Naw, come on Mike. You can’t imply it can be a serious business device and then acknowledge its shortcomings in the PC world. Corporate America won’t switch to Mac any time soon (if ever). Too much has been invested and Microsoft has gotten very good at backwards compatibility for most of their applications and operating systems. The fact that this phone 1) probably won’t be able to sync with exchange and 2) isn’t going to allow any 3rd party apps means it’s useless for business.

LOL That’s what I’ve been telling everybody I know, you’ll eventually switch over. Might as well do it sooner than later.

“My recommendation is to simply throw out the PC and switch to Mac. You’ll do it eventually anyway. Might as well do it now.”

lol. That’s a good one. But I still think PC is better than Mac. Does that statement make me an idiot then?

For the iPhone to be a competitor in the corporate sector it has to do two things:

1) Be able to send secure email.
2) Be able to synchronize with various email platforms (Exchange probably being #1).

@ Jay, i’m never going to switch to Mac.

To who ever who says that the PC is better than a Mac watch out! Michael will most certainly insult you for having your own opinion! Although it will result in you getting well needed fame!

Besides needing seamless integration with PC’s, the other major factor is the keyboard. From the reports I have read, the touch screen keyboard is extremely tough to use compared to a QWERTY keyboard on a blackberry or other device.

Business needs text, and you need an easy way to input text fast, and in abundance.

@ Jerry - You’re missing out on a much better user experience. I used to be Anti-Mac until one of my clients had me work on his MacBook Pro with a 30″ Apple Cinema Display… I saw the light and converted :P.

no keyboard = limited usefulness

careful, mike…”killer” is not a word to be taken lightly (as in “killer app”).

That was my first thought. Between the ipods and now this, Apple is making some sweet nectar. Like hell I’m going to deal with icalendar though. I’ll probably hold out until the other manufacturers learn how to put a usable interface on their (pc-oriented) devices.

It’s ofoto, btw. Not oPhoto.

CG

Blah - I said from minute one it isn’t a business device - no one believed me. Purchasers of this device will be in very limited groups (I am happy to expand on these groups if someone wants).

And until Mac pricing becomes more reasonable, and software pricing the same, forget your argument about moving to Mac. And BG would tell you to forget your argument anyway.

And I thought you liked Vista now? From CrNo: “But whatever we do with it, it’s clear that Vista has come a long way since the pre-release betas. It’s a kick ass operating system.”

Don’t you think the iphone price will be too much expansive for mainstreet ?

Neither iPod nor Mac mini triggered a significant conversion amongst the PC church-goers to the Apple cult.

The more I hear and see the near ecstasy about iPhone, the more it reminds me of Microsoft’s Origami, namely, UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC).

I vividly remember the hype generated by Microsoft and its then high-priest Robert Scoble about how Origami (UMPC) would make the geeks wet their pants. Could Steve (”I’ll sue anyone who uses the word ‘Pod’ in its product”) Jobs be offering us something different?

Allen Stern,

Have you priced out a Mac recently? They are more reasonable now since the Intel switch.

As for the iPhone, is it meant to be a serious business device? Seems like Apple is shooting for the mass appeal of the iPod rather than the business niche.

Michael,

What, exactly, is your rationale that PC users will be switching to Macs? Have they been switching in droves over the past few years Apple has been running their “switch” campaign? Is there any data that Apple has been enjoying a strengthening of the 5% market share in the personal computer market that they currently enjoy?

So, they have had great success with the iPod. That is a device which dominated a practically open market. Nothing points to Apple’s dominance in the personal computer world.

You tend to distort facts to fit your own little fantasy world. Just because you and 9% of the Internet world are head-over-heels about something doesn’t make it fact. Take a look around at what middle America is buying and thinking. I think that’ll give you a better idea of future trends.

Stephen Sclafani - yes, I have priced them out, and they are still 2x or more higher than the pc equiv.

And yes, they are shooting for mass appeal.

Since when do guys in turtlenecks market serious business devices? Real life isn’t a cheesy 70’s sci-fi series.

It will be about as serious of a business device as the iPod is, which is to say business owners and professionals will buy it for themselves, but businesses will not buy it for their employees.

…you might want to wipe off your Kool-Aid Mustache

The iPhone is going to be neat & cool but it is not a business juggernaut:

reasons:
- no 3rd party apps (outlook, exchange, etc.)
- Pricing out of line with usefulness
- the Cingular-lock (* this is the real deal killer)

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/.....059,00.asp

“It’s unclear if the iPhone will be such a killer business device for PC users. My recommendation is to simply throw out the PC and switch to Mac. You’ll do it eventually anyway. Might as well do it now.”

