one device it probably would be the 3GS (actually I think Paul was sticking with 3G).
In comparison to other phones – I think the iPhone is kicking ass. Taken by itself as a business tool – it has a lot of shortcomings. But fewer than most competitors.
I think for me the biggest flaw on the iPhone is email. I can live with the on-screen keyboard. I absolutely need a GREAT push email experience with Gmail. The fact that this is STILL not available boggles my mind and actually causes me to carry a BlackBerry for heavy duty emailing.
July 11th, 2009 at 6:20 am
Agreed Wayne, the iPhone email experience is just weird…I thought it was just GMail, but I’ve been using Nokia Mail on my E71x and I get mail before the GMail website even shows it!
I think it comes down to the fact that different people want different things from their phones…one of my co-workers commented right before the Pre launched that he couldn’t see why someone wouldn’t just move to AT&T and buy an iPhone, unless they really liked Sprint. We had a long discussion about why there are lots of other phones out there that might be better than an iPhone, but I’m still not sure I convinced him…I think he thinks I don’t use an iPhone because I just like fiddling more.
Which is part of it, but I also like alarms on my tasks. I feel like a broken record. Alarms, meet tasks. Tasks, meet alarms. If a 15 year old Palm Pilot could do it, why can’t the iPhone?
July 11th, 2009 at 7:42 am
“If a 15 year old Palm Pilot could do it, why can’t the iPhone?”
Ditto my 20 year old HP200LX …
July 11th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Where the Engadget article “missed the boat” for me is in regards to addressing in any manner what TYPE of work/business one is involved in. That’s the “big” argument here — “business users” at large. Let me expand, the author of the Engadget piece is their Editor-in-Chief. OK, his business is “New Media” or Blogging. This type of role could very easily incorporate any model device or mobile OS on the market today and still “get the job done” so to speak. To be frank, this individual experience boils down to a personal preference on data input and the ability to multi-task. While I appreciate the one-person viewpoint in the piece, it misses the larger argument that most companies and employees couldn’t use an iPhone for internal company business today if they wanted to.
Huh? What? Blasphemy? Let’s be honest, when addressing “business” and mobile device, the water is much murkier than that article would have us believe. How many large enterprises incorporate the iPhone into their internal employee deployments vs. WinMo or BlackBerry? If the person works for a large company, it is very unlikely they’ll be able to utilize an iPhone for internal company business.
Why? Most IT departments aren’t going to integrate iTunes as a distribution method for employee mobile device deployments. Right or wrong, today this is still the case. That’s not to say a blank “all” companies, but the vast majority are still going to go with a WinMo or BlackBerry/BES solution today.
IT departments face a battle convincing (if they even “champion” the iPhone as a business tool to begin with) the CTO, CFO, etc. to use iPhones internally. Sure, some PR firms do it. Mac-focused businesses (graphic design, video, etc) will also go this route. Some small businesses may do it, too — if they are not paying for the employee’s device or service.
By and large, though, these are businesses where the employee would be allowed to use *any* mobile device because all they are doing is CHECKING EMAIL only.
There are certainly ways today to integrate iPhones into the enterprise, but honestly, how many companies are actually doing this today? A lot of corporate employees carry an iPhone for personal use, and another device that is “tied” to their corporate infrastructure (corp email, intranet, internal company databases and applications). There is not, however, a one-size-fits all solution — fanboyism or particular mobile platform allegiance aside. This is also putting aside one’s (or one’s company’s) carrier network. Today, companies using Sprint or Verizon or any other carrier besides AT&T cannot even consider using an iPhone for business. And, those on AT&T have to consider the actual dependency on the network. If you’re in an area that will drop calls or not maintain a persistent data connection, it doesn’t bode well for you or your business.
My expectation is that, over time, the trepidation over deploying iPhones for business use will change. I just don’t see Apple giving businesses a “crippled” or modified iTunes distribution method for employee-distributed iPhones. Keep in mind, a lot of large companies still pay for their employee’s devices and service. In this common scenario, the employee does not “own” the device. It’s an issued tool for company business just like a corporate laptop. With a company issued BlackBerry or WinMo device, most employees understand (albeit begrudgingly), that there can be IT policies and restrictions on the device — meaning there may be limits to what functions or applications that an employee can use, access, or even install.
Now take that frame of mind with an iPhone “as a business tool” (the entire Engadget argument). Frankly, there would be a bloody riot if an employee was issued an iPhone with any such restriction (which, today, is not as nearly feasible compared to how WinMo or BlackBerry/BES devices can be controlled via server IT policies).
