After months of strict control, Apple welcomes software developers to build applications for the iconic gadget–and also gives it entree into Corporate America. The iTunes-controlled service will be free for iPhone users, but there will be a nominal fee for iPod Touch users.
The iPhone Opens up for Business
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSAlert.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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Does this mean that, in a strange and roundabout way, the Newton is back?
Looks like it, it looks like the device is finally going to be used to its full potential, I look forward to seeing what comes out in the next few months.
Not until they add copy & paste…
Agreed, that’s one thing I don’t know if I’d be able to get over… On the other hand, maybe one of the first apps will be a utility to let you do just that!
Perhaps you can think of it as “Newton-Lite” where they’ve seen the light: trying to do handwriting recognition doesn’t work all that well, and while it isn’t ideal, the virtual keyboard *does* have more flexibility than a hardware keyboard in terms of international usage with one hardware model that can go anywhere, anytime and can work as a phone (assuming phone plans don’t get in the way). That’s the one biggest thing that makes the iPhone more valuable from a practical standpoint than the Newton: the form factor is very good for a phone, though you could argue “it should be smaller” so it fits nicer in the pocket, but from a practical sense, what is a good phone form factor won’t have a large keyboard, and what has a decent keyboard will make something too large to be a phone, and requiring a stylus is one more problem to deal with from a usability standpoint, as well as a pocketability factor. I came to this conclusion years ago: if you need to do serious typing, it really needs a certain size that’s just not pocketable, and if you need a phone, it needs to be below a reasonable size: you really do need two devices to do their respective tasks well individually, instead of getting a single does-everything device that is mediocre or bad at all of them. Sure, you can use a phone to type messages on, but if you’re writing your next novel on one, you’re setting yourself up for more trouble than it’s worth. Thus, the PDA that tries to be the computer AND the phone in size is a sucky idea, because that’s just how reality is for anatomy.
Just watched the keynote:
http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/rtp20e92/event/index.html?int…
(thanks i3X171UM)
Those demo apps were quite awesome, and I must say, the iPhone and iPod touch strike me as 100% more interesting now that native apps will be available, and potentially as a developer as well. Spore, AIM, *Super Monkey Ball* with native tilt controls (!), perhaps Skype? the potential apps are quite tantalizing. Up until now I was rather disappointed that there would be no Java support for the iPhone, but honestly there’s nothing Java ME could do that couldn’t be done just as well or better with the iPhone SDK, and I expect there to be plenty of ports of existing Java games. There’s already a Java port for hacked iPhones anyway, so if you really want it, you can still have it–definitely not a dealbreaker.
The other enticing thing is the fact that iPod Touches will also be getting 100% of all the functionality, minus making phone calls. In fact, with Skype even that wouldn’t be an issue. No network lock-in or required contracts, and double the memory for the same price as the iPhone… That’s some pretty sweet value….
Yup, iPod touch owners are definite winners here (speaking as one very satisfied such owner).
The only downside is the ^aEURoenominal fee^aEUR for non-bugfix software updates, but frankly, $20 was cheap for the additional apps in January, and I have no doubt that a similar figure will be good value at the end of June.
If I understood the keynote correctly, there will be no additional fee for the iPod touch update in June… Jobs’ words were (approximately, if I recall correctly) “The iPhone OS 2.0 will be made available to owners of the iPhone and the iPod Touch in June, for free.”
I’m pretty sure he said iPhone for free, but iPod touch for a ^aEURoenominal fee^aEUR, but I could be wrong?
Steve Jobs can kiss my butt if he thinks I’m going to pay money for an upgrade. I have refused to pay the $20 for the 1.1.3 upgrade with the apps on my ipod touch.
So^aEUR| what, exactly?
Are you happy without the additional features?
or
Do you feel you’re somehow entitled to features which weren’t advertised as being available either then or in the future when you purchased it?
You don’t have to be rude to express your uninformed opinion. It has nothing to do with Steve Jobs wanting more money out of you.
Apple Accounting must charge for the update to the iPod Touch because the iPod Touch was purchased with a single fee. The cost of the iPhone, unlike the iPod Touch, is spread out over 24 months in Apple’s financial accounting, so the company can provide free software upgrades during that period.
All this is dictated by the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarbanes-Oxley
We encountered it before from Apple with the 802.11n unlocking software, remember?
The law, or at least Apple’s interpretation of it, which many other companies have also adopted, states that you can’t give away new features in software updates because if the features have value that would be cheating the stockholders.