Um, fanboy? Its a bit retarded to claim that everyone will be switching to a Mac soon enough, they’ve got what… less than 10% market share and the influx lately has been thanks to bootcamp– where users are STILL running Windows on occasion.

i bought a media center PC for $400 over the holidays (with
a 17″ lcd flat screen) and it suits my needs. I will switch when
the MAC reaches this price-point,

Of course it can be used as a business device… Look at cellular phones - they are the new “Gameboy”, yet they are used seriously by those who need productivity on the go.

Mike wrote:

“My recommendation is to simply throw out the PC and switch to Mac.”

Good recommendation. I went from a Mac to a PC, and am switching back to Mac (rather than going to Win Vista). Not that I “hate” PC’s or Windows, I just like the easy integration between all devices and the smooth hardware/software integration Apple is known for.

Am I the only one who thinks TC officially jumped the shark with this article?

Between this and the Digg-clone non-news, I am sensing diminished returns…

chrys - no, that happened long ago. My first jump the shark accusation came about a month after I started writing this blog.

The funny thing is that most PC lovers (many of the people above) have never tried a Mac. And if they have, it has not been since the release of OS X (trust me, I hated Macs pre-OS X too).

I am with Michael on this one, Macs are gaining market share quickly. Many people that currently love PCs will end up switching (unless MS really kicks it into gear, and Vista is just a start).

@Jason “Take a look around at what middle America is buying and thinking. I think that’ll give you a better idea of future trends.” - You do not look at middle America for future trends. This is why there is a fashion industry and auto shows. Future trends come from the fringe, not the center.

@Emanuel - It seems from my experience (and from what I have heard), many people install Windows thinking they’ll use it, but realize that they don’t actually need it and the Mac provides a better user experience (you don’t have to be a “fanboy” to realize that). Of course, there are definitely users that actually need Windows (I feel sorry for them) for a certain program. In 5 years almost all apps will be web-based or web-driven anyway (platform agnostic).

Wheew…now I can actually talk about the iPhone:

I agree with many, that the iPhone will not truly be a business device. But for Mac users I think it will be close enough and will accomplish most tasks.

I think Apple really blew it by partnering exclusively with a wireless provider. They really had a chance to “change the game”, now they are only offering a nice phone.

Mike, one month is hardly enough time to even get on the shark, let alone jump off it

re: mac vs win - the debate is so tiresome, can’t we all just let people use whatever they want without trying to convince them one way or another?

Use what you want and be happy, stop evangelizing favorites…

iPhone looks promising, but switching to an expensive Mac is out of the question for most of the people.

@24 aka “Mike”

if you’ve jumped ship and long since walked the plank, then who’s been writing the blog?? who’s been collecting the *successful* amounts of revenue ever since?

I’ve been using Macs for over 22 years. This device is a rebirth of the product line. I love my PC and know its place in Web development but the iPhone is the breakthrough device for this new Web resurgence. Once video is thoroughly embraced on the Web this device will make it real time and portable. The news broadcast every morning via FNN,Innertube or abc.com or whatever nbc is doing will make this the killer device. The killer app is there in the video content alone. Millions of commuters traveling to and from work with their iPhones watching their morning conference with a colleague or the news, sports, tv in general. Strengthen the signal broaden the bandwidth upload the content whether it is business conferencing via iChat or whatever app or consumer productions. This is not the Newton although that device was five years ahead of its time. I am a big fan of Jobs from the really early days and I will continue to be. He will be looked on later as an American original. Gates is another story. The problem is going to be the old VHS and Beta story. Will Jobs open this up for everyone or will he make the same mistake he did in the early 90’s. That remains to be seen.

well said chrys… its been said and done for years and years… i still remember the fights at CKS about it in 95.

No Fortune 500 company is going to roll out a phone who’s main advantage is the seamless ability to listen to music, watch tv shows and movies, and take pictures.

This is a consumer device targeted at 18-25 year olds, using Cingular, who already own a ps3, and 3+ ipods and must have the coolest gadget.

The real back-breakers are no removable battery and no native exchange integration. Not allowing 3rd party apps should seal the deal with corporations.

J

Most people don’t use the phone for business; they call friends and family. They do this when they’re driving, or waiting for the bus, or walking from place to place, or just being bored by whatever is happening around them. With that big color display, the iPhone is a potential advertising vehicle. You can give people ads with their “free” music or “free” videos.

As for the Windows vs. OS X wars…. the real action is happening in the Linux LiveCD scene. With Linux LiveCDs, you can change your OS (meaning kernel, libraries, and apps) with every boot. This week, my Windows box has become a dyne:bolic box, for some video work, and a Knoppix box for no reason at all. Next week, I’ll try out Musix, to test out audio editing software.

a blogger tells me to throw out my pcs and switch to a mac. let’s see ….blogging involves…

1) typing
2) responding to emails
3) watching videos on youtube
4) uploading pics from digital cameras

sorry mike. but real business involves a lot more than that. the pc has 95% market for a reason. we all can’t attend conferences and parties and write about it for a living.