If you need to view RSS feeds, view sites on the web (public, not behind a corporate firewall via a company’s INTRAnet) then you’re going to be able to do everything with an iPhone. But, that same statement is true if you are using a Nokia e71, TouchPro, BlackBerry 8900, G1, or host of other “smart” phones. But, if that is the case it again boils down to “personal” and not “company” preference.
To date, there have not been to many (or any?) large scale (10-20,000) corporate iPhone deployments. I am focusing on the “corporate” / business aspect because Engadget’s article emphasized business use. Again, a vast number of employees today
Yes, there is a remote wipe/kill function now for the iPhone. Yes, the iPhone can be integrated with Exchange for company email. Accessing internal company applications and intranet sites? Not so much, by and large. That is not the case with WinMo or BlackBerry devices on BES (the enterprise server), which — love ‘em or hate ‘em — are the bread and butter of large business users because of the granular security and encryption provided via their backend server infrastructure.
To me, if a large number of device users cannot access their actual business data via their mobile to begin with — that limits how a device can be a business tool. If the “business” use is merely checking email? Sure. Surfing the web? OK. Reading RSS feeds? Check. Playing games or watching videos on company time? Double check. Pulling data from an internal SAP or Oracle database behind your client’s or employer’s firewall? Not so fast.
There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. This is, however, the “crux” of the argument for most companies and employees — not a physical versus virtual keyboard, or even multitasking/apps running in the background when many employees aren’t going to be able to put their device on a business network to begin with. Apple is not going to “cripple” or limit iTunes for a carrier or a business so that IT departments have more granular management of corporate iPhones. Most (large) companies just don’t want to put iTunes on their corporate network — and cannot even consider going down that path without an alternate to iTunes. Let’s be honest here, most employers (especially if they have paid for the device and want specific return on investment from you as a “mobile employee”) don’t want you installing games or purchasing music on company time.
Do not get me wrong, Apple has set — and will continue to set — the standard for a popular mobile media device that *can* be used for work/business. I’ve been able to multitask, check email, surf the web, stream music via A2DP bluetooth, and (yes) shoot and upload video from mobile devices for quite some time before the 3GS. But, again, the iPhone now handles these features more elegantly (I won’t cross into “better” since that is also personal preference). Add the fact that I’m not rebooting an iPhone frequently like “other” devices because of memory leaks or JVM errors…and that is another benefit that is checked off in my “happy user” experience box.
Yes, I realize the Engadget piece is strictly one person’s point of view and “user experience.” Just look at how many comments and discussions it has sparked as a result. But, that article neglected to address the “business” needs and requirements that must be touched on for the majority of users/employees/actual businesses.
Will corporate America catch up and embrace the iPhone as a business device for employees? It’s gonna take a while…
July 11th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
They say it is all in the timing…
Palm Pre Users Complain About Lack of On-Screen Keyboard
July 11th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
My employer has considered the iPhone as an option for our department (IT) and decided against it. Our main purpose of issuing cell phones is communication, whether verbal or email, although text-messaging isn’t allowed (not on our plan). It is nice to have certain documents and spreadsheets available for reference as well, but not everyone uses that.
We use WinMo and Blackberry devices. We will assist “certain individuals” (read: Executives high enough up the corporate ladder) in setting up email on their own personally-owned iPhones, but they have to sync at home.
We are one of those corporations that Jason refers to above, that doesn’t want iTunes on our network. If we find it on a PC, we remove it, and we block access to the Apple App store in our firewall. Our industry, healthcare, requires that employees pay attention to their jobs because, quite literally, lives can depend on it. Personal cell phones aren’t allowed, especially in clinical areas. There’s also the issue of bandwidth used by dozens of employees downloading games, apps, music or videos.
Right now, the iPhone doesn’t make sense for our business.
July 12th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
You know, we are in the process of “pulling back” and not issuing mobile devices even to people who DO need them. So people are making due with their own, and guess what’s starting to appear more and more and more? the iPhone.
IT departments are ALWAYS behind user trends. IT was late to accept Novell Netware, they were late to accept Windows, and mobile devices, and Treos – the list is endless.
Whether or not the iPhone is a good business tool – from an IT/corp perspective – is IRRELEVANT. What users want to use WILL ultimately decide the day (at least until the “next big thing”). IT departments and the necessary tools will ultimately follow. Welcome to modern computing!
September 5th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
I saw this in a “membership” store a couple of days ago. Sadly, it does not allow anything other than syncing to the attached PC, BUT it shows a Possibility. http://gadgetophilia.com/ihome.....d-docking/