Look it up before being rude. Free iPod Touch software updates would be illegal. The only question is what Apple charges for the update. Jobs says they aren’t trying to make money on it, so presumably it will be nominal.
Hope this explanation helps. I’m quoting a lot of stuff that I heard from accounting professionals. I took the time to understand why this happens and some people should do that before trying to paint all of this as being some kind of plot to steal money out of you. It’s not. Fair or unfair, it’s just the Law.
Edited 2008-03-07 23:14 UTC
Now if only they added a microphone so you can listen and talk
You mean a microphone like that:
http://touchmods.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/the-mics-are-ready/
That hefty price better drop drastically in order to get adopted by Corporate USA. $600 for a lousy pda-phone is way too much. I’s gimmick, it’s fluff, and it’s reserved solely for whiny execs and those who live in California.
Where did you get $600 from? You can get the 8 GB version for $400.
Not that $400 is cheap.
Never underestimate a corporation’s ability to spend, however. A couple of years ago, a new hire of ours showed off his own personal BlackBerry, and within a month, every sales and marketing employee had one. They’re now empowered to spend entire meetings distracted by incoming emails
That would be nice. Hopefully our company allows that. I would love to have this in my hands. I own the IPod Touch and it is by far so much better then any SmartPhone that I have had.
-j
http://www.rubioturf.com
Yeah, but I believe a Blackberry can be had for under $100. Minus the BES server fee, of course.
Hey, my company drops $400 per on equally, or more, lousy Palm Treo 680s. The president of my company actually said it best, though. “If I can do without one, so can everyone else.” How I wish they enforced that.
Well, with the coming ActiveSync Exchange stack, $400 is not that bad at all, depending on how well your IT department can manage the other new stuff coming with the SDK. And where in the world did you get $600? The more expensive of the two is $500, and I doubt many corporations will go for the 16GB model, which makes me wonder if you’re a troll or just a fool.
A troll…lol. How I love this site.
Sorry if I’m sounding troll-ish, but give me one good reason why the iPhone (or any other pda-phone) is so much more indispensable for business needs vs. a sub $100 smartphone (ie. Moto Q)
What I was referring to was your flameworthy misstatement of the iPhone’s cost. The most expensive one is $500, which I’m sure you already knew, yet you posted an outright lie and that tactic is usually done to start the flame wars on forums like this. If you were purely mistaken and meant no harm, I apologize, but to be honest I seriously doubt that. The price drop was really big news last year.
As for my opinion of it compared to other business smartphones, I’ve made it known in other posts. Just to sum up, even with the SDK and Enterprise updates I still don’t think it’s the best choice for most corporations. I think it will be a great fit with smaller companies and colleges, who stand to benefit the most from what was said to be coming in June.
I’s gimmick, it’s fluff, and it’s reserved solely for whiny execs and those who live in California.
You obviously don’t understand that the user interface and the pleasure and ease with which I person is able to operate a device are just as valuable as any list of “features”. Reliability is also a factor. These factors all take extra time and effort to develop, so I’d hardly call this kind of thing “fluff”.
After all, what good are “features” if they’re a pain to use or so hidden that they don’t get used at all?
for enterprise?
missing:
RSA SecurID Two-Factor Authentication
end-to-end AES or Triple DES encryption
over-the-air wireless IT policy enforcement (e.g. enforce security settings on devices, as well as impose device lock-down or wipe data from lost or stolen devices)
s/mime and pgp support
push email
role- and group-based administration capabilities
all the above is already available on non (gasp) Apple devices.
but iPhone has WEP encryption and safari and cute icons!
and this is what enterprise needs
according to this piece:
http://www.news.com/8301-13579_3-9888230-37.html
from first link cited.
Did you watch or at least read the transcript of the event today? Push email is part of ActiveSync, in fact it also pushes calendars and contacts. WPA2 and remote data wipes were mentioned as well. And as for the rest, if it’s also not going to be included, what’s stopping a developer or three from adding it to the software repository at a later time? You really should pay more attention to the source before spouting off half-truths.
And no, I don’t own an iPhone, I’m a Treo user, but this coming functionality is starting to look promising.
Edit: Just found this on AT&T’s business iPhone page, so scratch one more complaint:
“VPN support, including RSA SecurID, provides access to private corporate intranets”
More info at https://www.wireless.att.com/business/iphone/ . It looks as though there was already corporate support on AT&T’s end even before today’s announcement.