Michael,

I appreciate your bluntness when encouraging people to switch. You understand through direct experience that Apple simply makes the best personal computer products, and encouraging people to switch is not an attempt to insult, but in fact a thoughtful and helpful suggestion.

The iPhone will be a “serious” business device because anything, ANYTHING, that make human communication more efficient results direct, immediate gains in productivity, and improvements in efficiency is the iPhone’s primary innovation.

-jeremy

Are you serious? I’d rather have an extra hole in my head than ever switch to a macinshit.

My corporation uses Microsoft exchange server limiting us to treo’s and Cingular 8125’s or anything else running windows 5.0 mobile.

Major corporations are not going to switch exchange servers. Heck, mine refused to switch to blackberry, for good reason I might add.

iHave iNever iConsidered iBuying iApple iProducts iBecause iT’s iJust iToo iExpensive. iBut iLike iPhone iMight iReconsider iOwning iAn iApple iDevice iN iThe iFuture. iBut iSwitching iTo iPC… i iDont iThink iSo…

I just wrote a comment and it said “duplicate comment detected”…

WTF…Ive never writtend anything like that before…I just said how my corporation would not switch exchange servers. We are limited to Cingular 8125’s and Treo’s.

This is exactly what I’m talking about. “macinshit”? Not exactly doing the pc crowd justice there.

Linux vs mac vs pc

tagline: We don’t need more fuel for this fire!

*Unsubscribes because of the Mac arrogance*

You all need to get your head out of this blog and go talk to an IT support person at a company to learn why they will not be purchasing this device. I’m in the business of supporting wireless devices for big companies and I guarantee you, they will not be buying and supporting these things any time soon.

But forget that. More importantly, how did Apple’s intro into the wireless telecom industry by announcing the iPhone become the first step in replacing the corporate computing environment? First they have to figure out how to make the damn thing work as a phone and a data device, learn how to coexist with Cingular and eventually other stodgy telcos and learn how to support a device that people think should work 7/24.

There’s no way they have the support systems in place to manage millions of these things that have to send email, make phone calls and send data transmissions along with playing a song or two. Providing support on telecom devices goes well beyond the break-fix issues they currently deal with on their consumer electronics devices.

The users primary requirement for the iPhone will be communicating, not entertaining themselves. While the average person is willing to live a few hours, days or even weeks without listening to a little music or watching some lame video they won’t live a minute without being able to communicate.

This is going to be fun to watch.

I wont use the iPhone for two reasons. 1) They will be a GSM only network- atleast for the first two years with their CRAPPY cingular deal. 2) No third part apps? Major buzz kill and thats is the reason why I love my Pocket Pc Phone.

The visual email is a killer feature.

You mean, “visual voicemail”? I think Cisco’s 79xx series desktop phones support that feature as well when used with something called Cisco Unity Express which is a voicemail product.

rich,

What, exactly, TF are you talking about? What’s to support? And how does, for instance, a Blackberry or a normal cell phone do it better.

E-mail: log into an IMAP account or forward. End of story. Phone: give out your Cingular number to your officemates. End of story.

Arrington is spot on and most of the rest of you are shallow and myopic ‘know it all’ twits.

The Real Genius of Apple’s iPhone
http://yahoo.businessweek.com/.....349467.htm

IPhone: Calling the Future
http://www.wired.com/news/tech.....=rss.index

PS - MSFT could never come up with an equivalent because Gates and Microsoft products are generally crap and stifle innovation

The keyboard problem isn’t critical I think. I don’t know whether Apple is going to use external keyboards with iPhone, but if they will decide to do it they won’t regret. First, external keyboard will make working with business applications easier. Second, Apple can make additional revenue selling such devices, “gadgets for gadgets”.

There’ll be enough iPhone fans to make their iTamagochi happier with new addons like keyboard.

Even if Apple refuse to make such turn, I think there’s a lot of talented designers and programmers who can use this possibility to make such unquestionably needed gadget for iPhone. For example, look at Art. Lebedev’s Optimus keyboard — they made it very fast and it is reprogrammable. I believe they or someone else is able to make external iPhone keyboard.

While everyone isn’t ready to switch off from PC, it is possible for third-party developers to make iPhone connector/plugin for Microsoft Exchange or whatever. And the team (or hacker) who will do it first, will make pretty tasty money.

Stephen,

“What’s to support?” Hopefully Apple knows a little more about what they just got themselves into than you do, but that’s what’s going to be fun to watch.

Probably I meant something between the Optimus Keyboard (beforementioned) and Optimus Mini one.

LOL @43 india I too would hope this thing has visual email LOL

I may be burned at the internet stake here, but I have to stay true to what I believe.

I believe the iPhone is and will be a “fad” device. I would say it’s equivalent to the original Tickle Me Elmo fad.