Edited 2008-03-07 02:37 UTC
I am talking bout devices that have these options available already for years.
So this does not sound interesting at all that iPhone will or maybe not – who knows – have these options in some future available.
I can sync all calendar, email, appointments for pretty long time. All the options mentioned above I have available on my smartphone.
It is ridiculous that iphone was released with WEP not WPA2 from the beginning.
3G/EDGE is not yet there it is planned for next iteration of iphone.
he, he try to use iphone (from ATT) on encrypted networks. Let me know how it goes.
Again calling the above features “breakthrough” would require additional info: old news for other devices.
push email on iphone?
this means that you never have seen real push email: you don’t wait when it is going to be delivered it is delivered instantly. Nobody I know with iphone was ever able to show me such trick while i can.
Edited 2008-03-07 03:01 UTC
Why the backpedaling, broch? This was an announcement of the coming enterprise functionality in the iPhone, and you originally took the position that it wasn’t coming at all. Yes, there are, and have been, other devices that exist for corporate use: Blackberry, Treo, and other purely PDA phones are excellent at what they do and will always outshine the iPhone at such tasks. The iPhone was never meant to be such a beast; it was, from the beginning, meant to be that bridge between a full-on PDA and a feature-rich fashion phone. It amazes me that now the iPhone is getting a hefty chunk of enterprise features, people like you come out of the woodwork to outright lie about it. Are you jealous? Do you want your more capable PDA to be less clunky or heavy or fragile?
PDA phones are made for heavy enterprise work and are what you should use if it meets your company’s needs. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. The iPhone isn’t made for that and trying to use it as such, even after the 2.0 update, will at best be a downgrade. But, for those smaller companies who don’t have billion-dollar trade secrets being emailed between phones, the iPhone is now a viable alternative to, let’s face it, much more expensive devices. I know I would rather pay $400 a pop for them than around $600-700 for the latest, ultra-secure, kitchen-sink-included PDA phone when my employees don’t need all that.
Bottom line, use the tool that fits your needs the best, and don’t kvetch about something someone else does find useful for their needs.
at which point I am lying?
Inability to really connect to enterprise networks?
WEP?
or something else?
smaller companies paying $400 a piece for a smartphone?
PDAs or BB are cheaper and much better (as you mentioned) equipped for such task.
if iphone is getting better, that is great, but no need to annoyingly claim “we are first in everything with breakthrough features” while neither first really not truly breakthrough
Please see my response to your frequent edits for the answer to that question.
Where did they say they were first? Stop your anti apple tirade and just admit the iPhone can meet the requirements that a lot of business users need in order to work come june.
Anti-Apple people are just as bad as the apple fanboys they argue with. Admit when you’re wrong and move on.
Listen, I’m not trying to get in to a flame war with you, but you keep posting inaccuracies and misquotes with every edit to your post. Let’s have some truth for a change:
Do a google search for “iphone wpa” and you’ll find countless articles, forum posts and other info stating that the iPhone currently supports WEP, WPA and WPA2 and that enterprise-class WPA2 is coming.
EDGE is, and always has, been there. 3G is not and won’t be until at least the next hardware revision. I’ll give you half-credit on that one.
Yes, that was mentioned as part of the 2.0 update. It will have true push email via ActiveSync/Exchange.
Yes, I’ve seen and used push email. Again, you are trying to discredit this announcement of coming features such as push email, by saying that the iPhone doesn’t already have it. Of course it’s not already there, otherwise there would be no need for the announcement! I really hope you get a healthy dose of logical thinking soon, this is getting tiresome.
try this:
WPA TKIP
PEAP with EAP-MSCHAP v2
nobody (sane) is considering wep or wpa as secure.
“The iPhone 2.0 software supports Cisco IPsec VPN to ensure the highest level of IP-based encryption available for transmission of sensitive corporate data, as well as the ability to authenticate using digital certificates or password-based, multi-factor authentication.”
iphone 2.o will support these, first version does not.
taken from http://www.apple.com library
so whatever ATT is claiming is true but not really (feature comming but not yet available)
I never said EDGE, I said EDGE/3G
see difference?
A lot of current smartphones is EDGE/3G capable (so when 3G is available will be used)
I am not trying to discredit anything. I am saying that this is neither new nor breakthrough.
well I understand that selling phone for $400 is not easy so “breakthrough” statements are required.
Edited 2008-03-07 03:53 UTC
No thanks, I just ate.
Well by god, you finally admit that the iPhone does have WPA in its current version! How’s that crow tasting?
And it seems you finally got around to reading a transcript of the event. Good boy!
So you did manage to figure out that these are coming features! Now you have nothing left to argue about though. Poor thing.
Look, I know I’m being a bit over the top there, but you have to admit, you were saying some outright untrue things to support your position that the iPhone doesn’t make for a great enterprise phone. No one ever disputed you there; I certainly didn’t. But dude, you don’t have to make up stuff to make a point. Try to stick to the truth next time.
you must be really slow:
what is a difference between insecure wep and insecure WAP?
I said that (in contrast to bold statement) these features aren’t new or unique
in fact you have real problem with text comprehension:
this is what you understood:
“”VPN support, including RSA SecurID, provides access to private corporate intranets”
More info at https://www.wireless.att.com/business/iphone/ . It looks as though there was already corporate support on AT&T’s end even before today’s announcement. ”
while as I posted citation from apple’s site
VPN is coming but it is not there yet.
Edited 2008-03-07 04:01 UTC
It’s readily obvious that the iPhone didn’t come out of the box “Enterprise ready”. Nobody suggested that these new features are new to the industry, they’re simply new to the iPhone, make it MORE Enterprise ready.
Inevitably, it will catch up to the Enterprise space and be more readily accepted. Until then, it’s demolishing the consumer smart phone space. Who knows what will happen when it finally meets all of the stringent Enterprise requirements.
How exactly is WPA insecure? Not being as secure as WPA2 does not make it insecure. It’s sufficiently secure for many cases.
you must be really slow:
what is a difference between insecure wep and insecure WAP?
iPhone supports wpa2 and vpn.
while as I posted citation from apple’s site
VPN is coming but it is not there yet.
You are just ignorant. iPhone supported VPN out of the box at launch.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305723
“For VPN user authentication, iPhone and iPod touch support RSA SecureID and CRYPTOCard for 2-factor token authentication, and password based MS-CHAP version 2. For machine authentication, iPhone and iPod touch support Shared Secret.”
They are just adding Cisco vpn support and more enterprise security features in 2.0. That is because Cisco uses two non-industry standard protocols for VPN and many company’s use Cisco VPN. This just makes it more compatible in more enterprises.
You have no idea what you are talking about.
The SDK announcement showed that the iPhone can get some really cool apps really fast. Can the treo or blackberry run 3D accelerated games? Nope. But the iPhone can get all the enterprise features both of those phones have. That is the big take away. One platform for both consumers and the enterprise and one SDK with which developers can cater to both. That is revolutionary.
Windows mobile and Symbian have failed to do both in many years. Apple has done more in 1 year since the iPhone launch than the entire industry has done in 5 years.The market share the iPhone is capturing is proof of that. The new enterprise features will bring the phone into the enterprise. I personally know of one major consulting firm where employees have been pestering their IT department to support the iPhone so they can ditch their blackberry’s and treos. Google’s android is vaporware today. Apple has the next gen handheld today.
iPhone with 3.5G will be here this year hopefully with HSDPA and HSUPA not the UMTS crap most call 3G. AT&T is still building out its HSDPA and HSUPA networks still so the timing by the end of this year will align nicely. I have a iPhone with EDGE and i find it more usaable than my friend’s samsung with 3G. o each their own.
Edited 2008-03-08 16:34 UTC
do not forget that apple has the final say about allowing a app into their store.
But applications can be written and installed without the need to go through the iTunes store at all. The iTunes store is simply a distribution method. Your porn-watcher or virus or whatever else you’re thinking might get censored is still possible, and through official means no less.
referring to the ever popular jailbreak?
and yes, i was expecting someone to spin as a benefit, protecting the customer from himself.
The SDK license prohibits distribution outside of App Store.
It will also require the SDK to download it to the iPhone.
Finally, since there is a legitimate, simple, convenient for the enduser (and author for that matter), and, effectively, free distribution mechanism for applications, any casual user will most certainly think twice about jumping through the hoops necessary to download and install a binary application on their own. Any non App Store application should be immediately suspect.
They can deter the hackers, but can’t stop them. What they can do, tho, is dramatically reduce the market for their services. The primary market now will be unlocking the phone for other carriers, as there’s little to no excuse for “legitimate” applications to not use the App Store.
and in the end apple can say yes or no to any app…
i just wonder how long it will be until we hear about someone having their app refused, and then apple rolling out a similar feature in a (for pay maybe) firmware update…
and yes, im going over the top here…
but i have seen that they “ok” voip, just not over the at&t network. but as its edge based anyways, who would bother…
Edited 2008-03-07 07:51 UTC
Some good points.
A full summary here:
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9888281-7.html
It would be pretty funny is Microsoft tried to get away with some of this stuff. I wonder if Apple are going to try to stop individuals from selling software for the Mac? Then they’d be in a Sony/Nintendo position in terms of approving and profiting from every unit of software sold for their desktop platform.
I’ve noticed a heaping amount of speculation and misinformation about this throughout the comment space of this article. I’m not trying to defend Apple here; I’m no fanboy, especially of the iPhone. I don’t own one and don’t foresee it in my near future. I just don’t see why people insist on making fools of themselves by speaking about something they have no information for. Yes, this is mainly directed at one particular person on this thread, and while I will give him the benefit of doubt regarding his primary spoken/written language (at this point I doubt it’s English), I can’t help but think he hasn’t been able to find a link to the full video of the event. So, for his benefit as well as others here interested in seeing the entire presentation:
http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/rtp20e92/event/index.html?int…
Enjoy.
I just don’t see why people insist on making fools of themselves by speaking about something they have no information for. Yes, this is mainly directed at one particular person on this thread, and while I will give him the benefit of doubt regarding his primary spoken/written language (at this point I doubt it’s English),
I’m betting it’s Mollineuf going under a pseudonym.
You lost your bet and why would I need a pseudonym ? Its my real life name “M o u l i n n e u f”. I am not a chicken like some …
Why must you start a new thread just to have a go at the same guy? Stop showing off.
I started a new thread because there are people here, not just one person, who have a habit of stating supposition as fact without bothering to find a source. Granted, I know this isn’t Wikipedia, but why can’t folks show a little intelligence and actually find out information about the subject at hand before making fools of themselves?
Besides, it’s a nice little event if you’re into that kind of thing, and I put up the link so folks could see it instead of just read transcripts and articles about it. If that isn’t your thing, by all means, ignore my link and my post.
While Apple allows distribution of software “for free” it looks as though it will be very difficult, though maybe not impossible, to develop free-as-in-freedom programs for the iPhone.
With Apple sanctioning what’s available or not on the platform, I guess only Mac users with developer kits will get the daily builds and development versions, while the other users would only get at what Apple deems good enough to be distributed in their store.
There is this side of limitations, manipulation and control in Apple, right behid their admittedly extremely elegant fa~A§ade, that I find deeply unsettling. At first sight it seems as though they are empowering me to do what I want, but as I scratch the shiny surface, I find that the possibilities are constrained in the arbitrary ways they have devised to herd me down the path they’ve chosen.
Nobody has said that it is now your job to develop apps for the iPhone. You are constrained to nothing but your own decisions.
If you don’t like it, develop software for other phones and make your stance there.
But I do understand the point you are making, Apple are holding the reigns tightly here.
“nominal fee” for iPod Touch users… I have an iPhone, but to me this is unfair. It’s like saying minor updates to OS X are free for Mac Pro and MacBook Pro users, but $20 for MacBook, MacBook Air, iMac and Mac Mini users.
Stupid.
Well with the iPhone, Apple gets a cut of the cellphone service subscription fee. So it’s not because the iPod Touch hardware is cheaper.
I understand where you’re coming from, but I own a Touch and it doesn’t bother me.
I know people often mention how so many manufacturers release firmware for free, but I think a lot of this is more comparable to new software apps.
I didn’t buy the Touch with the intention of having Mail or Maps. Once available though, I judged the upgrade to be immensely useful to me at work. So I felt like it was no different than buying iWork for my Mac. With this new update it’ll open an immense amount of functionality for me, and iPhone users are certainly paying for that functionality far more than I am, unless they’re hacked.
I prefer the sanctioned apps instead. I’m hugely excited about the possibilities and $10 to even $30 is inconsequential to me. Once the apps start rolling out, I’m sure people will complain but a lot of those people will also pay without thinking twice.
Why on earth link to c|net news???????? It hurts my eyes and makes me sad.
Why not link to the source directly?? –>
http://developer.apple.com/iphone/program/